Level crossing

A level crossing (also called a grade crossing, a railway crossing, or a railroad crossing)  is a place where a railway line and a road meet each other on the same level. This means that the grades (the road and the track) are not separated by using a bridge or a tunnel. Usually, there are signs indicating the crossing. There may also be barriers/gates that go down before a train passes. 

Depending on how much traffic there is, there are different measures to make the crossing more secure:
 Signs or panels, indicating the crossing
 Blinking or steady lights
 Sounds (usually a warning bell)
 Gates/barriers that are lowered before a train passes

Since level crossings are dangerous (there are many accidents), they are usually reworked into grade separated crossings when there is more traffic, or high speed trains.

 Images 

Related pages

Billups Neon Crossing Signal

Category:Rail infrastructure
Category:Traffic signs