Post by junkeonwedge7782 on Mar 8, 2023 2:26:40 GMT
Hey there, I was hoping someone could help me out with this one. So, to preface this, for some reason, in kindergarten I was obsessed with railroad crossing signals. No, not trains or railroads in general, the signs with the blinking lights and beams that keep you from crossing in front of an oncoming train. This started out with simply looking at them intently if we passed one in the car, but it escalated when I was shown YouTube on my grandpa’s computer. Of all my early (2009-2011ish) YouTube memories, one video sticks out for how it affected me. There was one video I loved. It had a dull voiced narrator talking about railroad crossings. He first went into the different signals that could be found. Those with flashing lights, flashing lights and sounds, flashing lights+sounds and a beam to block the road, and ones that simply say “railroad crossing.” That last part about the simple signs is the closest to verbatim of what the narrator said. That’s about the part where I stopped the video early. That’s because it went into a skit/reenactment segment that I didn’t initially watch. One day, I decided to. Here’s what I remember.
It starts off introducing a guy either named Paul or Peter. I remember him being a middle aged guy, and is first shown crouching next to a mobile home. At least, next to some sort of building. I think it was near the water meter. Maybe the building was brown, and had a brown trellis behind the meter? He’s either a carpenter or plumber. Problem is, he’s late to his brother/friend’s wedding. He gets in his truck, and drives off. He gets stopped by the crossing and is frustrated. He looks around, either seeing nothing, or a “far off” train. Either by smashing through the beam, or going around he drives onto the tracks and his truck gets hit with him inside. Then I think it cuts to a spot miles down the track, showing the remains of the truck. The narrator might have said something like “the train couldn’t stop for Paul/Peter to cross. If only he had been more patient.” I think that’s where it ended.
It freaked me out so bad, I stopped using the internet for a while. You see, I still hadn’t gotten the whole “reading” thing down yet, so my using YouTube involved clicking around, usually going by thumbnails or channel/video intros to remember what I’d seen. I’d seen it two or three times before I actually sat through the whole thing. I never found it again, likely because I forgot about liking crossing signals and moved on to video games. The video always has stuck with me, but I never found it. I can’t nail down a time period. I could’ve been made anywhere from the 60’s-present day. I say 60’s as it was in color, and that around when PSAs/industrial/training films began to be shot in color. I’m leaning more towards 70’s-80s. The original upload I saw was probably from 2007-2010. I doubt it’s still up, but you never know. As for leads, I have none, save for my memories. It was only recently it must have been a PSA or a film shown to those who worked with railroads. Anyways, I hope someone can help me find closure, as my efforts have been useless.
It starts off introducing a guy either named Paul or Peter. I remember him being a middle aged guy, and is first shown crouching next to a mobile home. At least, next to some sort of building. I think it was near the water meter. Maybe the building was brown, and had a brown trellis behind the meter? He’s either a carpenter or plumber. Problem is, he’s late to his brother/friend’s wedding. He gets in his truck, and drives off. He gets stopped by the crossing and is frustrated. He looks around, either seeing nothing, or a “far off” train. Either by smashing through the beam, or going around he drives onto the tracks and his truck gets hit with him inside. Then I think it cuts to a spot miles down the track, showing the remains of the truck. The narrator might have said something like “the train couldn’t stop for Paul/Peter to cross. If only he had been more patient.” I think that’s where it ended.
It freaked me out so bad, I stopped using the internet for a while. You see, I still hadn’t gotten the whole “reading” thing down yet, so my using YouTube involved clicking around, usually going by thumbnails or channel/video intros to remember what I’d seen. I’d seen it two or three times before I actually sat through the whole thing. I never found it again, likely because I forgot about liking crossing signals and moved on to video games. The video always has stuck with me, but I never found it. I can’t nail down a time period. I could’ve been made anywhere from the 60’s-present day. I say 60’s as it was in color, and that around when PSAs/industrial/training films began to be shot in color. I’m leaning more towards 70’s-80s. The original upload I saw was probably from 2007-2010. I doubt it’s still up, but you never know. As for leads, I have none, save for my memories. It was only recently it must have been a PSA or a film shown to those who worked with railroads. Anyways, I hope someone can help me find closure, as my efforts have been useless.
