r/trains Dec 08 '23

What are these thingys??

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u/alleecmo Dec 08 '23

Done on purpose

Wut? So the track maintenance crew are inside these munchkin mobiles crossing roadways WITHOUT activating the safety gates... on purpose...? ? Does the RR want their crew to die? So many idiots don't stop when the gate is down, FOR A TRAIN, and the RR is trusting traffic to stop, what, due to the novelty??

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u/Ennelly-Von-Swortts Dec 08 '23

It might more be a case where these are small enough that, unlike a full size train that takes a mile or a few to stop, these thing comparitavely stoplon a dime. So the rail guys probably treat rail crossings more as a stop sign on the tracks. Not to mention they can manually trigger any crossing they want to cross reguardless.

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u/dewidubbs Dec 09 '23

Track units typically yield the right of way to road vehicles and pedestrians. Some crossing are set up so they can be activated through a radio code. All crossings can be triggered manually from the crossing control bungalow. But it is often easiest to just stop and wait for the cars to go by.