When did the crossbuck replace the old diamond-shaped "Look out for the cars" signs at grade crossings? I'm modeling the transition era and I'm wondering which is appropriate.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
It really depends on the region and type of line, because the lines that were used more and mainlines would be replaced first. But in general, the diamond one was replaced between 1920s and 1930s and by 1940s there were the crossbucks. I model the NYC in the early 1950s and there would have been crossbucks by then for sure. Hope this helps.
My Layout Photos- http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/ajwarshal/library/
ALEX WARSHAL It really depends on the region and type of line, because the lines that were used more and mainlines would be replaced first. But in general, the diamond one was replaced between 1920s and 1930s and by 1940s there were the crossbucks. I model the NYC in the early 1950s and there would have been crossbucks by then for sure. Hope this helps.
That helps quite a bit actually. I model the Pennsy in the transition era, so it would be crossbucks all the way. Thank you.
As Alex noted, they weren't all necessarily changed at once. I don't think there's ever been a law or regulation about what the warning signs had to look like or that required that only crossbucks be used as of a certain date or anything. It's possible a remote dirt road crossing out in the middle of nowhere might still have the diamond-shaped sign (or just a board with "LOOK OUT FOR THE CARS" painted on it) in the 1940's or '50's, but by then probably 99% of crossings had crossbucks.
I believe early variations of the electric light "wig-wag" crossing signs came out in the late 1910's, the alternating two-light version and the Griswold signal (with a "STOP" sign that rotated to face the automobile road when a train was approaching) came later, maybe the 1930's(?)
I distinctly remember seeing PRR crossbucks in the 1950's and '60's, which had "Look out for the locomotive" lettering. this was on the Cleveland Akron & Columbus line in Ohio. So "Railroad crossing" is not your only lettering option.
Straight from the Office Of The Chief Engineer Dated August 1926. I was fortunate enough to come across a book of PRR Standard Plans at a local RR show!
However... Just as Alex writes there were lots of local variants sometimes predicated by State laws. I was just paging through Don Wood's book "I Remember Pennsy" and there are plenty of photos in there showing a wide oval crossing sign (I've seen them at Strasburg and on the EBT in Orbisonia, Pa.) these oval crossing signs are shown still in use as of 1956 so that's definitely in your era.
Hope this helps, Ed