| 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 |