Old Traffic Signals

[US71]

Clarksville, AR





Humboldt, TN

[florida]

Two of these still hanging in Green Cove Springs, FL

[Ian]

^ Nice find on that!!!

Not too old, but rare (only known worded pedestrian signal in NH as far as I know):
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewHampshireTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5353947285593972194

http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewHampshireTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5353947422015059442

[Hellfighter]

Marysville, MI

[US71]

Jasper, TX

[D-Dey65]

Does anybody else know about a neon "No Left Turn" signal that used to be mixed with the other signals on North/South Main Street and West/East Ocean Avenue in Patchogue, New York? I wish I took a picture of that before they were taken down back in 1986.

[Ian]

Alright, here is one that isn't too old, but really odd and an overkill:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lemont,+pa&sll=40.104796,-74.950619&sspn=0.015821,0.038409&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lemont,+Centre,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.247335,-75.243945&spn=0.007894,0.019205&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.247254,-75.243927&panoid=wX8zNAYxHy5Ms-WNzKWv5w&cbp=12,4.47,,0,-7.07

[jjakucyk]

Alright, here is one that isn't too old, but really odd and an overkill:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lemont,+pa&sll=40.104796,-74.950619&sspn=0.015821,0.038409&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lemont,+Centre,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.247335,-75.243945&spn=0.007894,0.019205&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.247254,-75.243927&panoid=wX8zNAYxHy5Ms-WNzKWv5w&cbp=12,4.47,,0,-7.07

Damn, you could hold up the space shuttle with those trusses.

[agentsteel53]

wow!  Were those trusses originally intended to hold up guide signs?  They are certainly strong enough to hold the lights ... as JJakucyk said, they'd hold up the space shuttle!

[Ian]

I am not sure why they used a support post like that. Yea, they are the same style sign bridges that were used for older PA guide signs. I guess they had a little extra money for a huge sign support pole like that. To conclude, I don't know why it is, all I know is that it makes the intersection unattractive. A signal support like this though would be more prevalent in the south!

[mightyace]

I am not sure why they used a support post like that. Yea, they are the same style sign bridges that were used for older PA guide signs. I guess they had a little extra money for a huge sign support pole like that. To conclude, I don't know why it is, all I know is that it makes the intersection unattractive. A signal support like this though would be more prevalent in the south!

Why do you say that?

I don't think I've seen anything like that in the parts of TN, NC, GA, VA, AL that I've been to, but my coverage of the southeast is FAR from comprehensive.  As far as I know, Tennessee's too cheap to do anything like that!

[Alex]

There are many intersections along U.S. 17-92-441 (Orange Blossom Trail) leading northward into Orlando from southern Orange County that are supported with sign bridges. The sign bridges at Montgomeryville are likely used b/c of the width of that intersection. There were some error shields for PA-202/309 years ago too FWIW.

[Hellfighter]

here's another example of an 80's protected left turn signal...

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.4607,-83.651447&spn=0.041918,0.288391&z=13&layer=c&cbll=42.460518,-83.651498&panoid=e0Sa-BA_lJwB8C40feqaew&cbp=11,4.42,,0,-10.21

[njroadhorse]

here's another example of an 80's protected left turn signal...

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.4607,-83.651447&spn=0.041918,0.288391&z=13&layer=c&cbll=42.460518,-83.651498&panoid=e0Sa-BA_lJwB8C40feqaew&cbp=11,4.42,,0,-10.21

Ooh, with a 12" on the bottom too.

[Hellfighter]

Here's a 70's style of signals...

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.46865,-83.108563&spn=0,359.993032&z=18&layer=c&cbll=42.468649,-83.108551&panoid=UKtepb1SVeYm7yvcC0GBRQ&cbp=12,290.88,,0,3.61

[Ian]

I happen to own some 1970's signals:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/8InchAlusig#
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/My8InchEconoliteAndONEWAYSign#

[myosh_tino]

Alright, here is one that isn't too old, but really odd and an overkill:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lemont,+pa&sll=40.104796,-74.950619&sspn=0.015821,0.038409&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lemont,+Centre,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.247335,-75.243945&spn=0.007894,0.019205&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.247254,-75.243927&panoid=wX8zNAYxHy5Ms-WNzKWv5w&cbp=12,4.47,,0,-7.07

Talk about overkill, check out this one.  It's at the CA-87 SPUI interchange with Taylor Street in San Jose, CA.
http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=37.346569,-121.904669&panoid=KSiyqVU3175ScW4cHspRpA&cbp=12,17.14,,0,5&ll=37.34642,-121.903862&spn=0,359.998227&z=19

[Ian]

There is another big one  . But it looks way more stylish than the one I posted.

[njroadhorse]

Here's some ancient ones that you can barely see when you come down the street.  North Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Millvale, PA.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Millvale,+PA&sll=41.120358,-76.521792&sspn=0.022695,0.038495&g=Millville,+PA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Millvale,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.483533,-79.972934&spn=0.001432,0.003422&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.483529,-79.97307&panoid=9R74twicUQxt713ewtHeWw&cbp=12,94.5,,0,0.58

[Hellfighter]

Here's some ancient ones that you can barely see when you come down the street.  North Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Millvale, PA.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Millvale,+PA&sll=41.120358,-76.521792&sspn=0.022695,0.038495&g=Millville,+PA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Millvale,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.483533,-79.972934&spn=0.001432,0.003422&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.483529,-79.97307&panoid=9R74twicUQxt713ewtHeWw&cbp=12,94.5,,0,0.58

Those look really cool. Here are some old signals from the 60's, but look where they're placed...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Millvale,+PA&sll=41.120358,-76.521792&sspn=0.022695,0.038495&g=Millville,+PA&ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=42.409687,-83.077558&panoid=V_TSXjTtYDx_t2_B0Zpb2A&cbp=11,191.16,,0,-27.77&hq=&hnear=Millvale,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&ll=42.40969,-83.077562&spn=0.005244,0.027874&z=16

