Old Traffic Signals

[jeffandnicole]

Here are some from the city of Hudson, New York. These green arrows look like an afterthought...

Because of the necessary wiring, conduit, junction pieces and computer equipment involved, the single heads for the left arrows are hardly an afterthought, but rather a complex design!

[xcellntbuy]

The above signals are located in the Town of Greenport, US 9 and Livingston Parkway, north of Hudson.  The arrows were indeed an afterthought, installed long after the original traffic lights were first hung in the mid-1970s.

[spitball]

The oldest signal I have ever photographed is this 1920s porthole style signal at the entrance of an underground parking garage at the US Capitol Building in DC.  Picture taken in 2010.  The security guard moved me on...


Back in 2003, I stumbled on this 1930s Horni Signal head on Vauxhall Road in Union NJ.  It may still be there, although retro-fitted with LEDs:


Another 1930s find was this GE Novalux head in Newark, NJ, which I photographed an 2005, and has since been  replaced.

[busman_49]

A remaining Eagle Flatback signal in Ybor City, Tampa. Photographed on 11-07-15.

Diggin' that Kentron/T-Con/Econolite next to it.  Florida seems to have liked those signals, as with parts of Ohio.

[jwolfer]

There were several installations with an unusual mast arm type that was prevalent throughout parts of downtown Detroit from the late 1970's/early 1980's until the mid 2000's, though this one at Griswold, Grand River and Shelby Streets (next to Capitol Park) held on until at least the winter of 2011-12, as you can see newer mast arms (though without signal heads yet):



Closeup:



Was this mast arm type installed elsewhere? I know of a similar (maybe even identical) type that was installed in the downtowns of Cincinnati and San Francisco.

They  have them in downtown Jacksonville... With any upgrades they get replaced

There are some old 12-8-8s still around central Virginia as well.

LGMS428

[D-Dey65]

The oldest signal I have ever photographed is this 1920s porthole style signal at the entrance of an underground parking garage at the US Capitol Building in DC.  Picture taken in 2010.  The security guard moved me on...

Then you're really lucky you got that shot.

[D-Dey65]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

[traffic light guy]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

It lights up whenever it's time to have sex

[paulthemapguy]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

It lights up whenever it's time to have sex

Wow, I didn't know red-light districts had literal red lights!

[US71]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

It lights up whenever it's time to have sex

Wow, I didn't know red-light districts had literal red lights!

You don't have to put on the red light;)

[Big John]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

It lights up whenever it's time to have sex

Wow, I didn't know red-light districts had literal red lights!

You don't have to put on the red light;)

Roxanne

[slorydn1]

Gee, and here I thought they were called "red light" districts because of the car's brake lights being activated by the guys who were stopping to pick up the ladies of the night.

[M3019C LPS20]

Okay, I'll show you people old. Here's some Semaphore traffic signals:

http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-6637

Question; What's that tiny red light under the green one?

The small light beneath the green indication is actually an amber signal, not a red light. In its cycle, several seconds before the traffic signal changed from green to red, the amber light on the bottom would flash several times as an indicator of this transition.

[Alex]

Saw this old fire signal on Miner Street in Idaho Springs, Colorado last August.

[Brandon]

Gee, and here I thought they were called "red light" districts because of the car's brake lights being activated by the guys who were stopping to pick up the ladies of the night.

Nope, the term is much older than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-light_district

[US71]

Saw this old fire signal on Miner Street in Idaho Springs, Colorado last August.

Nice

[traffic light guy]

Saw this old fire signal on Miner Street in Idaho Springs, Colorado last August.

Eagle flatback?

[traffic light guy]

Philly has a few sets of older mast-arm installs that are still standing, but are soon getting replaced by modern equipment:



The Eagle signal in the middle is the oldest



Old HSS signal on the left, with two older Eagle signals


There are also sets of old Eagle flatback and Crouse-Hinds mast-arm installs on the northern tip of Broad Street, hopefully I'll get a few pictures of those before they get replaced.

[spitball]

Philly has a few sets of 1970s-era mast-arm installs that are still standing, but are soon getting replaced by modern equipment:

I could tell that was City Line Ave even though I don't think I have driven down that particular road in over 20 years.

[US71]

Smackover, Arkansas

(revised photo link)

[traffic light guy]

Here's an odd intersection with only one signal for each direction of traffic:

That's an MUTCD violation. But those signals are old Eagle flatbacks, so they could have been installed before the MUTCD regulation.

[xcellntbuy]

The intersection in the above photo is in Hudson, NY, Green Street and Fairview Avenue.  It has had the same signal set-up since the 1960s when I was a child.

[US 89]

Old HSS signal on the left, with two older Eagle signals .

What's with the "wait for green" sign? Shouldn't that be obvious?

[Big John]

^^ My guess is that there is a protected left for oncoming traffic so the green is delayed for that, thus he sign.

[US 89]

^^ My guess is that there is a protected left for oncoming traffic so the green is delayed for that, thus he sign.

But why would you ever drive through a red light, even if oncoming traffic was going? I think more people notice that a light is red before noticing that oncoming traffic has a protected left.