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New York Railroad Law Section 56 - Locomotives Must Stop At Grade Crossings.

Legal Research Home > New York Lawyer > Railroad > New York Railroad Law Section 56 - Locomotives Must Stop At Grade Crossings.

    § 56.  Locomotives  must  stop  at  grade  crossings.  All trains and
  locomotives on railroads crossing each other at grade shall  come  to  a
  full stop before crossing, not less than two hundred nor more than eight
  hundred  feet  from the crossing, and shall then cross only when the way
  is clear and upon a signal from a watchman stationed at the crossing. If
  the corporations cannot agree as to the  expense  of  the  watchman,  it
  shall   be   determined  by  the  commissioner  of  transportation  upon
  application thereto by either of them. If the corporations  disagree  as
  to  the  precedence  of  trains  the commissioner of transportation may,
  after hearing, upon the application  of  either  corporation,  prescribe
  rules  in relation thereto.  The full stop and crossing on signal may be
  discontinued if the commissioner of transportation shall decide it to be
  impracticable,  or  if,  with  the  approval  of  the  commissioner   of
  transportation,  an  interlocking switch and signal apparatus is adopted
  and put in operation at such a crossing. The full stop and  crossing  on
  signal  shall not be required in depot yards, or the approaches thereto,
  if the crossing roads are under lease or subject to the same  management
  or  control  in  the use of tracks. An engineer, violating the foregoing
  provisions of this section, or any such  rule  of  the  commissioner  of
  transportation, shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars; and
  any  corporation or person operating the railroad, violating any of such
  provisions or rules, shall be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  five  hundred
  dollars.  The  commissioner  of  transportation  may,  whenever  in  his
  judgment the public safety requires the erection of interlocking  switch
  and  signal  devices  at points where steam and street surface railroads
  intersect at grade, direct the erection of such  devices  and  apportion
  the  expense  of construction, operating and maintenance thereof between
  the  companies  affected  thereby.  No  railroad  corporation,  nor  any
  officer,  agent  or  employee  thereof,  shall stop its cars, horses, or
  locomotives upon a grade crossing of a railroad of another  corporation,
  for  the  purpose  of  receiving or delivering passengers or freight, or
  other purpose, and any person or corporation violating  this  provision,
  shall be liable to a penalty of two hundred and fifty dollars.

Last modified: August 27, 2006