Back doing limited driving, local after a few decades. Bought my own truck. Lots of angled railroad tracks. 45 degrees from road direction. One direction super easy to check a long way, each direction for trains. Other direction buildings blocking. Once you get clear of buildings. You can only see a hundred yards max out passenger side. Yes I should hear the horn. *but they do forget*. There are cross arms at all but 2 angled tracks I cross regularly. *those are limited use, but trains are possible, often going really slow* Risk is low I would not hear horn, crossing arms fail. But it happens. I tried going into oncoming lane, cut hard right, lean forward.. got few hundred yards more snap look. Before correcting hard left. Has anyone mounted a bike type mirror on passenger side grab bar? Might be too sharp an angle for convex mirror? So flat one? Plan to dig in junk pile I might have old bike clamp one to try. Of course my luck I will get a ticket for obstructed view. . Show me your fixes.
It’s just not possible. I grew up around here. Many semi, combine train wrecks until they put lights, crossing arms. The elevator is along tracks, then few bins, then feed shed, loading dock. Earlier the other side of street a bar with smokers room outside, and shed for wood furnace, slab wood storage, and skid for snow removal, slab wood banded moving. 4x past there. No option I found gave decent view down tracks. A window +2’ behind passenger door might.
Even if you got a mirror mounted in the exact right place, it's not going to show you diddly. You're making a mountain out of the Marianas Trench. Do your traffic scans, and if you're really worried, windows down/radio off, then committ to crosing.
