Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Misprints are popping up on the "ugly font" crossbucks that UPRR is swapping into service. Here are two at the same crossing that printed upside down on the opposite sides.
NW 4th St., Odgen, IA
Looking North
Looking South

Ugh. Discovered on Street View that UP has recently put up a couple of these (put together wrong, to boot) on a rural crossing near Evasnville, Wisconsin. Funny thing is, this crossing is essentially out of service. The only active shipper on the line is just east of the crossing (the grain elevator with the loop track) and not too long ago they installed a derail to its west. Occasionally they will park stored cars west of Evansville, but that's the only thing they do with it since the last car for Nelson-Young Lumber was probably 4-5 years ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/xEYV6PgQYepKPkVt7

AndyWS wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 8:35 pm Ugh. Discovered on Street View that UP has recently put up a couple of these (put together wrong, to boot) on a rural crossing near Evasnville, Wisconsin. Funny thing is, this crossing is essentially out of service. The only active shipper on the line is just east of the crossing (the grain elevator with the loop track) and not too long ago they installed a derail to its west. Occasionally they will park stored cars west of Evansville, but that's the only thing they do with it since the last car for Nelson-Young Lumber was probably 4-5 years ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/xEYV6PgQYepKPkVt7

Where does the WSOR stand on this... I thought their hope was to reinstall the road crossings in Brooklyn and eventually rehab the line to Evansville. Has UP put that portion of the line into Cat 1 status now by chance?

SirKrunch wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:18 pm

AndyWS wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 8:35 pm Ugh. Discovered on Street View that UP has recently put up a couple of these (put together wrong, to boot) on a rural crossing near Evasnville, Wisconsin. Funny thing is, this crossing is essentially out of service. The only active shipper on the line is just east of the crossing (the grain elevator with the loop track) and not too long ago they installed a derail to its west. Occasionally they will park stored cars west of Evansville, but that's the only thing they do with it since the last car for Nelson-Young Lumber was probably 4-5 years ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/xEYV6PgQYepKPkVt7

Where does the WSOR stand on this... I thought their hope was to reinstall the road crossings in Brooklyn and eventually rehab the line to Evansville. Has UP put that portion of the line into Cat 1 status now by chance?

I'm not really sure. I don't think there are any current plans to change the status quo with the line (UP owns from Brooklyn east, serving ALCIVIA/formerly Landmark and Twin State at Leyden from Janesville; while the state owns/WSOR operates out of Madison, serving Lycon in Oregon and sometimes storing cars up to their end of track at the north/RR west edge of Brooklyn).

I remember seeing a couple of these at an out of service crossing in Bennington, Vermont way back in 2005 when I was a kid on a trip there with the family.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8944622 ... 312!8i6656

Other side.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8945715 ... 312!8i6656

They were later replaced with the normal printed crossbucks for reasons unknown. Especially since part of that line was pulled up and replaced by a rail trail rather recently.

Columbus, Nebraska
Upside down on the reverse side again.

Perhaps... post this one at a diamond. (In fairness, it's at least correct on the front side.)
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2984878 ... 384!8i8192

Iowa Falls, IA. Another upside down print on the reverse with the ugly font.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6295518 ... 384!8i8192

Don't know if this counts, but this EM signal on Display in Griffith, IN has the word "crossing" upside down. This is at a museum and they didn't even bother to fix it...
https://goo.gl/maps/V7BXJctxbHg6gFHk9

AndyWS wrote: Sun Feb 12, 2023 7:29 pm
I'm not really sure. I don't think there are any current plans to change the status quo with the line (UP owns from Brooklyn east, serving ALCIVIA/formerly Landmark and Twin State at Leyden from Janesville; while the state owns/WSOR operates out of Madison, serving Lycon in Oregon and sometimes storing cars up to their end of track at the north/RR west edge of Brooklyn).

Speaking of UP and odd things. I was looking to see if there was an updated Streetview of the Saemann Ave. crossing in Sheboygan yet. Happened to follow the line North to Haven and past, and noticed they did a crossbuck replacement on a VERY out of service crossing. Why, even? I think we all know that nothing will ever cross here except possibly some kind of MOW equipment when they rip the rail.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8779128 ... ?entry=ttu

SirKrunch wrote: Sat Jun 17, 2023 5:57 pm

AndyWS wrote: Sun Feb 12, 2023 7:29 pm
I'm not really sure. I don't think there are any current plans to change the status quo with the line (UP owns from Brooklyn east, serving ALCIVIA/formerly Landmark and Twin State at Leyden from Janesville; while the state owns/WSOR operates out of Madison, serving Lycon in Oregon and sometimes storing cars up to their end of track at the north/RR west edge of Brooklyn).

Speaking of UP and odd things. I was looking to see if there was an updated Streetview of the Saemann Ave. crossing in Sheboygan yet. Happened to follow the line North to Haven and past, and noticed they did a crossbuck replacement on a VERY out of service crossing. Why, even? I think we all know that nothing will ever cross here except possibly some kind of MOW equipment when they rip the rail.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8779128 ... ?entry=ttu

My guess is that UP only has the line filed as "no train traffic" rather than "out of service", so they have to keep-up maintenance. I know the since-abandoned and removed crossings on the southern end of the former TAG main in Gadsden, AL, were still "active" and being actively maintained by NS, including having the ENS signs all replaced in the mid-2010s, despite that part of the line having not seen a train in years nor ever seeing a train again, due to the fact that NS only had them filed as having "no train traffic" until they were able to tear-up that part of the line.