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Wig-Wags in Northwestern Oregon


After the turn of the century, railroads faced increasing traffic both on their raillines, as well as on streets and paths which crossed their railroads.  In the past, a simple warning sign would be adequate to warn pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages of the danger of an impending train.  At busier crossings within large cities, railroads would employ watchmen who would sit in a shack or crossing tower until a train approached, in which the watchman would flag crossing traffic to stop and let the train through.

Railroads, however, were looking for a better way to warn private travelers of approaching trains.  Two systems were developed:  the now-standard set of flashing red lights, a "crossbuck" warning sign, and gates; and the Wig-Wag.

A simple device, the wig-wag was a metal sign with a red light mounted in the center.  When a train approached, the sign would swing from side to side, or "wig-wag" back and forth.  A bell would also clank, providing for an audible signal.  At first, the wig-wags were motorized; however a magnetic version was invented which was much simpler and more reliable.  These wig-wags would soon appear in the thousands, primarily along the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Western Pacific railroads.

Unfortunately, the wig-wag did suffer from numerous drawbacks:  The light was very small (approximately three inches in diameter) as opposed to the current system, where the two lights were at least six inches in diameter (now twelve inches) which offered a brighter light.  The wig-wag was a relatively small signal, and could be hard to see (sometimes the signal would be positioned in the middle of the street; however errant motorists would often drive straight into the signal, disabling it).  Most wig-wags barely protruded four feet into the street - if a truck parked in front of it, it was useless.  The alternative offered a gate which would obstruct the street clear to the center line.  Thus, by the end of the 1930s, the wig-wag was rendered obsolete, and could no longer be installed on new crossings.

However, the wig-wag did survive.  Entering into the 21st century, over a dozen wig-wags still fight on, protecting motorists from oncoming trains throughout northwestern Oregon.  While an unusual signal, motorists who often encounter these signals are well familiar with their meaning, even though they tend to signal when no train is anywhere nearby (one reason why railroads and the Department of Transportation does not like them).  Unfortunately, these signals are coming down, not to the delight of those who like to see history play on.

This web site is designed to preserve the image and history of those remaining wig-wags in northwestern Oregon, along the former branchlines of the Southern Pacific Railroad (and a few others in eastern Oregon and Washington).

This page last updated 10/9/2000.  All contents on this page are copyright ©2000 by Erik Halstead unless otherwise noted.  Contents of this page may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the copyright holder.  Continued use of this web page signifies your content to these terms.

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