N.Y. RRD Law § 56

§ 56. Locomotives must stop at grade crossings. All trains and\nlocomotives on railroads crossing each other at grade shall come to a\nfull stop before crossing, not less than two hundred nor more than eight\nhundred feet from the crossing, and shall then cross only when the way\nis clear and upon a signal from a watchman stationed at the crossing. If\nthe corporations cannot agree as to the expense of the watchman, it\nshall be determined by the commissioner of transportation upon\napplication thereto by either of them. If the corporations disagree as\nto the precedence of trains the commissioner of transportation may,\nafter hearing, upon the application of either corporation, prescribe\nrules in relation thereto. The full stop and crossing on signal may be\ndiscontinued if the commissioner of transportation shall decide it to be\nimpracticable, or if, with the approval of the commissioner of\ntransportation, an interlocking switch and signal apparatus is adopted\nand put in operation at such a crossing. The full stop and crossing on\nsignal shall not be required in depot yards, or the approaches thereto,\nif the crossing roads are under lease or subject to the same management\nor control in the use of tracks. An engineer, violating the foregoing\nprovisions of this section, or any such rule of the commissioner of\ntransportation, shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars; and\nany corporation or person operating the railroad, violating any of such\nprovisions or rules, shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred\ndollars. The commissioner of transportation may, whenever in his\njudgment the public safety requires the erection of interlocking switch\nand signal devices at points where steam and street surface railroads\nintersect at grade, direct the erection of such devices and apportion\nthe expense of construction, operating and maintenance thereof between\nthe companies affected thereby. No railroad corporation, nor any\nofficer, agent or employee thereof, shall stop its cars, horses, or\nlocomotives upon a grade crossing of a railroad of another corporation,\nfor the purpose of receiving or delivering passengers or freight, or\nother purpose, and any person or corporation violating this provision,\nshall be liable to a penalty of two hundred and fifty dollars.\n