Tell Me About Wigwag Crossing Signals

[SD60MAC9500]

I remember them as a child growing up in Southern California. Both Southern Pacific, and Santa Fe had a few in the L.A. area. One that comes to mind was on a Southern Pacific branch through Hawthorne, CA. Was always neat seeing them in action. 

[chicagorails]

Ahh yes, the good old days of the wig wags....

[dknelson]

By the way the wigwags in Sheboygan WI were carefully removed by the Union Pacific and donated to the Chicago & North Western Historical Society.  I believe the plan is to display them in some manner when/if the long-awaited archives structure for the C&NW Historical Society gets built at the Illinois RR Museum in Union IL

Dave Nelson

[SFbrkmn]

Several crossings on the MoPac to the north of downtown Wichita were still equipped into the 1980s.

[samfp1943]

There were some [AT&SF origin?]'operational' wig-wag signals in several locations in SouthEast Kansas until sometime around 2010(?). The last ones I recall were on the SKOL line, north Of Cherryvale,Ks. { ths line was orignally, laid down as the Leavenworth,Lawrence& Fort Gibson RR, in the 1870's.

  This line now runs from about South Coffeevile,Ks to Humbolt,Ks area.  It was abandoned by AT&SF in 1970 or 80's(?).  The line now trunkated is operated by a WATCO property, SK&OL and services cement manufacturers at [ Humbolt and Chanute.] WATCO now has a small yard and car repair facility, North of Cherryvale, and when it was opened, all the existing wig-wags went away...

[ORNHOO]

Today I found out Wig-Wags apparently were not used only by railroads:

https://jalopnik.com/holy-crap-this-studebaker-taillight-may-be-one-of-the-b-1846300362

 

[DENNIS SCHAUER]

Shock Control

Wigwag crossing signals were mentioned in another thread.  Never heard of 'em.

Can someone tell me where they were used?  When did they go out of fashion?

 

 I used to see them near Devil's Lake in south central Wisconsin when my Dad would take us to Baraboo when I was a kid.  I think they were the Northwestern tracks but I'm not sure.

[Fred M Cain]

TexasTrainFan

Wig Wag at Delhi Co, October 20, 2020 as # 3 from Chicago to LA passes.

 

When I clicked on that address I got that infamous "404 Error".  However, when I tried to Google for "Wig wag in Delhi", I found it on Youtube here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkjCnCoRWk0   (Had to first suffer through some ads)

 

That’s the "upside down" kind that I mentioned in an earlier post.

You know, back in the 1980s I took quite a few train trips from the Chicago area out to California and return.  And at that date, I still saw quite a number of these wig wags across the country – especially out West.  But it looks like they’re all gone now.

 

I wonder if their demise might be partly maintenance related.  It seems like they had some larger moving parts that the modern signals with the alternating flashing lights don’t have.

 

There was an earlier thread on lower quadrant semaphores.  It appears to me like the semaphores and wig wags might’ve belonged to the same era.

 

Just like the semaphores, crossing signals in those days had an issue generating a light that was bright enough to be seen in the daytime.  So a large black and white, swinging target was just the ticket to get a driver’s attention.

 

Unfortunately, no matter what kind of signal is used, there are still drivers who deliberately disregard crossing stop signals.  That is probably an issue for another thread.

[RAY HEROLD]

I witnessed several wig-wags still in operation on the Big Trees and Roaring Camp RR out of Felton, Ca. Also on the California Western RR (Skunk Train) out of Fort Bragg, Ca. Not just props. They were protecting public roads that each railroad crossed. Also at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris Ca.

[A D SIMMONS]

Several years ago I met a guy in Tampa FL area who had collected and refurbished several antique crossing signals.  He had them set up on his driveway and could be activated to respond to vehicles pulling into the driveway. Pretty cool.

 

[Sunnyland]

that Google link is great that tree68 put up, I looked at it too because I did not know much about them. You can find them in various museums, I know IRM-Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL has one by their main tracks and when excursion trains are pulling out, it is activated.  I do not ever remember seeing any as a kid, and noticed a lot of museums do have them. But I know  the one at IRM does work, have been there a few times and enjoy watching it wave back & forth and great for pics. And you can get up close to it too or take pics with trains passing as it waves. 

[TexasTrainFan]

Wig Wag at Delhi Co, October 20, 2020 as # 3 from Chicago to LA passes.

[Paul Milenkovic]

ORNHOO

 

 

tree68

There are very few on active railroads any more, if any.  

