Lebanon Wig-Wag

[ricofojas2011]

is it stiull there?.

[bcschmerker]

This installation could use some cleanup for the gong strikers but looks otherwise fully functional. Wonder how much weight dual steady-burned LED lampheads would add, and whether some counterweighting would be needed? (Magnetic Signal originally used a single tungsten bulb betwixt two Fresnel lenses.)

[MainlineProductions1]

Amazing how many idiots there are in the world. they just go on by...

[MVillani1985]

Wigwags are still pretty hard to miss even if they aren't as good as the gates. Plus the wigwag looked infinitely cooler. Why not use both, I say?

[kym1931]

i am one lucky person i own one and at the moment i am in the middle of restoring it and at the moment the neighbours dont like the noise'hehehe but to bad in australia they are fading out to so you are not the only people

[paullubliner]

Who did and where was yours manufactured?

[kym1931]

magnetic flagman from u.s.a and it was 1928 when she was made in and that's all i know at this point and at the same time i am doing some research to find out where she was before they pulled her down out of service all i know she was use here in south australia

[paullubliner]

Oh, very interesting. Then it was made in LOS ANGELES as the company moved to Minnesota (pronounced Minnie Sohtta) in later years. I was aware that Union "DW's" were made as well as shipped internationally, but unaware about The Magnetic Signal Company's products. Very Nice!

[Bravadadajeff]

I Loved The Wig Wag Basterds Took It Out After The Grant Street Bridge Went Up...

[omanafire]

They're on meth.

[sophieoftipton]

I must say there are some big idiots on this

video clip who like to ignore crossing signals

like this wig-wag.

[fkvnelfjioo]

To be fair, the train was pretty far away and slow as westr stated below. If you had stopped, the line of cars behind you would not have been happy with you (profanity and honking) are sure to follow...

[cindy1000000]

You should stop anyway.For your own safety.

[railroadlover]

I agree with you!!! even if it maulfuntioning(spelling???) they should still stop and make for sure its safe...

[coolsax64]

@sophieoftipton Yes there are. People who live in the Albany/Lebanon area's are generaly uneducated and are usualy cooking meth or stealing for a living...

[Bellwestern80]

That wigwag needs new paint. It looks greenish gray.

[westr]

The banner is solid white, but is peeling heavily. Looks like it was painted a long time ago. The rest of the signal is dull silver, with fair amouts of rust and moss. Of the remaining operating Oregin wigwags, this one's appearance is probably the worst, but since it is on a small independent short line, I'm not really surprised that maintenance suffered.

[GeoffBlackmore]

Thanks to Lebanon OR having ultra-high resolution on Google Earth, you can actually see this wig wag by zooming in to the Berlin Rd grade crossing on GE. In fact you can even see which way some switches in town are set!

[maxitrain989]

Also on Windows Live Search on Visual Earth, if you find Point Richmond you can see their wig wags!

[prfsnlwannabe]

Shame on all those idiotic drivers disobeying the wig-wag!! I bet those drivers notice them, but just are idiots, and don't care....

[westr]

They definately noticed the wig-wag... every one of them paused at the wigwag, saw the approaching (albiet very slow) train, and went on through anyway. In fact, I'd bet that if one of them had actually obeyed the signal, the ones behind would have honked their horns at them. Maybe that's why the train approaches so slowly; to give all the idiots plenty of time to get out of the way.

[wiley207]

I think that's a reason why Wig-Wags are getting replaced with gates, red lights and bells like most crossings now have, because Wig-Wags are easier to miss than newer crossing signals

[paullubliner]

Actually, it's the gates that are literally harder to miss.

[2GUNBOY]

They could modernize the wig-wags by giving them LEDs

and electronic bells. Maybe they could even make the electronic bell ding every time it swings

back-and-forth, to make it sound original. Reflective

stickers(along with the electronic bells and LEDs) would add to its visibility at night. But i highly

doubt the government would ever consider doing it.

[westr]

They could do a lot of things, (leaving the wig-wags in place & adding the lights & gates would be OK), but I think the real issue is that wig-wags are "non-standard" & they can say they "replaced all obsolete signals" & "improved safety," though I expect that most, if not all, of the crossings have never seen a accident, and at least 1 has (unfortunately) seen almost no trains at all in over a year (Knappa on PNWR's Astoria line). Too bad the govt doesn't worry as much about our real problems.

[danosf]

They are not fail safe - meaning that if power is lost, there is no warning of an approaching train (gates will drop if the power goes out). That is the main reason why wigwags have been replaced. They won't even allow gates mixed with wigwags because of liability concerns. If the gates work, but the wigwag fails and something happens, the railroad would still be liable.

[crapper1]

dont replace the wig wags just add gates to the back of the signal problem solved

[westr]

That would be a simple and logical solution, so of course the govt would never consider it. Ironically, there are countless crossings with nothing but plain crossbucks, but the handful with the added protection of wig-wags are a problem.

[lexmarks567]

they say is a liability issue you can add new technology with the old. it would save money BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the goverment has to waste it on signals that are not needed

[davenwin1973]

My area still has many crossings with nothing, but bucksigns. I remember one crossing in Hammond Indiana that had bucksigns, but had bells & gates, until 1996. That was when a viaduct was built, which was supposed to be built in the 1970's. As for crossings, any crossings with wig wags & flashing lights only are grandfathered, but new upgrades require gates along with flashing lights. At least that's how it is around me.

[BoxcarFrank]

Must of been pretty slow.

[westr]

It was. This is on a former Southern Pacific branch line now operated by short line Albany & Eastern. They don't run very fast.

[westr]

If you are wondering, there WAS a train approaching while I was filming this, and it was clearly visible to the cars ignoring the signal. By the way, this signal may have very little time left, as ODOT plans to replace all remaining wig-wags in Oregon with flashing lights & gates, maybe within 2007.