Sheboygan, WI Wig-Wags

[FSThunderboltfan1000]

As of tomarow 10-6-11 this wig wags will be decomissioned and removeed for parts durring rail road repairs I'm going to try an get on. :)

[btp98w]

@FSThunderboltfan1000 As of late November they were still there. Do they really plan of removing them?! If so, it will be sad to see them gone on my trips back home....

[Brenton81]

@btp98w As of now, (Jan 2012) they're still there. The crossing surface as been rebuilt and there's no sign that they'll be replaced anytime soon. I think they're safe for a while. The wig-wags on Martin Street were retired and replaced with standard flashing light signals when the crossing surface was replaced and one of the tracks was removed. Those wig-wags were in pretty rough condition.

[Brenton81]

@FSThunderboltfan1000 These signals were not removed. They're still there and in service. The wig-wags that were retired were on Martin Street, not Saemann Avenue. There's no way you'll be able to just "get one" from the railroad. A lot of time they're forbidded from giving out old eqipment. They're also aware of the demand for these and their value. They usually sell for well over a thousand dollars. Some railroads also have employee waiting lists for retired antique equipment.

[whatihave2do]

Great video. Nice to see them in action and that cars actually obeyed them. Seam lots of people can't even obey the gates.

[getoffmycloud34]

different lights, cool

[peacefrogseller999]

how do you know when the trains will be coming through the crossings?

[TPLORIFIED]

saemann, sibley, alexander...all too familiar



[RRboyLEGOboy]

Those wig wags are cool.

[ThomasBus8516]

I always thought the current set up of light flashing back and forth replaced this wigwag set up in order to be stationary but still make the light give a wig-wag effect. Evidentally thats' not the case if these wig wag signals only light up on one side. What'd the deal?

[ThomasBus8516]

I like seeing these wig wags, but I find it funny that they only light up when swung to the one side. In the dark, doesn't that make them no more useful than a stationary flashing light? If the light was on constantly, then that would truly replace an old time swinging lantern.

[Brenton81]

@ThomasBus8516 The light is actually on all the time. The red lense is vertically ribbed, so if you're looking at it from an angle, like in the video, it only appears to light up on one side of the swing. Some wig-wags did have the option of the light momentarily going off at the bottom of the arc while it was swinging

[KSE828]

At least the truck in the foreground stoped when he was supposted to instead of trying to beat the train.

[JackSupremoBoy]

nice 5*****

[Haydz01]

what an odd combination, having a loco, then a carriage, then another loco, then the rest of the consist after that.

[chevyboy1965]

where in Sheboygan is this intersection because I remember seeing the wig wags as a kid but I havent' paid attention as of late?

[Brenton81]

This is on Saemann Avenue, three blocks west of Calumet Drive (Highway 42).

[gkraz]

Pretty cool my cousin used to live across the church on this street(Saemann Ave.)

[owlking149]

Was the SP unit "dead"? Thanx!

[Brenton81]

They use it as the lead unit on their return trip, heading back through town.

[BudmanPackfan]

you could hear it was running. As previously mentioned by another, it was set up this way in order to do a "facing point" switching move on the other side of town. This means that the spur faces the train as it approaches. There must not be anywhere for the engines to do a run around move, so they put the car(s) to be set out between the locos and use the 2nd unit to perform the set out and pick up.

[cindy1000000]

There's thing I still don't get really,why do wig-wags move?

[WrongRoadRailways]

They are to simulate a man waving a red lantern, that was the protection before wigwags.

[cindy1000000]

Yeah,but other signals don't though so when I first saw wig-wags it seemed strange to me that the signals were actually moving.

[BudmanPackfan]

before electronics and automoatic crossing gates, there were flag men at each major street crossing. The flag man would come out with a red lantern and swing it back and forth to signal to autos to stop, a train is approaching. Wig Wags aka magnetic flagmen, were developed and simulated the the swinging latern of the flagman. What you have been accustom to seeing is the 3rd generation of crossing protection with the alternating flashinglights that have become common since the 1950's

[owlking149]

Thanx fur da update!

[owlking149]

Does the UP still run trains on their Kohler-Plymouth line? I heard that the WSOR is negotiating to buy the track. Thanx!

[Brenton81]

They only operate from Sheboygan, west out to Kohler. Everything west of there is out of service. The state of Wisconsin is purchasing the out of service portion of the line from Kohler through Sheboygan Falls out to Plymouth and WSOR is looking for trackage rights over the portion that will still be owned by UP (Kohler-Sheboygan) so that they will have access to Sheboygan as well. I believe they should have an answer around April 15. Things are looking good for the plan at this point.

[owlking149]

Thanx fur the response. Thanx fur posting the video. Nobody is making train videos in Sheyboygan and Ozaukee counties. This summer I'll try getting some footage. Thanx fur sharin!

[owlking149]

I heard that UP trains go through Sheyboygan only at night. Is that true? Thanx fur sharin'!

[Brenton81]

I've seen the local working around town during the daylight hours, along with coal trains going in and out of the power plant. There isn't any through traffic in Sheboygan, as UP ownership of the tracks ends in Cleveland, north of town.

[cabeza100]

american diesel locomotives, ohh yeah!!!!

[maxcady69]

weird horn

[lordbemylight]

LOOKS LIKE MY DREAMS CAME TRUE.

I was known to have dreams in the past with a locomotive in the middle of a train, but I didn't think that made sense at all. Before I know it, here it is!

[ccoraxfan]

Strange to see a car between the engines like that. Wonder how that happened?

[Brenton81]

They uncouple the first engine in the next town and back the lumber car onto a siding with the second engine.

[tipdrip215]

great P3 horn on that UP unit there.

[trutoad35]

i wish they still had the ones in sheboygan falls

[Bellwestern80]

Well at least people acually stop and don't run wigwags and flashers around Sheboygan unlike some other people.

[JcM944]

Good ol sheboygan. God I love it their great people. I was born and raised their until we moved.

[Skylabz0rz]

I grew up not to far from that crossing, the trains were a lot longer back then, and those wig-wags still keep on swinging! ha.

[trainlord11]

Nice! Ex SP 1449 now leads the UP Adams Turn out of Winona MN. It came all the way from Texas!

[sophieoftipton]

Nice video...

[VespineVid2]

Nice catch, Brent! Man those things must be well oiled-kept swinging for awhile after shutting off.