Railroad crossbuck
Two white boards crossed in an X, reading RAILROAD CROSSING. It marks the place where a road crosses railroad tracks.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains the sign's standard meaning in the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; it isn't legal advice.
How to read it
The X is reserved for grade crossings in the MUTCD's table of sign shapes, and every road approach to a highway-rail crossing has at least one. In most states the crossbuck requires road users to yield the right-of-way to trains; Pennsylvania's manual treats it as a yield sign. It is the last sign before the tracks, after the round yellow advance warning sign.
Also searched as: crossbuck, railroad crossing sign.
Counting the tracks
Where there are two or more tracks and no automatic gates, a plaque below the crossbuck gives the number. The example in Michigan's manual marks a crossing of three tracks.
More road signs
Sources
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 8B: Signs and Markings (Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings), MUTCD 2009, Part 8, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 8B.03
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 2A: General, MUTCD 2009, Part 2, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 2A.09, Table 2A-4
- Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, p. 10
- What Every Driver Must Know, Michigan driver manual, Michigan Department of State, Chapter 5, sign 27
Last reviewed September 25, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research