Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Although I just posted something where I made a crossing go off by "tripping" over one of the wires (I was 8 years old at the time)... I do not believe our host is too fond of people talking about hot wiring a crossing.

I would never do this now that I am an adult, nor would I encourage someone to do this.

cabman701 wrote:Although I just posted something where I made a crossing go off by "tripping" over one of the wires (I was 8 years old at the time)... I do not believe our host is too fond of people talking about hot wiring a crossing.

I would never do this now that I am an adult, nor would I encourage someone to do this.

I have done it three times.
Only on local non signalled tracks where there were no trains and where no traffic would be affected.

At night, while my friend slept in our Mission Inn room in Riverside, CA, I went for a walk and found a wigwag signal on Mission Inn Avenue.
It guarded three tracks which were completely cut off from their connecting track.
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v ... &encType=1
(The wigwag signal was near that utility pole near the bilboard sign. As usual with single wigwags, if on your right as you approach the crossing, it was beyond the track. If on your left as you approach, it was on your side of the track.)

Again I found old metal strapping.
Amazingly, the Wigwag signal started up!
It squeaked every swing and soon built up enough momentum that the bell rang every swing.
I let it operate for several minutes until I saw a vehicle off in the distance.
I wonder when it had last operated.

Robert_Gift wrote: You must test the gates when there is no traffic.
Even though there never can be a train there again, I bet they are still active!

Thank you.

No can do because:

A) That's a felony.
B) There's always traffic.
C) I live 140 miles away now.

The red sign should be BEHIND the barrier.
Interesting!
Wonder if the signals still work?

In Santa Fe Springs, I found signals still functioning even though the track crossed the road and rails ended (were cut off) at the outside of the sidewalk against a chain-link fence.

Funny how a whole chunk of rail is missing in that picture. Wonder if that was intentional to derail a train if it ever made it that far?