Nice video. That wigwag was likely installed during the '30s. The motor box was manufactured after 1940 though, because of the "Minneapolis" location marking on the front casting. It's probably not the original motor box for this crossing. They were routinely swapped out for servicing over the years.
Why do people do this?! I get that these are like a century old, but these are pieces of history people! And they work perfectly, so there’s no point of getting rid of these!!
I became interested in these about a year ago. On 3 trips from Wisconsin to Canon City, Colorado, I actually drove 5 hours round-trip out of my way to check on this guy. On the 1st trip, I was manually swinging the banner to make the bell ring. A BNSF man working down the line heard it and came over. They were refurbishing the tracks in the area, and he told me that the signal would be removed within a month. On the 2nd trip 4 months later it was still there, and they were still working on the tracks. Before I went on the last trip, I looked on Google satellite, and there was a huge dumpster sitting right next to the signal, so I figured that was the end of it. But I went and checked on it anyway, and by golly, they were all done with the repairs in the area, and the signal was still there! That was mid-summer 2018. My guess is that as part of the historic Santa Fe Trail, it will remain there as long as they can keep it working. It appears to be the only electric power customer in Delhi!
@@shariys1 True. There are some remaining wigwags on industrial spurs and short lines. I recall one on a spur of the L&N in London, Ky that was taken down sometime in the early 1980s.
Most of them probably got taken down because today’s drivers are so distracted and inept and the railroad companies don’t want lawsuits. I’m sure they would work for years if they kept them working. It is a shame.
Lazys The Dank Engineer really? A giant sign reading “STOP” that popped out of the ground and blocked railroad crossings back then? (Meant to say “popping out of the ground”, stupid autocorrect)
Ooooh, Amtrak 822! I saw that in Boston a few times in 2013-2014, along with seeing it pulling the Downeaster through Old Orchard Beach, Maine in summer 2015!
SOOOOOO rad!!!!! When I was a kid in the early 80's different varieties of wig wags were still plentiful all over Central Wisconsin (especially the Fox Valley), particularly on lower traffic rail lines and rural crossings. By 2000, they were all gone. The helmet generation was coming of age and needed the highest quality gated crossings at every intersection. I'll take the aesthetic and "endure" the negligible risk over the illusion of total safety any day.
The last time I saw one of these it was back in1981 at Burlingame,Kansas near the old station where BudGoebel had a museum inside the old station. Since he passed in 1987 all those artifacts went to Topeka.
Just think how many steamers that wig wag seen in it's lifetime. How many old passenger trains. Old freights...as it's stood guard over that old crossing. The glory days of the railroads.
I miss the old wig wag train signals. And the old semaphores, but I think those were mainly for rail yards and everything is electronic and digital for train controls today...
There are a large number of crossings in this area where the train blows its horn for very remote crossings. Any crossing that is marked as such must be treated as a normal crossing regardless of traffic
I wish I had more opportunities for railfanning. I've been riding Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner for years and am somewhat familiar with the route south of Chatsworth Station, but the freight route that passes through parts of Sylmar and Santa Clarita is the only other nearby option. I'd love to watch trains in beautiful remote areas or historical landmark towns. My family and friends know I love trains, but they don't really get it enough to plan a train-sighting outing. So I appreciate all the uploaded footage from all over the U.S. and beyond.
3 and 4 are the train numbers. They are different than the locomotive numbers. Train 3 is the westbound southwest chief, and train 4 is the eastbound southwest chief.
TxMeterBoy J - That's just GREAT! Your dad swung it by hand? He could have broken the thing, and then he would have ruined and destroyed the LAST operational Wig Wag signal left in the United States. Tell your dad that next time - DON'T TOUCH IT EVER AGAIN!!
It’s not the last wig wag, there are still a handful left, this is just the last one on a Mainline railroad used by big railroads, the rest are on smaller poor railroads.
