As of 1995, the latest year for which complete data are available, West Virginia had a total of 4,904 public and private railroad crossings. They were broken down as follows:

Safety Around the Railroad
Train and pedestrian or motor vehicle crashes are very severe. A motorist is 30 times as likely to die in a collision with a train as in all other types of motor vehicle accidents. Certain safety precautions can prevent these incidents:

• Always expect a train; trains may run any time, day or night.
• Approach the crossing as you would approach any intersection, being prepared to yield to the train.
• Never drive around lowered gates; it’s illegal and deadly. Observe and obey flashing light signals.
• Never race a train to a crossing; if you tie, you lose.
• Don’t drive onto a crossing unless there is room to get off the other side; you may get “boxed in” by traffic and hit by a train.
• Watch for a second train when crossing multiple tracks.
• If your vehicle stalls on a crossing, get out immediately and call the police for assistance.
• Drivers of low-clearance vehicles such as car carriers or moving vans or special vehicles should be cautious when approaching a “hump-backed” or high crossing to avoid getting stuck.
• Don’t walk, run, cycle or ride ATVs on the railroad track or right of way; this is trespassing and it’s dangerous.
• Cross tracks only at designated crossings. Stay off bridges and out of tunnels.

Responsibilities at the Crossing
The responsibilities for public crossings at grade are shared between the railroad and the highway agency. The railroad is responsible for the crossing surface between the outer ends of the ties, for the installation and maintenance of the X-shaped “crossbuck” signs where no signals are present and for the operation and maintenance of the railroad crossing signals (flashers, or flashers and gates) and the associated control circuitry.

The street or highway agency is responsible for warning and regulatory signs on the approaches to the crossing, for pavement markings, and for the street or highway approaches outside the ends of the ties.

The installation or upgrading of crossing signals or the construction of other safety improvements is usually paid for by the street or highway agency which maintains the road at the crossing. Due to the costs of construction or of new or upgraded signals, the work is usually done utilizing federal highway safety funds which are made available through the Division of Highways.

“Hump-Backed” Crossings
High-profile or “hump-backed” railroad crossings present a special problem for low-clearance vehicles such as low-boy equipment trailers, car carriers and moving vans. West Virginia University, in cooperation with the Division of Highways, has developed a DOS-based software package called Hangup Version 2.4 to evaluate these crossings. The software is in the public domain and is available for the use of any public or private entity. A self-extracting file, Hangup.exe, may be downloaded from this site.