"Get the Hell Out of Town" Tour winnings

[ctsignguy]

Well, leaving aside an $800 repair bill for the motor, it was a different vacation for me... spent the frrst half in North Carolina and Virginia, NC being new to me....

I had hoped to add to my I-95 Circle tour, but pretty much struck out on those, even though a couple of places were willing to help...i did wind up with only 9 signs (not too bad i guess considering that i projected 5-10 depending upon circumstances

North Carolina and the real prize of the trip....24x36, and very colorful (saw similar signs in Virginia, but couldnt grab one).


As close as i could get to a I-95 in NC....saw a few state-named I-40s, but I-95 looks semi-cleaned up


Only two pieces in Mass......both run-of-the-mill signs

And five in Connecticut....only three of real note






Not much, but some reasonable quality signage

Due to lost time for repairs, i was unable to head into Vermont or my other usual stops.

[mightyace]

North Carolina and the real prize of the trip....24x36, and very colorful (saw similar signs in Virginia, but couldnt grab one).

Tennessee also uses those Civil War Trails signs.

[ctsignguy]

Anybody know is any of the other 'Confederate states" have such signage?

[froggie]

Although not "Confederate states", both Maryland and Pennsylvania do.

[Mergingtraffic]

Try to find some old wood signs from CT.

[ctsignguy]

Try to find some old wood signs from CT.

Very few left, and even those are finally vanishing....

Saw these up to my last trip last October...and as of my most recent venture in August....

  <-- gone

<-- gone

<-- didnt look for it due to time constraints, but i imagine it too is gone

<-- didnt get to look for this one either, but i put its odds of still being up as 'not that good"

What few wood signs i got that trip were signs in either storage sheds...or one sign that was all by its lonesome...with no STOP within miles of its location (well, the closest one was across the AMTRAK tracks....for a crossing that was gone for almost 50 years...)

Before --->

After --->

my current Connecticut wood collection is somewhere between 55-60 signs

[shadyjay]

The first two signs in the above post are taken in my hometown of Ivoryton.  Both those wooden signs survived the infamous "Flood of '82" and were replaced I'd say 5 or so years ago.

A few miles east of there, another "oldie but goodie" on Rt 154 at West Ave in Essex, there is a black-on-white town sign (I believe it reads  "MIDDLETOWN ->" in really good condition, amist several typical white-on-green signs.  Also on Ferry Road in Old Saybrook there was once a really old wooden "9" shield, but I think its gone too. 

The "Stop Ahead" sign you got must've been on North Main St in Old Saybrook.  I remember seeing that as recently as the past year.  I'm not sure what year the present US 1/CT 154 bridge over Amtrak was built, but the original route took it straight ahead across the tracks.   

My "Wooden Sign" collection is limited to one sign, but a good one - a US 1 shield from the bottom of the old Exit 49 ramp off the Connecticut Turnpike in New Haven.

[agentsteel53]

there are surviving 16" state named 138 and 183 (or 188? I forget) state-named markers.  the Conn/US 6 and 202 pair is alas gone.

[ctsignguy]

The first two signs in the above post are taken in my hometown of Ivoryton.  Both those wooden signs survived the infamous "Flood of '82" and were replaced I'd say 5 or so years ago.

Uh, no.  They were just down the street from my cousin, and when i was visiting last October, they were still hanging in there....so my guess is they finally bit the dust this past spring (and truthfully, the curve sign looked every bit its age and then some!)

A few miles east of there, another "oldie but goodie" on Rt 154 at West Ave in Essex, there is a black-on-white town sign (I believe it reads  "MIDDLETOWN ->" in really good condition, amist several typical white-on-green signs. 

Oh, you must mean this one!


Tis metal, not wood, sadly...but in very nice shape given how long ago green replaced white

Also on Ferry Road in Old Saybrook there was once a really old wooden "9" shield, but I think its gone too. 

Yep, i went all over that area last year....that old area where at one time a lot of older signs used to hang around...they were off the beaten path sufficiently where they werent replaced for years after many of their contemporaries were....most all the oldies but goodies are gone.

