Guaranteed That You Have Never Noticed This at Idaho, Utah, and Washington Railroad Crossings

If you are of the mindset that you should learn something new every day, this could be that thing. It could also be the thing that makes you feel dumb because if you drive, there’s a chance you’ve been stuck at a railroad crossing for what felt like a lot longer than it should have. And you never noticed this.

By my house, there is a train crossing, and I get stuck there at least once a week, watching the train go back and forth, blocking the road, and I have never noticed this one important thing.

One Thing You Have Never Noticed at All Train Crossings in UT, ID, and WA

Now, to be honest, I didn’t notice this while waiting for a train to cross. I saw a video from the Idaho Transportation Department about it, didn’t believe them, drove to the track by my house, still didn’t believe it was at all crossings, checked Google, and sure enough: I’ve missed this sign my entire life.

And it’s an important one to know about.

This doesn’t only apply to tracks in Idaho. I picked a random train intersection in Salt Lake City, Utah, and another in Yakima, Washington. Both had the same sign but different crossing ID numbers, obviously.

Had you ever noticed the little blue signs at train crossings before? If you didn’t know about them, you haven’t been missing them your entire life - depending on how old you are. I went through Google Maps history, and they don’t appear in many images until 2018.

READ ALSO: It’s Illegal To Do This On Railroad Tracks

While we’re learning things about trains, did you know it’s illegal to take pictures on most train tracks? Now, you’ve learned two things today.