[Mr_Northside]

Here's some ancient ones that you can barely see when you come down the street.  North Avenue and Elizabeth Street in Millvale, PA.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Millvale,+PA&sll=41.120358,-76.521792&sspn=0.022695,0.038495&g=Millville,+PA&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Millvale,+Allegheny,+Pennsylvania&ll=40.483533,-79.972934&spn=0.001432,0.003422&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.483529,-79.97307&panoid=9R74twicUQxt713ewtHeWw&cbp=12,94.5,,0,0.58

Those lights have since been switched to blinking yellow/red mode a couple of weeks (or months) ago. (And still are, as of yesterday) 
Which is just as well, as these signals had absolutely no time between switching phases other than the yellow.  (Or, to put it another way, the very instant the cross street turned red, North Ave would turn green)

[agentsteel53]

those four-phase lights (red/green, red/yellow, green/red, yellow/red - and repeat) are a common older style, and are indeed quite dangerous.  My neighbor just got one like it for his front yard.  6" lenses, 6V power, and four-phase is the primary mode of operation.  (It can be switched into yellow/red blink and all-red blink)

[jjakucyk]

Here's some Cincinnati signals, most of which are in the city itself, but a few in close-in suburbs.  To start here's examples of new signals with Cincinnati's interesting color scheme.  These are at Woodburn and Madison in East Walnut Hills, it is a brand new (barely a year old) install of 12" Eagle Durasig LED signals.  The City specifies matte black visors, but...um...yeah.  Nevertheless, I like the look a lot.









Now on to the old stuff.  This next intersection is Victory Parkway and Dana Avenue, at the corner of Xavier University's campus.  They're not as old as the road itself, which dates from the 1920s, but they're not too far off either.  There's newer 12" signals facing Victory Parkway, but older 8" signals facing Dana, which we're looking east along here.



The poles are the same iron "trolley" poles used around the rest of the city before the 1950s, but there never were any streetcars or trolleybuses here, which shows just how old this installation is.  Though the signals are newer, I wouldn't doubt that these poles are from the 20s.



These appear to all be Marbelite flat tops, with some pretty sad paint jobs.  This is also the location of the only 8" arrow in the city limits that I know about.  The dark splotches in some of the pictures are wasp nests!









In Walnut Hills is the intersection of Woodburn and WM Howard Taft.  A recent streetscaping didn't affect these old signals. 





Here is an older Eaglelux on the right and a newer Eagle/Alusig on the left.  Again, with rather sad paint jobs.



This next one is another Eaglelux, but there's no logos on the back.  Instead there's three small blank plates/stickers that have been been painted over.  Any idea what happened there?



Here's more shots of the various signals at this intersection, all on one span wire, which is unusual around here.

















At Oakley Square are the only 12-8-8's I know of in the city.  These are surprisingly rare in the region in general.  This whole intersection of Madison/Isabella/Markbreit is made up of quite old signals, but these 12-8-8's are newer, probably because of people looking at the signals barely 50 more feet down the road.  These are Automatic/LFE's, and some of the older 8" signals are too, but there's also Eagle flat-backs, Eagleluxes, and Marbelite flat tops as well.

























I'm not sure what happened here.



This whole install is going to disappear soon, as Oakley Square is getting completely reworked.



Farther east on Madison is the intersection with Ridge.  This intersection didn't exist before 1958, and I suspect that many of these signals, mostly 8" Automatic/LFE's are original to that date.  The exceptions are the 8-8-8-12-12 (the only one I've ever seen here) and 8-8-12 signals, which have Automatic/LFE 8" heads, but Marbelite 12" heads.  Fun stuff.



















Around the edges of downtown there's some older installs that probably date back to the 50s or 60s.  They're installed on old trolley poles, but they at least got a more recent paint job.  It's funny to see these old black on white street signs here, since they've been so thoroughly replaced everywhere else with typical white on green signs.







At 3rd and Gest Streets we have a mishmash of different signals.  This whole area was redeveloped in the early 1960s, and I'd imagine the signals on the right and left date to that time.  The horizontally mounted signal on the right is unusual now, but this one has hung on.  The new poly signal in the middle does have actual matte visors.



At the same intersection we have an older 8" signal with visors that they tried to paint black at some point, and a newer poly 12" signal.  The "Push Button for Walk Light" sign was apparently painted over an old directional sign for the Zoo.  Also note the little light on the right side of the pole.  These were installed all over the place to indicate the location of an island.  If there's already a pole at the nose of a median, they stuck one on the side like this, but more often than not they're on their own little poles.  The shade on this one is faded, but they're usually a yellow-orange color.



There's a few older signals with cap visors at Spring Grove and Elmore.  Even on older signals it's unusual not to see tunnel visors in the city.



Moving outside the city proper, here at the east entrance to Mariemont, where US-50 splits around a median, is this interesting cluster of flashers.







Just west of Mariemont is Fairfax, another independent suburb with some nice old signals at the intersection of US-50/Wooster Pike and Watterson Road.  The 4-way is a Sargent-Sowell/TSI, and the cluster is made up of Eagleluxes.  There's a Crouse-Hinds controller box too, just for kicks.

[agentsteel53]

wow, these are some quality photos!

can you please break the one single post into several posts within the same topic, each containing maybe 5-10 photos?  (I'd do it, except, even as an admin, I cannot make new posts as you.)

Firefox actually has a bug in which a table element that is more than N000 pixels high stops being rendered - so for me, anything below halfway through the 22nd photo is just the frame background color

thanks!

[jjakucyk]

I don't see any problems in FireFox here.