The "Stop Ahead" sign you got must've been on North Main St in Old Saybrook.  I remember seeing that as recently as the past year.  I'm not sure what year the present US 1/CT 154 bridge over Amtrak was built, but the original route took it straight ahead across the tracks.   

Righto!  I prevailed upon the town selectman to have it yoinked when he went out for a look and realized that sign was wayyyyy out of place and really served no purpose.  i will tell you, one side had the hell beaten out of it by years of weedwhackers!  As to that  US1/CT 154 bridge, i remember an early bridge some 45-50 years ago that crossed the tracks and led to a Y intersection...CT 154 headed toward Essex and US 1 went east to Old Lyme.  It was replaced by the current bridge some 15-20 years ago

My "Wooden Sign" collection is limited to one sign, but a good one - a US 1 shield from the bottom of the old Exit 49 ramp off the Connecticut Turnpike in New Haven.

Pictures demmit!  We want pictures!

[ctsignguy]

there are surviving 16" state named 138 and 183 (or 188? I forget) state-named markers.  the Conn/US 6 and 202 pair is alas gone.

the CONN 138 is actually a 14" marker.  The fellow who was in charge of that areas signing didnt take it down for years (his kind of quiet rebellion against the Boring Square TM)...it was still up last month, but with a new guy runni9ng the show, my guess is 'borrowed time'

[agentsteel53]

the CONN 138 is actually a 14" marker.  The fellow who was in charge of that areas signing didnt take it down for years (his kind of quiet rebellion against the Boring Square TM)...it was still up last month, but with a new guy runni9ng the show, my guess is 'borrowed time'

you go get it, then!

(btw, state-named boring squares are still boring squares.  May those last few Merritt-style shields survive until you get yours implemented!)

[shadyjay]

Yeah, it probably was sooner than 5 years ago, but not sure of its replacement last year.  I seem to remember it being there at least last spring as I moved back there from May until Nov of 2009.

You're right, that Middletown sign is metal... was thinking more of old signs, vs wooden ones.

No pics on my computer of my US 1 wooden sign and I did not bring it up with me on my last trip to CT, so there it remains for now... only brought up my I-95 and I-91 VT shields.  Also in my collection is a CT 3 square, a RxR crossing sign, a few cast iron street signs from my hometown, a I-295 shield from RI, a mile marker, a Conn Tpke mile marker, and perhaps others.  I would love to get my hands on a CT Turnpike trailblazer, CT 9, and a VT 100 green shield.  

[ctsignguy]

*would listen to a trade offer*

[shadyjay]

Hmmmm.... interested in that wooden US 1 sign I reckon?!

[ctsignguy]

I think i would be VERY interested in that wood US 1 sign....

[Alps]

I fail to see how a wooden US 1 sign equates in value to a green VT 100 shield.  Yes, to each his own, but I will gladly go acquire a VT 100 green shield (somehow, I'll find a way) if you'll trade in kind for a wood US 1.

[shadyjay]

What I really should've done was stop and ask the crews when they were out changing signs a few weeks ago.  VT 100 through my area got all new signs, including new speed limit ahead yellow diamonds, and those mixed-case town destination signs, plus a new JCT sign at 100-100B.  After I did not see the crews after that time I drove by them, I punched myself in the face - god only knows what I could've gotten!  

But if I was able to obtain a VT 100 that way, then I'd be bargaining for a Conn Tpke trailblazer instead!   

[agentsteel53]

just make sure the resigning crew doesn't make its way up to a particular town on a multiplex with a certain US highway...

[ctsignguy]

so...were you interested in swapping a wood cutout US 1 shield for a VT 100?  Or just speculating? (that is ok if you werwe...)

[shadyjay]

I may be interested - but the US 1 sign is 3 states away from me and I don't really have plans to head down there until the holidays.  But I'll keep this conversation in mind just in case I can't get my hands on a 100 between now and then.