Regional Boards > Pacific Southwest
A couple of vintage San Francisco photos from CalTrafficSigns
TheStranger:
San Francisco Skyway (US 40/US 50, now I-80) at 4th Street, early 1950s:
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=32
Note the lack of route identification on any pull-throughs!
---
Golden Gate Bridge?
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=22
That's fascinating because due to the odd legislative definition of US 101/Route 1 in the post-1964 era, there are no route markers on the bridge itself nowadays.
Some 1930s CSAA signage:
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=68
agentsteel53:
--- Quote from: TheStranger on June 30, 2010, 07:14:04 PM ---San Francisco Skyway (US 40/US 50, now I-80) at 4th Street, early 1950s:
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=32
Note the lack of route identification on any pull-throughs!
--- End quote ---
I believe route shields started appearing only in 1955, and before that, there was the occasional spelled-out route identifier, but it was not used often. Somewhere I have a photo of a spelled out US 101/Army Street gantry and that picture is from 1954.
--- Quote ---Golden Gate Bridge?
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=22
That's fascinating because due to the odd legislative definition of US 101/Route 1 in the post-1964 era, there are no route markers on the bridge itself nowadays.
--- End quote ---
also, the CSAA sign dating back to the opening of the bridge ("no stopping or turning") is alas now gone.
--- Quote ---Some 1930s CSAA signage:
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=68
--- End quote ---
I believe that font was introduced in 1940, but it may have been earlier by a couple years. The fact that that "no stopping or turning" has no logo implies that some of the surviving "no stopping or turning signs" may be older than I thought. There is one on the Bay Bridge westbound, and I think one on the San Rafael to Richmond 580 bridge. Neither have a logo, and both have that older font.
TheStranger:
--- Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 30, 2010, 07:34:53 PM ---
--- Quote from: TheStranger on June 30, 2010, 07:14:04 PM ---San Francisco Skyway (US 40/US 50, now I-80) at 4th Street, early 1950s:
http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/displayimage.php?album=11&pos=32
Note the lack of route identification on any pull-throughs!
--- End quote ---
I believe route shields started appearing only in 1955, and before that, there was the occasional spelled-out route identifier, but it was not used often. Somewhere I have a photo of a spelled out US 101/Army Street gantry and that picture is from 1954.
--- End quote ---
Basically, the outline shields with the Series C-like font (on black backgrounds) were only around from 1955-1957? If so, that may explain why Bay Area examples are rather hard to find, as Doyle Drive and the San Francisco Skyway were the only two freeways complete by that time period, IIRC.
--- Quote from: agentsteel53 ---
I believe that font was introduced in 1940, but it may have been earlier by a couple years. The fact that that "no stopping or turning" has no logo implies that some of the surviving "no stopping or turning signs" may be older than I thought. There is one on the Bay Bridge westbound, and I think one on the San Rafael to Richmond 580 bridge. Neither have a logo, and both have that older font.
--- End quote ---
The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was opened in 1956 so that's as early as any signage on there would've been - which also means that it arrived right after the first modern California shields (the black-on-white version) came into existence.
agentsteel53:
--- Quote from: TheStranger on June 30, 2010, 07:51:23 PM ---Basically, the outline shields with the Series C-like font (on black backgrounds) were only around from 1955-1957? If so, that may explain why Bay Area examples are rather hard to find, as Doyle Drive and the San Francisco Skyway were the only two freeways complete by that time period, IIRC.
--- End quote ---
you mean this style?
that is interchangeable with the series D style as well:
and that style was used until the great sign modernization of August, 1958 (different shape outline shields, rounded-rectangle white border, etc)
--- Quote ---The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was opened in 1956 so that's as early as any signage on there would've been - which also means that it arrived right after the first modern California shields (the black-on-white version) came into existence.
--- End quote ---
yep, though they were making bears as reassurance as late as May 1957. Same with the California/US style shields being made in parallel with the larger US-only from 1956-1957.
TheStranger:
--- Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 30, 2010, 08:07:37 PM ---
you mean this style?
that is interchangeable with the series D style as well:
and that style was used until the great sign modernization of August, 1958 (different shape outline shields, rounded-rectangle white border, etc)
--- End quote ---
Yes!
I would suspect that the original Eastshore Highway and Macarthur Maze had signage like this as well - I have not seen any pre-1960s photos of the Macarthur Maze though...
That Auburn I-80 sign in the other thread might be one of the few black+outline era installs ever to have been produced in the Interstate era.
--- Quote from: agentsteel53 ---
--- Quote ---The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was opened in 1956 so that's as early as any signage on there would've been - which also means that it arrived right after the first modern California shields (the black-on-white version) came into existence.
--- End quote ---
yep, though they were making bears as reassurance as late as May 1957. Same with the California/US style shields being made in parallel with the larger US-only from 1956-1957.
--- End quote ---
To put it in perspective - did Route 42 (a number dating back to 1956-1957) ever receive bear shields?
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