Dalton, WI Wig-Wag

[salag13]

what time era are wig wags from?

[train2589]

man. i would of kept the one there and added a crossing with light,a bell, and a arm on the other side and just put a arm infront of the wig-wag.

[PereMarquette1223]

What happened to the other one? I heard that this one is gone now though.

[Brenton81]

@PereMarquette1223 There was only one at this crossing. At the time of installation, it was legal and somewhat common to have only one wig-wag signal and a crossbuck on the other side. Cars traveled slower back then and drivers had less distractions than they do now. You're correct about it being gone now. It's been replaced with flashing lights and gates. Each side of the crossing has a signal now as well.

[pruitt3507]

@Brenton81 did they scrap it or give it to someone sence their isnt many of them left?

[PereMarquette1223]

What happened to the other one, but isn't this one gone now though?

[NewProfile001]

I understand the FRA's paranoia, but I think it's too much to just tear down a perfectly good set of wigwags. They could just put flashing lights on the existing pillar and add a gate... it'd save the wigwags.

[SittingMooseShaman]

here's the rub:

a wig-wag is the carry-over

to the industrial/automotive age

from manual w/a red oil lamp

to protect xings...

fine point of law time:

a waving red light means; STOP!

a flashing red light means;

STOP, then GO!!

go figure...

[LARDLOGO]

There are two things I love about this certain Wig-Wag signal

1: The Bell

2: The design of the wig-wag

Long live Wig-Wags

Lardlogo

[robertgift]

Thank you for posting this.

Why did you not start videoing before the signal started operating?

Glad you allowed us to see it stop - almost.

[WSOR6604]

I got 115... lol

[Hypernl]

Wow, that's a long train. I guess it will take an age to stop.

[UnionKid15]

Haha, wow, this is so very strange. Thanks though.

[animalacker]

No wonder. I was sleeping and was woke up at like 2:00 AM by a train blowing its horn like 7 or 8 times. That explains it.

[animalacker]

O.K. Thanks anyway. I appreciate the info.

[animalacker]

Are these the only ones in Wisconsin?

Also, could you possibly get a video of the baraboo wig wags?

Thanks!

[Brenton81]

There are still active wig-wags in Avoca (1), Black Earth (1)-soon to be retired, Dane (2), Devil's Lake (2), Baraboo (2), Kohler (2), Sheboygan (4), Madison (2), Lima Center (1), Marshall (1), Plymouth (3). I don't think I'll be getting a video of the Baraboo signals anytime soon. I live a couple hours away. The northbound trains arrive after dark and the southbounds tend to leave early in the morning.

[Bellwestern80]

Just as a question, do you know why they're retiring the Black Earth wigwag?

[Brenton81]

There is supposed to be an ethanol plant coming online further west of Black Earth, so the train traffic is expected to increase. There's also poor visiblity because of the angle of the crossing. Those two things combined are pretty much the deciding factors. The Brodhead wig wags were removed and replaced with flashing lights when the ethanol plant came online in Monroe. Rail traffic and train speed increased through the area, so the wig-wags were deemed inadequate.

[NewProfile001]

@Brenton81 why don't they just add a pair of gates? the gates are failsafe... its an e-magnet that holds them up.

[Brenton81]

@NewProfile001 Federal Railroad Administration regulations prohibit simply adding gates to a crossing protected by wig-wags. This was also the only signal at the crossing. The other side only had a crossbuck on a wooden post.

[animalacker]

Another question. What kind of rolling stock do the ones through Baraboo usually haul? Just another thing I've wanted to know for a while. THANKS!

[animalacker]

When i was up there this past summer, i went to the dells and saw a CP manifest going over the Wisconsin River. Kinda cool.

[animalacker]

Oh yeah, one more thing, which line would you say gets used the most? THANKS!

[Brenton81]

Milwaukee-Horicon, Waukesha-Janesville, Madison-Janesville, and Janesville-Fox Lake all see one freight each way (at least on weekdays) plus some local action. Your best bet to see any WSOR happenings would be to check out Janesville, followed by Horicon and Madison.

[animalacker]

Thanks! Useful info.

[animalacker]

I was just on a trip to baraboo to visit my uncle and i noticed that not that many Wisconsin Southerns came through there. Why is that? Just curious.

[Brenton81]

The end of the line is north of there in Reedsburg. (The Chicago & Northwestern abandoned and pulled out everything north of Reedsburg in 1987.) Wisconsin & Southern only works the line a few times each week, and Union Pacific runs the occasional rock train. There aren't any through freights anymore, which is why there isn't too much action.

[usairpilotfophx]

I noticed a wig wag at a crossing in Devil's Lake state park but I did not see it in operation

[Brenton81]

They do still work. Wisconsin & Southern operates that line. There are two more a few miles up the line in Baraboo as well. I think there's a video somewhere here on YouTube showing the Devil's Lake wig-wags operating.

[cambulldog]

116 wagons i counted

[monkeywithawrench27]

same here. i got 116 to. i wasnt sure if i counted 1 as 2 though.