BNSF hasn't bothered removing this wig wag because they don't run freights on this line anymore. All traffic over the Raton Pass line has been diverted to the flatter, faster Southern Transcon. Amtrak is the only one using this line anymore.
I live in Newton Kansas the La Junta Subdivision come in my town and I live by it to I didn’t know there’s a wig wag on the la junta I want to go see it do you know the address of the crossings location by chance
Here is the New Signals GS Type 3 Electronic Bells, LED Flashing Lights, New Siemens Gate Mechanisam, Siemens Hand Gates, New Gate Barriers And RECO LED Flashing Lights Gates.
No other trains use that line. BNSF rerouted all freight traffic from Raton Pass to the Southern Transcon years ago. The only reason Amtrak still uses this line is because the Southern Transcon is too crowded.
It is the upside down model and is the only mainline upside down model on a mainline but the one in Anaheim is a secondary line that has duck tape???¿?
New Mexico used to definitely be a place full of Wig Wags! All the way to Colorado especially! Raton Pass had alot of things! Semaphore signals, wig wags, straight track lines causing trains to go fasy! That subdivision held the record for the fastest freight trains in the USA, when one hit 96.4 MPH!
I don’t think this wig wag will be taken down in a long time due to being a small road crossing with little traffic so why should the railroad bother to get new ones Edit: i was wrong 💀it was removed
In my research, the last photo I found of The coast starlight passing a wig wag was 2003, my understanding is this is the last one in true mainline use. While there are random ones on industrial/ secondary lines this is the last true 'mainline' one in service. If you have towns or crossings I will look them up to see if they are still in place!
A freight train passes like once a week and that’s probably why it hasn’t and will not be ripped out Amtrak owns it if it is ripped out it probably won’t be replaced with gates and the town will be even more depressing
Amtrakfan 95 I talked to a BNSF signal maintainer and he said that the wigwag is not going to be replaced as it is a piece of history. The only way for it to be replaced is a truck destroying it. If it does get wrecked, it is FRA's law that it will get upgraded to signals.
Leslie Savoy I know right the Raton and La Quinta subdivisions have been threatened to be abandoned for many years yeah I'm surprised Amtrak is utilizing these historic Alliance keeping them running it's one of the few places where you can see old semaphore signals and Crossing signals that are rare the wig wag as well as Highway flasher signals
For those watching, after a look on Street View in Google Maps, this wigwag was taken down at some point and replaced with a normal grade crossing signal 😢
i dont know why they even replaced the wig wag in the first place. the crossing is in the middle of nowhere, in a abandoned town, on a small road. if theres nothing on the end of the road they shouldve just removed the road
@@molossis by law if a crossing signal exists on a right of way it must function. There are no manufacturers making parts for these signals regularly anymore, so if it failed it would need to be repaired or replaced. It was replaced with standard flashers. It is additionally difficult to “downgrade” crossing protection (ie go to cross bucks only)
Still nice that Amtrak still acknowledges it as a proper crossing.
Well they have to. It’s an FRA requirement
It’s gone :{
Nice video. That wigwag was likely installed during the '30s. The motor box was manufactured after 1940 though, because of the "Minneapolis" location marking on the front casting. It's probably not the original motor box for this crossing. They were routinely swapped out for servicing over the years.
Some Santa Fe steamers probably passed that singal back in the day.
@@MidwesternRailfan Yep. This had to have been installed before 1949, so a few steamers.
Nice catch! It has clearly been maintained well over the years.
Tony V the fact it still stands is amazing on its own!
@@MichiganCentralLines sadly, they took it down around like a year ago
Is it still standing now
@@MonkeyFilmProductions rip
Took it to the Colorado Railroad Museum
This is coming out sometime February or March 2021; it’s going to a railroad museum up in Golden, west of Denver.
Glad to here it will be preserved.
Good, they will take good care of it!!
Why do people do this?! I get that these are like a century old, but these are pieces of history people! And they work perfectly, so there’s no point of getting rid of these!!
