Adding A Crossing Shanty To Your Layout

September 2, 2013

Since the early days of the steam locomotive, the convergence of railroad crossings and roads have always posed potential dangers to human life. These days, thanks to technology, many railroad crossings have sophisticated barrier arrangements to protect, vehicles, trains and people from colliding. That is not to say they are perfect, as some people still seem to ignore the danger not understanding that locomotives can’t pull up and stop as quickly as road vehicles .

However, prior to the invention of modern automated crossing barrier protections, busier railroad crossings were typically managed by a flagman whose job it was to stop the road traffic if and when a train approached. This was an important job, but often the waiting time between trains was lengthy. The flagman therefore required a place to rest up.

The little shed/hut for this was called a crossing shanty, which was usually positioned near to the tracks so that the flagman could be ready to jump into action whenever a train approached. The crossing shanty was a place where the flagman could rest, and keep dry and warm. Compared to some other railroad jobs the task was not considered overly strenuous so was sometimes assigned to employees with injuries or those requiring light duties.

This short film clip show construction of a model railroad crossing shanty. The plan is available here http://www.modelbuildings.org/crossing-shanty-B438.html