WigWag

In 2017 I visited the Southern California Railway Museum and took a short clip of a working Wig Wag - a form of railway-road crossing protection, similar to the flashing lights with or without gates that have become common throughout North America. And many years before that, I picked four operating Wig Wag models at an O scale railway event in the Chicago area. I recently unpacked one of the O scale models, that I'd mounted in a Mason Jar so I could enjoy the wonderful mechanism that animates these pieces - and decided I needed to share a video. The models were built to order by Charles Morrill. I don't know if he still offers this service.

[@trainchugger53]

From a member of the Southern California Railway Museum since 2017, I really need one of those operating wig-wags in HO!

[@chrispasini5870]

I like it. Very cute.

[@thunderboltsiren5602]

How did you make that

[@TrevorMarshall]

I used my checquebook.
(grin)
I bought it many years ago. The company that made it is no longer in business.

[@gregoryamer]

Hi Trevor. Very cool. My friend has some similar wigwag mechanisms by Charles Morrell Custom Signals he’s asked me to wire up and integrate into his layout. How is yours wired? Cheers Greg

[@TrevorMarshall]

Hi Greg: I didn't do the wiring. Charles supplied the wig wags already wired. I simply added an on-off toggle switch to the one you see in this video. When I install them on my layout, I will use something like the grade crossing activation circuit from Iowa Scaled Engineering (the ProtoThrottle people) that Scott Thornton recently wrote about in RMC. Hope that helps!