Preserved operating wig wag crossing signal. The Illinois Railway Museum. Union Illinois USA. August 2006.

I took this photo in August of 2006, while visiting the Illinois Railway Museum located in Union Illinois. Seen here is an operating example of an antique "Wig Wag" crossing signal. When a train is approaching, the red light in the center of the target lights up, the crossing bell sounds, and the target swings back and forth like a pendulum on a Grandfather Clock. Wig Wag signals were common in the State of Wisconsin on the former Milwaukee Road, and the Chicago & NorthWestern Railroad. Wig Wag signals were also common in the States of California, Iowa, Texas, and Nevada.