[badboylll]

i counted 114...but i dont know...

[oldtimefan]

I don.t like wig wag crossings

[Bellwestern80]

Why not, these things are the classics and hard to find.

[cindy1000000]

I can hear a faint sound now though.

[cindy1000000]

One question,where's the sound?

[Brenton81]

I got sound on this end, on two different computers.

[cindy1000000]

Still getting no sound.

[raymondleeleggs]

People who ignore signals or idiots no signal no matter how sophisticated or have gates someone will try to get around it.

[ultragor]

This is hard to believe, but this video is almost identical to a bad dream I had when I was very little...same time of day, same type of area, wigwag signal, blaring horn, speeding freight. Thank God the people I saw getting hit by the train wasn't in this video!

[wilek209]

Even though it's too bad that classic wig-wag is gone, I'd rather have it replaced with gates, red lights and bells instead of just putting a lone crossbuck there anyway.

[FreightCarPainter]

Alright more nice freight graffiti!

[FastDashEight]

This video is very hypnotizing! Keep your eye on the wig wag as the train passes, and you start seeing weird stuff.

Great vid!

[jurgs2007]

hey, i remember this old crossing gate.. i live right down the road from this crossing. it was quite hypnotizing when it was still around.

[owlking149]

115 cars! Sweet! Thanx fur sharin'!

[CWFoster1995]

cool

[L324RT12]

I could have sworn that these are no longer legal on a class I. FRA just recently started enforcing it tho, if I remember correctly. Seems like last year they really started cracking down. On the UP at least.

[LTDANMAN44]

pretty cool. why are these outlawed? Seems sound, light, and motion are combined to make an effective warning of an oncoming train.

[prfsnlwannabe]

Nope, they haven't been outlawed. This particular wig-wag(near Dalton) just happened to be replaced with a modern light and warning signal a few years ago.

Google Dan's Wig Wag page(as I believe youtube doesn't allow urls to be listed in comments), that's a great resource on wig-wags, and it lists all the remaining wig-wags still in operation.

[trutoad35]

well no crap look how fast the fricken train is goin that isnt safe lol

[CjGaughan]

They are outlawed in NEW installations, but are still around in old installations...they're getting rare though.

[LTDANMAN44]

well its nice to see something from the early 1900's still around.

[wiley207]

yeah, but they are slowly disappearing. This one was replaced with newer gates, red lights and bells.

[ahanix1988]

They're being replaced because new installations are required to have two alternating lights flashing, not just one waving one. It's too bad, we used to have two pairs of these just down the street from my house.

[wiley207]

I think a Wig-Wag would be easier to miss than gates, red lights and bells.

[ahanix1988]

That's pretty much it. They were too easy to ignore, and now most areas require the crossing gates as well as flashing lights, and the wigwags become too complex -- alternating lights is simply relays, while the wigwags were mechanical.

[wilek209]

Also, gates are mechanical too but don't need to be constantly running like a wigwag does

[KazzRacer]

That wig-wag is old skool!

[TezJ16]

Nobody can say that they didnt hear him coming

[josemiguel093]

ooooo!!! impresionante

[wigwags4ever]

This bell is a Modern Industries bell.

[Brenton81]

No. It's an old WRRS Co.

[sophieoftipton]

I thought they looked werid when I first saw them.

[Jimmy146]

those are some weird looking signals they got there, LOL. still, they are as original as the others.

[sophieoftipton]

I love this wig-wag bell.I should record it one of the days.

[Brenton81]

It was removed a few years ago and replaced with standard flashing lights and gates.

[sophieoftipton]

2 bad comments for me?

[trainsmaniac2009]

I wouldn't be surprised that there has been an accident there with that! Nice video!

[maxitrain989]

I love this bell.

[theup3985]

Great video. I like the wig-wag signals :-)

[adam1234a]

THATS BOOKIN!

[bum291]

Is the light flashing or steady? looks flashing but can't tell for sure. I have never seen a wig-wag in real life.

[Brenton81]

It's on steady.

[animalacker]

Hey, Im animalacker, and somebody has used my name to talk with you, I was not the one who you spoke to. Any idea who this was?

[Brenton81]

Sorry, I don't.

[aeolus925]

It's steady, except for the very moment when the rod supporting the banner is vertical -- then it cuts out, but only momentarily, so you hardly even notice it. Some roads DID employ a flashing light, though.

[aeolus925]

... I think! (lol)

[neomrdo]

Ive got a wig wag in my videos. Click on my name and look for "niles canyon steam spectacular"

[Targetsignal2]

I also meant to say last night great looking freight train! Good mix of rolling stock! Kinda looks almost like the one I am working on my layout of course 1000's times smaller.LOL Great video though.

[Targetsignal2]

Now there somethings you don't see a whole lot of anymore and if so they are SOOO rare! Great video. I had my picture taken with one at a RR museum when I was little.

[2GUNBOY]

Too bad, because those things are really cool.

I've gotta go see one.

[blinkingblythe]

It's a shame wigwags are nearly extinct. :\

[VespineVid2]

Nice one!