Railroad Crossing Ahead sign

Required in advance of almost every highway-rail grade crossing. The round shape is reserved for this warning.

What to do

Slow down, look and listen for trains, and be ready to stop.

Slow down, turn down the radio, and look and listen both ways so you can stop before the tracks if a train is coming.

Where it's used

Section 8B.06 requires a Grade Crossing Advance Warning (W10-1) sign on each highway in advance of every grade crossing, apart from a few exceptions such as a parallel road closer than 100 feet to the tracks (where W10-2 to W10-4 are used instead) or business areas with active warning devices. It is a round yellow sign (36 inches across on conventional roads) with a black X and RR, the only circular warning sign. Plaques such as NO TRAIN HORN or NO GATES OR LIGHTS may be mounted below it, and where a Stop Ahead or Yield Ahead sign is also needed it is placed before that sign.

Don't confuse it with

Railroad Crossing (Crossbuck): The white X-shaped Crossbuck is at the crossing itself, while the round yellow sign is placed in advance.
Parallel Track Crossing: The diamond parallel-track sign warns that turning onto a side road will bring you to tracks right away.
Cross Road: The Cross Road diamond warns of a road intersection, not a railroad crossing.