@@Notproffessorson better than it going to a dump one day.
@@stolasgoetia93 yes but just the thought that it was still doing it's job in the real world ...leave shit alone
The amount of infrastructure needed to support that single wig wag is incredible! I do love the American rail system.
Something soothing and plaintive about these sounds, cutting through the prevailing silence.
I became interested in these about a year ago. On 3 trips from Wisconsin to Canon City, Colorado, I actually drove 5 hours round-trip out of my way to check on this guy. On the 1st trip, I was manually swinging the banner to make the bell ring. A BNSF man working down the line heard it and came over. They were refurbishing the tracks in the area, and he told me that the signal would be removed within a month. On the 2nd trip 4 months later it was still there, and they were still working on the tracks. Before I went on the last trip, I looked on Google satellite, and there was a huge dumpster sitting right next to the signal, so I figured that was the end of it. But I went and checked on it anyway, and by golly, they were all done with the repairs in the area, and the signal was still there! That was mid-summer 2018. My guess is that as part of the historic Santa Fe Trail, it will remain there as long as they can keep it working. It appears to be the only electric power customer in Delhi!
No there are some more
This is the last wigwag on a mainline.
@@shariys1 True. There are some remaining wigwags on industrial spurs and short lines. I recall one on a spur of the L&N in London, Ky that was taken down sometime in the early 1980s.
That's allot of words
Still wigging and wagging in January 2020.
Pour one out for the Delhi wigwag, replaced as of early 2021 by modern gates and donated to a museum in Colorado
That was a wonderful watch. Thank you so much. These wigwags are so fascinating.
Thank you for the kind words!
This wig wag will probably always be there as it’s a part of history and the road is so infrequently Traveled
Most of them probably got taken down because today’s drivers are so distracted and inept and the railroad companies don’t want lawsuits. I’m sure they would work for years if they kept them working. It is a shame.
Trucker Nation right? Next they’ll need to have giant metal light up signs that say “STOP!” popping out of the ground to block the intersection.
Lazys The Dank Engineer really? A giant sign reading “STOP” that popped out of the ground and blocked railroad crossings back then? (Meant to say “popping out of the ground”, stupid autocorrect)
Lazys The Dank Engineer oh I see thanks!
Yeah the old griswold signals. The rotating stop sign and lights
There's a wigwag in Torrance california still working on a union pacific line switcher line!
Gardena had some has well, unfortunately they've been replaced now :/ Luckily was able to grab a footage of it back in 2014
Where did they put the wig wag? In storage
@@rainbowrailroadcrossing7798 Don't know. Possibly scrapping, as it's only reuse is parts for other Wig Wags.
I swear, this is the exact same crossing from Cars (where McQueen almost gets hit).
Yeah this is the crossing
That's pretty cool it's still operating
The wig wag that once stood in wagon Mound NM was my favorite and had the nicest bell sound
Was removed just this past July of 2021. Word was it is being donated to Colorado Railroad Museum.
Ooooh, Amtrak 822! I saw that in Boston a few times in 2013-2014, along with seeing it pulling the Downeaster through Old Orchard Beach, Maine in summer 2015!
It’s about to be removed. New relay case and signal foundations are in place. Comment on another video said it may be donated to a museum
This is absolutely fantastic. Such a well put together video. Thx for sharing
Thank you!
SOOOOOO rad!!!!! When I was a kid in the early 80's different varieties of wig wags were still plentiful all over Central Wisconsin (especially the Fox Valley), particularly on lower traffic rail lines and rural crossings. By 2000, they were all gone. The helmet generation was coming of age and needed the highest quality gated crossings at every intersection. I'll take the aesthetic and "endure" the negligible risk over the illusion of total safety any day.
That is really cool they need to keep it working forever
I was just there today. It’s got a week left on it.
