User blog:WillTheArthurandBusterFan5050/Railroad Crossing on Arthur, Now A Reality

I am so happy they finally put a railroad crossing on this cartoon! I have waited so many years for this, even before 2014 when I first wrote my letters to W.G.B.H., 9 Story Entertainment, and later Oasis Animation when I heard they were taking over in lieu of 9 Story. And I did get some replies back talking about such. I also sent illustrations to help, well admittedly influence, the physical appearance(s) of the railroad crossings that happened to appear on Arthur. Now I don't have to dream anymore! Okay I kind of still do, I'll explain later!

The crossing, featured in "Rhythm and Roots of Arthur" https://arthur.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rhythm_and_Roots_of_Arthur, had some of what I wanted, a red and white crossing gate and flashing lights. What I didn't expect to see was a cantilever railroad crossing signal (a railroad crossing signal with overhead lights instead of or in addition to the lights on the pole,) that's something you almost never see in a cartoon. The only other cartoon I saw a cantilever flashing signal was on The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, in the episode "Babysitter Blues." You can see the crossing pictures to that episode on this wiki https://peridot0.fandom.com/wiki/Railroad_Crossings_in_Cartoons/Animated_Shows_and_Movies which is also where the screenshot to this railroad crossing is going real soon!

YAY, FINALLY A RAILROAD CROSSING ON ARTHUR!

YAY, FINALLY A RAILROAD CROSSING ON ARTHUR!

Now I can no longer say "I didn't see a railroad crossing on Arthur."

Although I am happy a railroad crossing was finally included in Arthur, except in Arthur's Perfect Christmas as someone at W.G.B.H. told and showed me, I will admit I was a bit disappointed with the railroad crossing scene. One thing I didn't like about it was it looked too simple, too generic, not as realistic as I hoped it would be, and it was included during D.W.'s song, I was hoping to see it outside of her song. And what I saw looked like it was just an illustration or diagram, not the real thing. It was also kind of like on the Car Bingo cards from "Buster's Carpool Catastrophe."  

From the Car Bingo card in "Buster's Carpool Catastrophe."

When I say "real," I don't mean "the non cartoon real world like shown in "And Now A Word From Us Kids," "Postcards From You," and some of the live action that happens to be featured in some episodes like "Buster Spaces Out." Oh and "In My Africa." I was hoping and expecting the railroad crossing would look a little more like, well I don't know how to describe it since I'm not so good at explaing things or expressing myself, well something more like you usually see in Arthur, like these scenes of traffic signals in "The Buster Report" and "In My Africa" Traffic Signal from "The Buster Report"

Traffic Signal from "The Buster Report"

Traffic Signal seen in "In My Africa"

Traffic Signal seen in "In My Africa"

Except those are traffic signals, not railroad crossing signals and these wouldn't have counted if they were used, but look at the design and format, or whatever it's called. I was hoping the Arthur railroad crossing would be more like these traffic signals shown, except as actual railroad crossing signals. This is basically what I had in mind

How I was hoping to see the railroad crossing on Arthur verses how I saw it in the episode

I was hoping to see something more like what's in this picture. Or this

Another example of how I hoped to see the Arthur Railroad Crossing

Or since a cantilever signal was included

Since the crossing had a cantilever, which you don't see on a lot of cartoons, I would have preferred this too (except crossbuck sign on overhead part and 2 Tracks sign not expected.)

I wasn't expecting a crossing with two trains going by at the same time though. The trains in the last two pictures, which I drew, are based on the train seen in "Wish You Were Here."

The crossing was pretty much like the one shown in the Bubble Guppies music video to "Take Me Away on a Train" in the episode "Triple Track Train Race," https://peridot0.fandom.com/wiki/File:Bubble_Guppies_Triple_Track_Train_Race_Railroad_Crossing_Signal_3_01.png However at the beginning of the episode, well the intro to that episode they show a signal that looks more like it fits the Bubble Guppies world https://peridot0.fandom.com/wiki/File:Bubble_Guppies_Triple_Track_Train_Race_Railroad_Crossing_Signal_1_04.png. That's what I was hoping for in Arthur.

