The Operating Watchman No. 1045 was ridiculously out of scale, but it was very popular in its day, and the kids didn’t mind. This accessory was carried over from the Pre-War Era (available 1938-42) and was cataloged from 1946 until 1950 during the Post War years.

The watchman was made out of DARK BLUE painted Bakelite with FLESH colored hands and face. The base was RED painted metal and had two electrical binding posts on the bottom.

The Watchman would wave his flag as the train passed. It used a unique track contact that is similar to the No. 154C but had only two wire clips. This contact is shown below.

There are two variations to this accessory:

Variation A: The warning sign is made out of nickel with BLACK lettering

Variation B: The warning sign is made out of brass with BLACK lettering