Retired Crossing GuardThis old veteran enjoys retirement in front of the restored depot in Folkston, Georgia as the trains of CSX pass by.

Grade crossings are a constant source of danger along the tracks of US railroads.  Many crossings are only protected by signs, while busier ones might add lights or gates for extra protection.

💡 What are the facts?

• Top Counties: Greenville, Spartanburg, Charleston, and Richland are the leading counties for rail collisions.

• Incident Frequency: In the last three years, the state recorded 163 incidents at highway-rail grade crossings, resulting in 20 deaths and 50 injuries.

• Trespassing: Beyond crossings, trespassing on private rail property remains a major danger, with 23 fatalities and 15 injuries reported in the same period.

What can you do if you are stuck on the tracks to save your life?

💡 What to do in an Emergency

If a vehicle stalls or is stuck on a track:

1. Get Out Immediately: Don't try to save the vehicle or push it off.

2. Locate the Blue Sign: Every crossing has a Blue and White Emergency Notification System (ENS) sign.

3. Call the Number: Call the number on the sign and give the Crossing ID number (also on the sign) to the dispatcher. This is the fastest way to stop an oncoming train.

4. No Sign? Call 911.

There are a lot of resources in South Carolina for improving grade crossing safety.

🛡️ Safety Initiatives & Education

• Operation Lifesaver (SC OLI): This non-profit is the primary driver for rail safety education in SC. Their "See Tracks? Think Train!" campaign is active throughout 2026, including distributing materials to schools and school bus drivers.

• ORS Rail Safety Program: The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) works with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to inspect over 2,600 miles of track annually.

• Norfolk Southern Safety Train: In late 2026, the Norfolk Southern "Safety Train" is scheduled to stop in North Charleston to provide hands-on training for first responders on handling rail-related emergencies.

• "A Slice of Safety": A local SC initiative where pizzerias in the Columbia area print rail safety tips directly on pizza boxes to reach the general public.

Coca-Cola Ghost SignI'm a huge fan of Coca-Cola ghost signs which were painted advertising in most southern US towns. Many of them have completely faded away, been painted over, or worse yet "restored" which to my thinking is a worse fate.
This one is in Union, South Carolina about a block off of Main Street. This one was featured in my "Quick Look" blog post recently.

I'm a huge fan of Coca-Cola ghost signs which were painted advertising in most southern US towns. Many of them have completely faded away, been painted over, or worse yet "restored" which to my thinking is a worse fate.  Here is some history about the signs themselves from my research lately.

Coca-Cola and the "Privilege Sign"

Coca-Cola has deep roots in the South, and its wall signs are the most ubiquitous ghost signs in South Carolina. This was the result of a brilliant marketing strategy pioneered by the company's early leadership. Coca-Cola utilized a concept called the "Privilege Sign." The company would approach local South Carolina merchants—pharmacies, corner groceries, and general stores—and offer to paint the entire side of their brick building for free. The catch? The top or bottom fraction of the wall would feature the name of the local store (e.g., "Smith's Pharmacy"), but the vast majority of the wall would be dedicated to a massive Coca-Cola advertisement. This allowed Coca-Cola to plaster its brand across every small town in South Carolina while endearing itself to local business owners.

The Palimpsest Effect

If you look closely at the image, you can see faint, blocky lettering behind and above the Coca-Cola script. This is known as a palimpsest—a surface where older writing has been painted over but remains partially visible.

In South Carolina's growing downtowns, prime wall space was frequently leased and re-leased. A wall might advertise a local livery stable in 1890, be painted over for a local hardware store in 1905, and then painted over again by a national brand in 1920. As the top layers of paint weather away, the different eras bleed into one another, creating a layered historical document of the town's commerce.

The Era of the "Walldogs"

From the late 19th century through the 1950s, before the advent of vinyl billboards or digital advertising, the sides of commercial brick buildings were prime real estate. The men who painted these massive advertisements were affectionately (and sometimes derisively) known as "Walldogs." These artisans were often itinerant, traveling from town to town across South Carolina. They dangled from the sides of three-story buildings on simple wooden swing stages (scaffolding), braving the sweltering Southern heat. They mixed their own paints on-site, relying heavily on white lead paint. This lead base is the exact reason these signs still exist today; while the vivid pigments (like Coca-Cola's signature red) eventually washed away in the rain and sun, the lead strongly bound itself to the porous masonry, calcifying and leaving a permanent "ghostly" imprint on the brick.

The legacy here in South Carolina

Jim Harrison, who lived in Denmark, South Carolina is famous not only for his start painting walls and barns, but later as a painter who captured these in paintings and calendars for the Coca-Cola company.  You can visit his museum and see more of his art on his website https://jimharrison.com/
 

USS Yorktown - On the deckThe US Yorktown is now a museum in the Charleston, South Carolina area. Patriot's Point is a fascinating place to visit with a large collection of aircraft as well as a look at life on a World War II era Aircraft Carrier.

I'm excited to have a return trip planned to Charleston and the USS Yorktown in early May. 

Patrice and I haven't been down there in years and I'm looking forward to the chance to get to walk around downtown and take some new photos of the area as well as returning to the Yorktown to make some updated images.

Hopefully the wind and clouds cooperate as well as they did on our first trip in May years ago!

The US Yorktown is now a museum in the Charleston, South Carolina area. Patriot's Point is a fascinating place to visit with a large collection of aircraft as well as a look at life on a World War II era Aircraft Carrier.