What type of traffic signal is this?

[CalMark123]

The images are from an intersection in Palm Springs where there are two signaled intersections very close to each other.  Perhaps the unusual style of signal was chosen to distinguish it from the other signals close by.  I'm not sure.

I remember seeing a few of these as a kid in the 1970s in Tampa.  The lights have a translucent look to them, and they're rather difficult to see from certain angles.  Does anyone know what these types of signals are called?

Here's the Google Street View of the intersection:  https://goo.gl/maps/sPaLUj4HuMXhci1z5

[KEK Inc.]

Looks like sun-faded 3M signals.  They have lenses that are contoured so you can only see the light at specific angles.  Pretty common in intersections with signals near other signals that can be confused with a different direciton.  Another common application are a set of lights that are right after another signal.

[ari-s-drives]

Looks like sun-faded 3M signals.  They have lenses that are contoured so you can only see the light at specific angles.  Pretty common in intersections with signals near other signals that can be confused with a different direciton.  Another common application are a set of lights that are right after another signal.

There's a similar effect with these overhead signals.

[CalMark123]

Ah, thank you!  It is an unusual intersection, so that would explain why they chose that style.

Never knew the name for them (3M signals).  I see that I can read up on them here:  https://highwaydivides.com/wiki/index.php?title=3M#M-131_Programmable_Visibility_Traffic_Signal

And yes, ari-s-drives, thank you.  I never made the connection between those freeway on-ramp signals and the signals I described.  It makes sense that the engineers would only want them to be visible from a single lane.

[zachary_amaryllis]

i don't know what its called.. but they have like a fresnel lens in them, and i think its just what you think, to keep two sets of signals from being confused. there are a few of them near where i ilve. in this instance, its a signal for the railroad tracks, and its like 50 feet after another signal, and right before yet another.

the traffic in this area is a nightmare when the train goes through -- all the lights in this area lock into 'nobody goes nowhere' mode until the train clears the last street.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5908373,-105.0769683,3a,15y,1.99h,91.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0b9U2uhIfJIxWRQz68loVA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The images are from an intersection in Palm Springs where there are two signaled intersections very close to each other.  Perhaps the unusual style of signal was chosen to distinguish it from the other signals close by.  I'm not sure.

I remember seeing a few of these as a kid in the 1970s in Tampa.  The lights have a translucent look to them, and they're rather difficult to see from certain angles.  Does anyone know what these types of signals are called?

Here's the Google Street View of the intersection:  https://goo.gl/maps/sPaLUj4HuMXhci1z5

[US71]

Didn't these used to be called "polarized lenses"?

[zachary_amaryllis]

yes, possibly..

gawd, what did i do when i posted that.. it looks all buggered up.

[mrsman]

i don't know what its called.. but they have like a fresnel lens in them, and i think its just what you think, to keep two sets of signals from being confused. there are a few of them near where i ilve. in this instance, its a signal for the railroad tracks, and its like 50 feet after another signal, and right before yet another.

the traffic in this area is a nightmare when the train goes through -- all the lights in this area lock into 'nobody goes nowhere' mode until the train clears the last street.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5908373,-105.0769683,3a,15y,1.99h,91.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0b9U2uhIfJIxWRQz68loVA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It's also interesting that the RR here is also controlled by what looks like normal car oriented signals, albeit 4-aspect.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5922538,-105.0772628,3a,75y,355.62h,82.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOXsut2jOP_8L8JsdxXfgnw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

What kinds of trains pass through here?  Usually mainline RRs are too heavy to be controlled by regular signals and something like this is utilized to control light rail or street cars that can stop and start regularly through intersections.

[zachary_amaryllis]

i don't know what its called.. but they have like a fresnel lens in them, and i think its just what you think, to keep two sets of signals from being confused. there are a few of them near where i ilve. in this instance, its a signal for the railroad tracks, and its like 50 feet after another signal, and right before yet another.

the traffic in this area is a nightmare when the train goes through -- all the lights in this area lock into 'nobody goes nowhere' mode until the train clears the last street.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5908373,-105.0769683,3a,15y,1.99h,91.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0b9U2uhIfJIxWRQz68loVA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It's also interesting that the RR here is also controlled by what looks like normal car oriented signals, albeit 4-aspect.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5922538,-105.0772628,3a,75y,355.62h,82.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOXsut2jOP_8L8JsdxXfgnw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

What kinds of trains pass through here?  Usually mainline RRs are too heavy to be controlled by regular signals and something like this is utilized to control light rail or street cars that can stop and start regularly through intersections.

when trains used to use that line regularly, it was extremely slow. its a spur that goes out to a cement plant. i don't think the cement plant operates anymore, and i can't recall having seen a train on that line in recent years.. if you zoom out the view, look down from above, you'll see its quite the mess there. they pulled out a lot of the tracks in this area... but there's one branch, the main line, that actually runs down the center of a street for like 6 blocks. there's several instances in this area, and further out of town, where a 'railroad signal' is right by the street signal, and at each instance, there's one of those 4-bulb lights.. they only show two aspects, though, double red, or double green.