Nostalgia & History > Klamath Falls, Wigwag, and Amtrak

Northbound Amtrak 11 approaches Klamath Falls in April, 1997.

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A wigwag is all a RR needs to protect a crossing. The lawyers of the world require whatever is beyond that, due to human stupidity.

coach Wrote:
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> A wigwag is all a RR needs to protect a crossing.
> The lawyers of the world require whatever is
> beyond that, due to human stupidity.

Truer words were never spoken.

I may be blowing smoke but would not a northbound have been #14 ?

462pacific Wrote:
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> I may be blowing smoke but would not a northbound
> have been #14 ?

Yeah.

SP

That was refered to as "The KLAD Crossing". It was back in the day a radio station had to have a line of site to its transmitter. We did have to make sure the crossing was clear, especially when they changed shifts. There was a big "hush" where the wig-wag went.

Nudge

spnudge Wrote:
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> That was refered to as "The KLAD Crossing". It was
> back in the day a radio station had to have a line
> of site to its transmitter. We did have to make
> sure the crossing was clear, especially when they
> changed shifts. There was a big "hush" where the
> wig-wag went.
>
> Nudge

I was program director at KLAD for a few years and did the morning show. It was not uncommon to park on one side of the crossing and hop over a slow moving freight to get to work. Trying to get past the BN yard and the SP crossing was a roll of the dice some mornings….