Wis. Stat. § 192.29
Train bells and crossing signs at street and highway crossings
Redline — January 1, 2003 → current.View current text →
Current — January 1, 2013
As of January 1, 2003
(1) Setting maximum speed. Upon petition to the office by the governing body of any city or village or by any railroad corporation alleging that any railroad crossing of one or more public highways or streets in the city or village is dangerous to human life and that public safety requires a designation of the maximum speed of a train over such crossing or crossings, or that an order previously made by the office should be modified, the office shall give notice to the parties in interest and order a hearing thereon in the manner provided by s. 195.04 . If after the hearing the office shall determine that the crossing or crossings described in the petition are dangerous to human life, it may by order determine what maximum speed of a train over the crossing is reasonably required by public safety and is consistent with the public need for adequate and expeditious passenger and freight service by railroad, having due regard for other orders entered by the office and to practical railroad operating conditions. Where the office has designated the maximum speed of any train or trains over such crossing or crossings, the rate of speed shall be the lawful maximum speed at which any train affected by the order can be operated over the public highway or street crossing, until changed by subsequent order of the office. Every railroad corporation violating any order entered under this subsection shall for every violation forfeit not less than $10 nor more than $100. The jurisdiction over train speeds hereby vested in the office shall be exclusive, but any order entered by the office hereunder shall be subject to judicial review in the manner provided by ch. 227 .
(2) Arterial stop signs. In any proceeding under sub. (1) or under s. 195.28 , the office may by order require that the state or municipality install at any crossing involved in such proceeding an official stop sign.
(3) Bell to ring, municipal authority.
(a) No railroad train or locomotive shall run over any public traveled grade crossing within any city or village, except where gates are operated, or a flagman is stationed, unless the engine bell shall be rung continuously within 330 feet of the crossing and until the crossing is reached.
(b) Flagmen or gates shall be placed and maintained, or such mechanical safety appliances shall be installed upon such public traveled grade crossings in villages and cities as the city or village authorities and the railroad company may by agreement decide; such agreement may include the apportionment of the cost of installation of such mechanical devices.
(4) Highways, whistle, horn, bell. No railroad train or locomotive shall run over any public traveled grade highway crossing outside of the limits of municipalities unless the whistle or horn shall be blown 1,320 feet from such crossing and the engine bell rung continuously from thence until the crossing be reached. But the office may order that the ringing of the bell or the blowing of the whistle, or horn, or both, as required by this subsection shall be omitted at any crossing.
(4) Highways; bell. No railroad train or locomotive shall run over any public traveled grade highway crossing outside of the limits of municipalities unless the engine bell shall be rung continuously from 1,320 feet before the crossing until the crossing is reached. But the office may order that the ringing of the bell as required by this subsection shall be omitted at any crossing.
(5) Railroad crossing and yield signs.
(a) Wherever its track crosses a public highway or street, every railroad corporation shall maintain on each side of the track a highway-rail-grade crossing sign, commonly known as a crossbuck sign, that conforms with the manual of uniform traffic control devices adopted by the department under s. 84.02 (4) (e) .
(b) No later than July 1, 2007, at every railroad crossing at which a railroad corporation is required to maintain a sign described in par. (a) and that is not controlled by a gate, automatic signal, or official stop sign, the railroad corporation shall install and maintain, below the sign described in par. (a) , a yield sign that conforms with the manual of uniform traffic control devices adopted by the department under s. 84.02 (4) (e) .
(6) Contact information at private crossings. A railroad company shall make a notice containing a telephone number at which a person may contact the company available to private landowners at each private traveled grade crossing at the request of the private landowner. The notice shall be large enough to be visible from the crossing.
Official source: Wisconsin State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Wisconsin statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.