$200k plus the expense to maintain and inspect ONE wayside detector is a big hit to any tourist railroad. It's not like we're raking in millions in profit or hauling around tank cars of vinyl chloride at 50+ mph in our tourist trains. If you have a money tree, can I get some seeds?

Don't play with trains if you can't pay the bills! haha.

"Crossing signal with gate".....

They aren't applied singly, but at least in pairs; more masts for more complex road and track arrangements. Plus, there's the relay bungalow, underground conduit, etc. ONE basic crossing signal mast, gate mech and 4 flashers are about $45,000 each. A simple crossing installation of gates and flashers, where the road and railroad are at 90-degree angles, is about $150,000 (in 2020 dollars). That does not include crossing surface and necessary track work.

Howard P.

You must live in a cheaper alternative place. $125k is about the single-mast F&G price today, including the instrument house and basic signal installation - without all the other stuff thrown in like insulated joints, pavement work and striping/marking, environment restoration/finishing, etc.. Anything with any additional considerations is well over $500k all in, and surface can easily add 50% or more if you're going with modern crossing systems. And adding in coincident traffic lights, either coordinated or preemption, adds even more (headaches included at no charge).

"You must live in a cheaper alternative place."

Have you been to Connecticut lately? Not an inexpensive place to do anything.

Again, that's a three year old price, and it's just the signal work, no the crossing surface, paving, police coverage, electrical power, track in crossing and approaches. WRRS Model 10 gates and 12" LED flashers, 12 of them. A nice walk-in bungalow. Digital video cams and event recorder. And a good contractor, working to a good specification.

Howard P.

$200K for a hotbox dector? Does any of these items need to be certified in any way? It seems like you can just build one yourself quite inexpensively. Also Don't cities and states pay for the cost of installing railroad crossings?

I seem to recall in the past that who was responsible for the maintenance of grade crossings varies from state to state, and in some instances county or city. I've heard that in some places the state (or whatever governmental agency that is responsible for non state or federal roads) maintains the actual pavement in a crossing and the railroad is responsible for "the adequate control of the intersection". Which means something as simple as a cross buck in each direction on up to flashing lights and gongs with gates. This has probably all changed by now.

Each state has regulatory authority (DOT or PUC, etc.) over public crossings themselves, including the pavement marking, approaches, and advanced warning signs. Most follow the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for all signage, active warning, etc. They have the authority regarding opening, closing, upgrading or anything involving that crossing. Once installed, the railroad will maintain the warning signs at the crossing and are responsible for maintaining the active warning as required in 49 CFR Part 234.

With that said, there are some cities in some states that do not fall under that state authority and can follow MUTCD...or not. The railroad is still responsible for the passive or active warning at the crossing.

MDR

Yes I'm pretty sure the railroad has to maintain it but the town have to pay for it. This is a big issue with Bright Line and politicians complaining about how the taxpayer had to pay for the crossing upgrades, I think bright line agreed to install some at their own cost so that some of the communities to drop their lawsuits against them but it was mostly government money that paid for the upgrades.
Also a lot of railroad museums and some smaller railroads run on tracks that are owned by government entities I'm pretty sure in those cases they get reimbursed for maintenance and upgrades.

And the private sector is responsible for buying the shotgun shells used to blast holes in those signs...

That sign was coming right for me, I felt in fear if my life

Just exercising his constitutional rights...