If you approach a railroad track where the gate has come down or lights are flashing, you should stop:

Question

A. Before you are 50 feet from the track.

B. Between 15-50 feet from the track.

C. Within 6 feet of the track

Answer 1

I don't know what state you're in, but as an answer from a practical standpoint, 50 feet.  That might not be the test answer, you understand, so don't use it as an answer there, but that's what anyone should do in practice.

Anything can fall off of a freight train at any time.  The further back you are, the more room you have before something really nasty moving at higher speeds winds up in your lap.

I know I sound like a broken record on this point, but it keeps coming up;  Crossing protection is not fail-safe.  

Crossing protection does have battery back-up for power outages but there are other circumstances that can combine to cause them to not operate properly or not at all.  If you can't stop due to traffic when they are "up," at least give a look and roll down the window and listen and slow to look when you can.  A train may be there too and if they aren't working it is going to be a really bad day for a lot of people.

Perhaps that's on another question, but it is the answer to this question, itself a good safety question, so it gets a star...  thanks for asking.

Answer 2

Like Albert said: stay clear of the tracks. 50 feet is a safe area to be. When I stop by the rails i always keep my eyes on the moving train cars. Watching for broken steel bindings that can rip you in half, if someone was standing close like within 6  feet of the tracks. Things  do fly off or can be ejected from under the freight cars. Once not to long ago I was taking photos of a unit coal train, and along came a few freight cars  that where losing there load, and it was like being pelted with large black rocks. So I would say be safe, and stay back far enough not to become a target of falling projectiles..

Answer 3

Stop before the gates.

Not like the idiot I saw the other week, who saw the barriers coming down and made a dash for the other side, over a crossing spanning 5 tracks. Yes. someone up there must like him....

Answer 4

This is a driver's license test question. The answer is whatever the DMV says it is.  If they say "within 6 feet", tick that on the test and then stop 50 feet away.   50 feet is good unless you like being hit by debris.