The last time I saw one of these it was back in1981 at Burlingame,Kansas near the old station where BudGoebel had a museum inside the old station. Since he passed in 1987 all those artifacts went to Topeka.
wauv amazing piece of engineering and beautifully made
Just think how many steamers that wig wag seen in it's lifetime. How many old passenger trains. Old freights...as it's stood guard over that old crossing. The glory days of the railroads.
Nice video keep up the video's coming. Nice to see the old stuff like that still at work
Is it still there as of 2019?
Like and comment if you saw the first Disney Cars movie and it had the wig wag signal and Lighting McQueen tried to beat the train
I miss the old wig wag train signals. And the old semaphores, but I think those were mainly for rail yards and everything is electronic and digital for train controls today...
Wig Wag sounds so funny 😂
Did you know that the automatic flagman was invented by Henry E. Huntington's Pacific Electric?
Johnny James &/
But why does the Amtrak need to blow its horn at a Ghost town L.C/RXR
There are a large number of crossings in this area where the train blows its horn for very remote crossings. Any crossing that is marked as such must be treated as a normal crossing regardless of traffic
Its still a road open to the public therefor the horn is required
Sweet! Thanks for filming and sharing!
Great video! I loved watching it. Heading out to LA in March via the SW Chief and will keep an eye out for the Delhi wig wag.
Awesome
Thank you for your video
I miss the old gates and lights from the 60s
I wish I had more opportunities for railfanning. I've been riding Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner for years and am somewhat familiar with the route south of Chatsworth Station, but the freight route that passes through parts of Sylmar and Santa Clarita is the only other nearby option. I'd love to watch trains in beautiful remote areas or historical landmark towns. My family and friends know I love trains, but they don't really get it enough to plan a train-sighting outing. So I appreciate all the uploaded footage from all over the U.S. and beyond.
Cool...I've never heard of these until today somehow. This must be ancient technology.
This is the last one on a mainline, and one of few in railroad service! They are a relic but they are also awesome!
@@MichiganCentralLines Last one out of a museum in North America.
@@AVeryRandomPerson there are still around 10 along the west coast of the US, plus one in Illinois
Sadly & unfortunately, this Wig Wag was retired 3/9/2021. 😣 It will be donated to the Colorado Railroad Museum....
Removed March 9th, 2021... sitting un-used, but in good hands at the Colorado railroad Museum in Golden, CO.
Rip wig wag railroad crossing at least its going to be at the railroad museum
classic atsf wigwag
In the late 70s early 80s there was a set of these south edge of DeWitt, IA. However, they hung down rather than point up.
Last wigwag signal I saw was outside Enumclaw WA in the 1970s.
That's where the guy was killed from having sex with a horse, right?
What horn is that? Sounds beautiful
S F on Amtrak they are Nathan K5LA’s!
You referred to this train as AMTRAK 3 and 4, I didn't see this on the engine numbers. What are these numbers and are they significant to Amtrak??
3 and 4 are the train numbers. They are different than the locomotive numbers. Train 3 is the westbound southwest chief, and train 4 is the eastbound southwest chief.
Really Nice video !!!
In the Movie Cars 1 there is also A Wig Wag Railroad Crossing?
Isnt it?
Yes
my dad saw that wig wag yesterday and he had to swing it by hand because it was late at night and their was no trains
TxMeterBoy J - That's just GREAT! Your dad swung it by hand? He could have broken the thing, and then he would have ruined and destroyed the LAST operational Wig Wag signal left in the United States. Tell your dad that next time - DON'T TOUCH IT EVER AGAIN!!
Aaahhhh it’s fine I swung it by hand when I was in Delhi catching the train and it worked
Tom Morrow **swings wig wag really hard**
**box falls apart**
oops
Lol
Tom Morrow besides your an idiot it’s not like it’s made out of tissues or something.
Sad news. According to rail preservation news sources the wig wag was removed on March 9 2021
Wow. So, it's the very last one in the US?Please keep us posted about it. Im tempted to make a trip from PA just to see it before it's gone.
