§ 11-53. Railroads.

(a)

Speed limit. It shall be unlawful for any railroad engine, motor car, handcar, coach, train or other similar railroad equipment to be operated within the city at a rate of speed greater than 40 miles an hour.

(b)

Construction of crossings. It shall be the duty of all railroad companies and managers thereof owning or controlling railroads within the city and operating trains thereof, to provide crossings easy of access and suitable for the use of street traffic; such crossings shall be constructed under the direction, supervision and specifications of the city.

(c)

Obstruction of railroad crossings. An officer, agent, servant or receiver of any railway company who willfully obstructs for more than five minutes at any one time any street, railway crossing or public highway by permitting their train to stand on or across such crossing, shall be fined.

(d)

Maintenance of crossings. It shall be the duty of each railroad company whose lines of tracks are constructed within the city to put in good repair and maintain in good condition all streets or parts of streets through and over which its lines of tracks may run, and to keep the same free from obstructions of every kind, which such repair shall be made and constructed under the direction and supervision of the city.

(e)

Warning devices at crossings required. Every railroad company which has railroad tracks which run through the city or any portion thereof shall be required to erect, place or construct such barricades or other warning devices as shall be required by the city at all crossings of such tracks with the streets, alleys or other public ways within the city. The city shall give notice by registered mail, return receipt requested, to any such railroad company directing such railroad company to so erect, place or construct any such warning device, and failure of such railroad company to comply with such notice within 60 days after receipt thereof shall be deemed a violation of this section.

(f)

Expense of construction, maintenance of warning devices at crossings. Every gate, guard or other warning device erected at railroad crossings and the approaches thereto shall be erected and constructed at the sole cost and expense of the railroad company under the direction and supervision of the city; and the same shall thereafter be kept and maintained by the railroad company in proper repair and condition at its own cost and expense and without cost or expense to the city.

(g)

Flying switch prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any railroad company or person to switch a railroad car in the manner commonly known as a "flying," "running," or "kicking" switch at any crossing within the city.

(h)

City drainage not to be obstructed. It shall be unlawful for any railroad company to obstruct the drainage of the city in any way or by any means whatsoever.

(i)

Headlight, signal bells. No railroad engine, train or similar railroad equipment shall be run or moved in the nighttime without a headlight, or shall be run at any time without the usual signal bells or devices.

(j)

Unnecessary whistle blowing prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any railroad company, or its employees, operating or running trains through the city to blow or have blown the whistles of the engine of such train, except for the purpose of blowing for the board or semaphore as required by the rules of such railroad or in case of emergency as additional warning of any impending danger to life or property.

(Code 1968, Ch. 20)