WIG_WAG_PAGE4a

WIG_WAG_PAGE4a Bay Area Wigwags
From the past

The next few pages will highlight some wigwags that made it into the '90's, but are gone now. The three major roads of the 80's and 90's will all be covered here; ATSF, Southern Pacific (pre-U.P.), and Western Pacific (pre-U.P.). Most of these signals were removed when Union Pacific acquired W.P. and S.P., but not limited to that reason. Southern Pacific had been upgrading the signaling (including the old Union Switch and Signal searchlights and early U.S.&S. crossing gates) just prior to U.P. takeover. Most of these images are from the late '80's and early 90's.

Newark, Ca.

Starting with my favorite location for photos, the double set of wigwags in Newark.
These were located on Carter ave. The station was demolished during the mid '80s.
The signals were replaced in 1995 with cantilever type lights and gates.

Facing southbound at Newark, S.P. 3772 starts down Dumbartan Bridge line with tank car. Building at left have long since disappeared (condos or something). picture taken during late 80's. (Sorry, I've always been bad about dating my pictures!)

Pleasanton, Ca. (Radum)

Some of my earliest pictures were taken in the Livermore/Pleasanton area, as that was where I grew up. This wigwag was a short bike ride from my house. It was located at Radum, just east of Pleasanton, Ca. The Western Pacific and Southern Pacific paralleled each other from Tracy to Fremont through Altamont Pass and Niles Canyon. This signal protected a private entrance to Kaiser Sand and Gravel on the W.P. line. The S.P. ran just behind where I was standing, and it too was once protected by a wigwag, but was removed during the mid '70's. This photo was taken in 1979.

The S.P. line was removed in 1986, with S.P. sharing track with U.P. from Tracy to Fremont. (The Niles Canyon portion is now home to the Pacific Locomotive Associations' Niles Canyon Railway, and they have 3 operating wig wags there!)

This signal was finally removed in 1990 as a result of an underpass that was built just a few hundred yards to the west (left) of this location

Westbound U.P. train at Radum during the late '80's.


	My all time favorite subject had always been the W.P. F-units! Here 913 is on the point with two of the other four F's, and a few jeeps on the way back to Stockton, Ca. in 1979.

Back to Main Page	Martinez, Sears Point	Emeryville (ATSF Backyard Line)
Niles, Santa Cruz	Newark, Pleasanton	Oakland and Stockton

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4/10/99