It’s not the last wig wag, there are still a handful left, this is just the last one on a Mainline railroad used by big railroads, the rest are on smaller poor railroads.
This will always be here. This road is so infrequently travelled let alone this town.
No there is a big line a mile away from me (the wig wag) that operates like ten times a day
@@F59PHItrainfreak I meant the street.
No but it's the last one in the state
It was taken down in early March 2021
It’s gone now, but it was made in the same city I live in!
Is this wig wag still on the mainline?
@@CrazyMarioRailfan2105 no it now resides at the Colorado railroad museum
*W I G - W A G G L I N G*
2:27 why was there a horizon car and the a baggage, I thought the only used superliner cars
Horizon was being transported to Beech Grove, Viewliner Baggage for Baggage.
Oh ok thanks
BNSF hasn't bothered removing this wig wag because they don't run freights on this line anymore. All traffic over the Raton Pass line has been diverted to the flatter, faster Southern Transcon. Amtrak is the only one using this line anymore.
-Can I get a location on google maps?- oh its ; Delhi Wigwag, Model, CO 81059, USA
I live in Newton Kansas the La Junta Subdivision come in my town and I live by it to I didn’t know there’s a wig wag on the la junta I want to go see it do you know the address of the crossings location by chance
It was removed this spring and is going to the Colorado railroad museum
Here is the New Signals GS Type 3 Electronic Bells, LED Flashing Lights, New Siemens Gate Mechanisam, Siemens Hand Gates, New Gate Barriers And RECO LED Flashing Lights Gates.
Good stuff man
Thank You!
Sadly the wigwag is gone and it has modern signals now
Great video!
yea good catches and video at the wig wag
Wait so what other trains pass there? Do you think it is still standing?
No other trains use that line. BNSF rerouted all freight traffic from Raton Pass to the Southern Transcon years ago. The only reason Amtrak still uses this line is because the Southern Transcon is too crowded.
Wow good to know!
There are mor mainline crossing signals in California and Oregon I live one mile away from one that operates daily
This is the last one on a mainline, there are various wig wags that still work on secondary lines, but this is the last one on a mainline
It is the upside down model and is the only mainline upside down model on a mainline but the one in Anaheim is a secondary line that has duck tape???¿?
@@F59PHItrainfreak The one in Anaheim was removed last April.
No freights on this line?
rare occasions
So that line sees no freight at all?
almost no freight
Wagon Mound has a wig wag and high speed trains, that is pretty unsafe but cool!
The wagon mound wig wag was removed a number of years ago leaving the Delhi wig wag as the last one. IT is a site to see for sure!
New Mexico used to definitely be a place full of Wig Wags! All the way to Colorado especially! Raton Pass had alot of things! Semaphore signals, wig wags, straight track lines causing trains to go fasy! That subdivision held the record for the fastest freight trains in the USA, when one hit 96.4 MPH!
Cool! Subscribed!
Do BNSF Train Run Past There Or Only The Chife
Normally only the southwest chief, but BNSF runs storage trains and military trains occasionally.
wig wags are very intresting and epic
There is a pair in Sheboygan.
He’s talking about a heavily used mainline, not a 2nd class, short line, or branch railroad
3:40 The Patron Tequila Express - is the private car.
Why only Amtrak trains on such a good piece of track
because they can go faster duhh
@ I guess I just meant where are the freight trains
Isn't that type of crossing in the cars movie
Yes it is.
I don’t think this wig wag will be taken down in a long time due to being a small road crossing with little traffic so why should the railroad bother to get new ones
Edit: i was wrong 💀it was removed
The one in wagon Mound nm was moved ant it sees little traffic
Its too expensive to maintain something that no company is producing parts for. That is usually the fate for most wigwags.