 

 

A couple of years ago I rode on the Willamette Shore Trolley. They had an operating wig-wag at the crossing  of (IIRC) South Riverwood Road.

http://wst.oregontrolley.com/

 

Watching a couple minutes of that video, I was getting sleepy, I was getting sleepy, sleepy  

[BarryM]

The best part of the wigwag at the Nevada Northern RR is that it only operates when a train approaches! Lots of other cool stuff to see while there and well worth the visit.

[jumper]

Back in 2011 I was in Sacramento to visit the California State Railroad Museum. They had an operating wig wag signal in a small courtyard just outside one of the entrances. I think there might be one in Strasburg PA at the PRR museum but it may be static.

[tree68]

Everybody was happy with the solution for noise reduction and safety too.

Methinks the only ones who wouldn't be happy with said solution would be those who routinely drive around the gates...

[dmikee]

A few short years ago we went to a garden RR display just west of Denver where the neighborhood had agreed to no more train whistles at 3 consecutive grade crossings. Instead, UP installed double lane crossing gates on both sides, blocking all traffic from trying to sneak around the former single lane gates. Everybody was happy with the solution for noise reduction and safety too.

[Dardanellerambler]

Nevada Railroad Museum (I think that is the name) at Ely NV has at least one working Wig-Wag also.

[Fred M Cain]

I remember that the SP had some of what I used to call "upside down" wig wags guarding some street crossings in downtown Phoenix.  They were mounted in the middle of the street on a short, heavy concrete piller with the target on top and a counterweight on the bottom.

 

I will try and see if I can find a picture. 

Here is a couple of 'em here right at the top of this page although they are not in Phoenix nor are they even on the SP as far as I can tell.

http://www.southbaysignal.com/wig-wag-signals.html 

Regards,

Fred M. Cain

[500VDC]

Here is some historic footage of the Ann Arbor RR in action. This link takes you to an operating wig wag: https://youtu.be/YI0xuVPsZnM?t=1736

[petitnj]

We have a perfecty operating Wig Wag at the Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul, MN. See trainride.org. It was stood back up when the roundhouse opened in 1999 and has been powered by a 12 VDC Triplite power supply ever since. It runs continuously on Wednesdays and Saturdays when the museum is open. 

 

[tree68]

wjstix

FWIW the alternating lights on more recent grade crossing signals were designed to mimic the to-and-fro motion of the wig-wag.

Forty-four flashes per minute.

[mudchicken]

dknelson

It may be that the last wig-wags in Sheboygan WI at Saemann Avenue have been shut down this year - my understanding is that the Wisconsin Dept of Transportation regarded them as inadequate crossing protection for motorists.

In Plymouth WI (west of Sheboygan) the wig-wags were still going strong as of 2005 when I took photos, and presumably for a few years after that.

There were probably fewer and fewer railroad employees who knew how to keep the things running, and since they featured moving parts, wear and tear was predictable.

Ditto for the Griswold signals which featured a rotating (yellow initially, then red) stop sign.

Dave Nelson

  

 

 

The wigwags are probably just fine, it's the cheesepicker motorists that are inadequate.

[wjstix]

FWIW the alternating lights on more recent grade crossing signals were designed to mimic the to-and-fro motion of the wig-wag.

[dknelson]

It may be that the last wig-wags in Sheboygan WI at Saemann Avenue have been shut down this year - my understanding is that the Wisconsin Dept of Transportation regarded them as inadequate crossing protection for motorists.

In Plymouth WI (west of Sheboygan) the wig-wags were still going strong as of 2005 when I took photos, and presumably for a few years after that.

There were probably fewer and fewer railroad employees who knew how to keep the things running, and since they featured moving parts, wear and tear was predictable.

Ditto for the Griswold signals which featured a rotating (yellow initially, then red) stop sign.

Dave Nelson

  

 

[BaltACD]

Gramp

That, too!  Don't you just love autocorrect?

[Gramp]

That, too!  Don't you just love autocorrect?

[BaltACD]

Gramp

Wigwams were numerous on the Northwestern and Milwaukee Road on branch lines in Wisconsin well into the 2000s. 

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2016/04/06-wig-wag

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UzPvZ0iPPk4

[Gramp]

Wigwags were numerous on the Northwestern and Milwaukee Road on branch lines in Wisconsin well into the 2000s. 
https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2016/04/06-wig-wag

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UzPvZ0iPPk4