It is my recollection from my childhood (1950-60s) in southeastern Connecticut (New Haven RR and Central Vermont country) that the words on the crossbucks here were NOT "RAIL ROAD CROSSING" but rather "STOP LOOK LISTEN" -- not as an add-on sign, but on the crossbucks themselves. Now try as I might, I can find no evidence of any such thing on the internet. Am I crazy? Or does someone else remember this, too?
I remember them also in upstate New York and northern New England 50-60 years ago. Here is one at the Illinois Railway Museum. It's not a crossbuck, but it is a railroad sign. I found a crossbuck photo on Photobucket, but the URL wouldn't link over to TB. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...F8nW2gXyu4DwBw&sqi=2&ved=0CGgQ9QEwEg&dur=1223
I do not recall ever seeing that on a crossbuck. I do remember occasionally seeing Rail WAY Crossing on them and the Stop Look Out The Cars below on the tilted square signs like below. And the one Hank posted too.
There were many variants. Some of the posts were painted with a spiral black stripe on white, looking like a barber pole. Some had the warning on crossbucks, plus more on the pole. There were some which were not crossbucks, but a single slanted board.
I sure remember seeing that motto, still to be observed today, but don't remember if it was on crossbucks or nearby signs (upstate NY 1950's).