Historical Question;

[streamline1]

HI Forum users been a while since I been Here. I got a historical question about a trackside item.
I remember many times as I crossed the tracks at a certain crossing on the NYCRR mainline here in New York. There was an item that was black and pointed in one direction and it was blank. Last thing I knew It was made from old boiler plate and the meaning was only know to the locomotive operator and crew. Love to send a picture of it to make it clear, does anyone know what it was ans what it was used for. But the item is no longer at the site.

[FarmallBob]

I recall seeing those signs at either side of unmarked farm crossings, etc. I presume they were warn ballast spreader crews (and possibly flanger operators in wintertime) there was an obstruction between the rails bewteen the signs. But that's just my guess...

...FB

[GSC]

If it was a triangle-shaped sign, with or without a dot painted in the center, it was a warning for "cattle stoppers", These are those slotted grates at pasture entrances, roadways, etc, that cattle will not walk across. It marks the location for snowplows and other MOW equipment that might come in contact with the ground.