No, BNSF has a blank check to install PTC on the Raton Sub, so it will be replaced.
that does look odd with modern trains going by
I hope the railroad donates that Wig-Wag to the Colorado Railroad Museum
Such a fantastic video. Thanks so much for this. Loved seeing 822 on the move as well. Is it still in use as of 2020?
Yes it is still there
But there are also like 5 upside down model mainline crossings running daily and on the coast starlight you will pass two in Oregon
In my research, the last photo I found of The coast starlight passing a wig wag was 2003, my understanding is this is the last one in true mainline use. While there are random ones on industrial/ secondary lines this is the last true 'mainline' one in service. If you have towns or crossings I will look them up to see if they are still in place!
The wig wag signal was removed last year
Wait you mean the one in the video
Amtrakfan 95 the Delhi wig Wag was sanding as of December 2018, and as far as I know is still working
Great Job!!!
He needs to get a job!!!
The Angry General you’re replying to comments on a video about how he needs a job, get a fucking life you embodiment of an existential crisis.
@@sabsfabs4605 you don't like what I say? Watch something else!!!
@@Angry.General1461 but didnt he already got a job?
@@seaboardproductions199 yeah he told me to watch something else
A freight train passes like once a week and that’s probably why it hasn’t and will not be ripped out Amtrak owns it if it is ripped out it probably won’t be replaced with gates and the town will be even more depressing
Amtrakfan 95 I talked to a BNSF signal maintainer and he said that the wigwag is not going to be replaced as it is a piece of history. The only way for it to be replaced is a truck destroying it. If it does get wrecked, it is FRA's law that it will get upgraded to signals.
Wig wag in Anaheim was removed 1 month ago
That Wig Wag Railroad Crossing Was Seen In The Disney Pixar Film Cars
How long ago was that taken is something going to happen to the wig wag I certainly hope not
TexasRailfan21 I dunno man, I dont even know if people know that this mainline still exists.
This was taken in April of 2018, the wig Wag probably won't be taken out of service for a bit but you never know
Michigan Central Lines True, true.
Leslie Savoy I know right the Raton and La Quinta subdivisions have been threatened to be abandoned for many years yeah I'm surprised Amtrak is utilizing these historic Alliance keeping them running it's one of the few places where you can see old semaphore signals and Crossing signals that are rare the wig wag as well as Highway flasher signals
TexasRailfan21 Yeah, well, it's a pretty old fashioned town
The signal will probably stand until it breaks.
I remember seeing this in cars
Yeah where he almost gets hit
Sadly this little boy got removed in march 2021 :(
With a crossing like that I was expecting a 60mph BNSF, not quite a 90mph Amtrak
Great video 😀👍👍
That’s not the last one theres 2 others that are still in use and I’ve seen those last 2 in person before
This was the last one on an active mainline. There are a few that are left on branch or short lines.
@@MichiganCentralLines actually those 2 are on a line that BNSF uses
@@BKNPhotography that is probably correct, but this wig wag was the last on a mainline and not a branch or industrial lint
@@MichiganCentralLines ok
I like the wig wag
For those watching, after a look on Street View in Google Maps, this wigwag was taken down at some point and replaced with a normal grade crossing signal 😢
i dont know why they even replaced the wig wag in the first place. the crossing is in the middle of nowhere, in a abandoned town, on a small road. if theres nothing on the end of the road they shouldve just removed the road
@@molossis by law if a crossing signal exists on a right of way it must function. There are no manufacturers making parts for these signals regularly anymore, so if it failed it would need to be repaired or replaced. It was replaced with standard flashers. It is additionally difficult to “downgrade” crossing protection (ie go to cross bucks only)
I past it and I’m 13 years old it was like 2 am
This reminds me of a Bad Day at Blackrock
That was in cars
The last common sense thing that proves "If it ain't broke, DON'T fix it"!!!
There a wig wag in my state there 2 of them in California
This is also the last wig-wag signal in the state of Colorado
Wig wags have a western feeling
Bonus points for 822 leading the third train.
Why progress? WHY?!