[Olog-hai]

Some of the hand-cranked crossing gates lasted into the 1960s. The ones in this photograph, in Jersey City (today’s PATH tracks; they used to be shared with Pennsylvania RR trains from Exchange Place, as shown in this photo from 1961), were in use until the crossing was closed in 1967.

[AnAmericanMother]

Union rules, probably, it being Jersey and the home of Frank ("I am the law!") Hague.

Grew up in Atlanta, old railroad town, dad was a railroad buff, I married one too - the South had relatively few gate crossings (most were just sawbucks and it's on you to watch for the trains!) and they were automated pretty early.