Nostalgia & History > Two Train Light

Please forgive the reposting of the story, but I thought the old "Two Train" light deserved a thread of its own.

In the San Jose area, this light was common at double track grade crossings. The story below says why, though in this case it didn't work.

When I was a little kid in the mid-1950s, we were waiting at the Hillsdale Avenue crossing of the Southern Pacific Coast Line in a rural area south of San Jose (these days miles inside the city). A steam-powered westbound freight was stopped near the end of double track the just short of the crossing, waiting for the eastbound Del Monte headed for Monterey and Pacific Grove to clear the short section of single track between the San Jose depot and Lick. The driver of the car in front of us assumed that the pair of upper quadrant wigwags protecting the crossing were active because of the waiting train. A "Two Trains" was attached to each wigwag. The driver didn't notice the "Two Trains" light come on, so he entered the crossing. I remember my mother crying out "Oh, hurry!".

I thought the car had made it safely. But after the Del Monte passed, the car had disappeared. My mother pointed it out several hundred feet south (railroad east) on the Monterey Highway side of the freight. It had been hit by the racing train and had sailed over both the Del Monte and the freight train, killing the two elderly occupants of the car.

The light in the picture was in the collection of John Guiducci of Santa Clara. I believe he has disposed of his collection and relocated.

Stan Praisewater



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/12 08:41 by sagehen.

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what is that in the reflection??

Seems like an old idea that could be useful today. How many hits each year on CalTrain are due to someone making the "Double Track Mistake"? I personally saw one about 10 years ago in Menlo Park.

I recall as a kid seeing one of these lights somewhere, but for the life of me I can't recall where. It was active, though. Probably around 1976.

Z

swampfox Wrote:
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> what is that in the reflection??


The ghost of the last guy who didn't heed the warning?...OoooooWEeeeeeeOoooooooooo!!!

looks to be about a 70 GMC in the reflection

Looks like John Guiducci to me, standing in front of his old green GMC.

I met him years ago, and yes, he did sell of a large portion of his railroad collection.

Dave

Finally, a head-on photo of the TWO TRAINS light! How well I remember these up and down California's San Joaquin valley on the SP, most places where a siding was bisected by a crossing or where there was double track (Stockton - Sacramento). They were found in other places too, but went away as crossing wig-wags were replaced with flashers and crossing gates.

But there was something else: there was a 2nd bell on the mast. I recall that when the TWO TRAINS light was activated, the 2nd bell rang in a continuous mode (RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG) that was intended to really get your attention. It did not ring in the steady gong type cadence of the first bell which continued as long as the crossing was occupied by either train. No doubt that light and the 2nd bell did save lives. I cannot remember any of these beyond the mid-1970s.