Something else about the railroad crossing, although I like that a cantilever signal was used, I do wish there were also lights below the crossbuck in addition to the over-head lights. I modified the screenshot.

Modified screencap of Railroad Crossing in "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur. Lights were added below the crossbuck sign.

Modified screencap of Railroad Crossing in "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur. Lights were added below the crossbuck sign.

And although I wanted to see a crossing gate with lights on it, I did try not to expect that since cartoons don't usually include gate-mounted lights. I mean that's what I also requested but I didn't completely expect them to do that, I was just expecting the gate arm itself but hoping it would be red and white like modern American gates, and it was! I did add gate lights to the gate myself.

Another modified screenshot of Rhythm and Roots railroad crossing, with lights added to the gate arm.

But I was okay with a gate without lights on it as sure long as it was red and white, although I would have taken black and white or black and yellow but I preferred red and white over all else and that's what I got and that's what I'm happy with!

But I do wish the crossing looked a little more like an Arthur scene than it did in the actual episode and that there were lights on the pole under the crossbuck, but I am happy they actually did a cantilever signal. I was disappointed and admittedly had some disphorya, especially since I've waited years for this and was excited to learn a railroad crossing would be featured, but I am happy they at least included my idea and included a railroad crossing in the cartoon and one with a flashing light signal and a gate in my favorite stripe color and for that I should be grateful!

I would hope they do another railroad crossing in a future episode and I kind of do but I feel like I'm asking for too much and I doubt they're going to! I got what I wanted and I should SHUT UP about it! Besides the people who work on the Arthur cartoon went through a whole lot of trouble, maybe lots of it, to do this and they did go out of their way to do this, possibly for me and I don't know how hard they work just to make a cartoon, well an episode, or in this case a 1-hour special, and I won't unless I make my own cartoon, and if I do then I'll really appreciate the work they put into making this! And besides Arthur is NOT a cartoon about railroad crossings let alone a cartoon about trains! Furthermore, Arthur is NOT my cartoon, I don't own it and have no say in what happens in it or how it goes and never will!

They included a railroad crossing and one with a gate on it and maybe it doesn't look the way I hoped it would but at least they included one and this is not something to lose sleep over!

But all and all, I am happy they included a railroad crossing in this cartoon.

And as I said in a comment to the episode "Rhythm and Roots of Arthur," https://arthur.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rhythm_and_Roots_of_Arthur (scroll down for comments,) what was included in the actual cartoon sort of coincides with what I wrote in my own Arthur fanfics, which include railroad crossings.

STOPPED AT A RAILROAD CROSSING 1 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10243515/1/Stopped-at-a-Railroad-Crossing-1

STOPPED AT A RAILROAD CROSSING 2 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10311550/1/Stopped-at-a-Railroad-Crossing-2

Some examples of similarities between my fanfics and the actual episode was Buster being included with Arthur and his family, it was a road-trip, Arthur going to see family in a distant area, talk of going to the bathroom, and what was used on the railroad crossing. And also D.W. showed impatience for the train like she did in both of my fanfics! Also in one of my fanfics, the included railroad crossing includes cantilever signals as shown in the series, except my cantilevers have lights on both the over-head part and on the pole below the crossbuck. So it's possible that some in the Arthur crew read my fanfics before making this special, then again maybe not and it maybe it was a coincidence!

So on a scale of 1-10, I give the railroad crossing a 6. But other than that, THANK YOU! Thank you Arthur crew, Thank You W.G.B.H., and Thank You Oasis Animation for doing this! Thank you for including a railroad crossing in the Arthur series and including my idea!

I am now going to bring this blog to a close. Thanks for taking time out to read this!

Did I sound ungrateful? I was ungrateful wasn't I? I was honest and was giving my opinion but I guess I showed ingratitude and for that I am sorry. Any of you think I should write a letter telling them "Thank You" for including a railroad crossing in the cartoon? I feel like I should!

Have a wonderul kind of day! And thanks again Arthur Read fan for telling me about this!