Pennsylvania Railroad “Watch Box”

On the Pennsylvania Railroad, what was commonly called a crossing shanty was known as a watch box. Standard watch boxes, such as those used circa 1911, were placed at grade crossings until automatic crossing gates became common toward the middle of the 20th century. Crossing watchmen operated the manual crossing gates and used a stop sign to control traffic at the crossing. They were also required to inspect passing trains for defects, report engineers who failed to properly sound the whistle or ring the bell at the crossing, and keep the crossing area clear of snow or other debris that might interfere with safe operation.

Whippany, New Jersey · United States