"Frankensignals"

[Brandon]

Here's a local one.  It's a rarity as it is a permanent wire-span installation in Illinois.  Not only that, one of the signal heads was designed to be visor-less.

[pianocello]

Here's a local 12-8-12 head. This is the only place I've seen them, and I think they're ugly.

[signalman]

Here's a local 12-8-12 head. This is the only place I've seen them, and I think they're ugly.

I would agree on the ugly factor and they're weird.  I've never seen or heard of such a setup.  12-8-8, yes...8-8-12, yes...12-8-12, no.  I just don't see the point of having an 8 inch yellow only, maybe it's just me.

[kphoger]

Here's a local one.  It's a rarity as it is a permanent wire-span installation in Illinois.  Not only that, one of the signal heads was designed to be visor-less.

[img

Where is that, exactly?  I feel like I should know.

[PurdueBill]

Akron's 12-8-8s (with the yellow tunnel visors) don't use 8-inch arrow sections so you sometimes get 12-8-12 if the green is an arrow.  Sometimes they would later change the arrow to a green ball (e.g., if there were a straight-thru arrow over the right lane that was really needless since there wasn't a right turn possible) and it would result in an oddball 12-8-12 with all ball indications.

[Brandon]

Here's a local one.  It's a rarity as it is a permanent wire-span installation in Illinois.  Not only that, one of the signal heads was designed to be visor-less.

[img

Where is that, exactly?  I feel like I should know.

Joyce and McDonough, Joliet.  It's been a wire-span as long as I've been here (1980).  I think it may have been installed when Jefferson Square was opened (1974-75).

[Ian]

Here's a local 12-8-12 head. This is the only place I've seen them, and I think they're ugly.

I don't necessarily agree on the 12-8-12" combo, but the several decade old traffic signals and truss arms are definitely a pro!

[kphoger]

Here's a local one.  It's a rarity as it is a permanent wire-span installation in Illinois.  Not only that, one of the signal heads was designed to be visor-less.

[img

Where is that, exactly?  I feel like I should know.

Joyce and McDonough, Joliet.  It's been a wire-span as long as I've been here (1980).  I think it may have been installed when Jefferson Square was opened (1974-75).

OK, I'm not familiar with it.  Even though I was born in Joliet and lived in New Lenox, we moved far away when I was eight years old; I've only been back a couple of times, most times on public transportation.

[Beltway]

can someone explain where the "duck face" came from?  first it was nowhere, now it is everywhere.  I'm assuming some popular music video had it...

The "Donald Duck mouth" signal hood has been common since the 1960s ...

[Rick1962]

Oklahoma was big on Frankensignals in the '60s & '70s. Some examples:

8-8-12-12 left-turn signals, with dual 12" left-turn arrows, seen in Okmulgee and Bethany.

8-8-8 vertical overhead signals with dual 12" left-turn arrows mounted horizontally underneath (Muskogee).

Pedestrian signals with 12" "Don't Walk" and 8" green ball (Sapulpa, Wagoner and others)

12-12-12 left-turn signals, red & yellow 3M sections, green arrow standard signal head (Tulsa & Broken Arrow)

12-12-12-12 protective/permissive left-turn signals, yellow indication a 3M head doing double duty for green ball and left-turn arrow (Tulsa & Sand Springs).

12-8-8-8 signals, 12" and 8" red indications. The 12" head was used for flashing-red after hours (Sand Springs).

12-8-8-8 & 12-12-12-12 overhead signals with two green ball indications, replacing straight and right arrows (Oklahoma City).

12-12-12 signals with red and yellow standard sections and 3M green sections, the rare ones where the green ball indications changes to straight arrows as you get closer (El Reno).

12-12-12 3M right-turn signal with bimodal yellow & green ball and right-arrow indications (Oklahoma City).

Unfortunately, most of these have been replaced in favor of boring MUTCD-compliant signals. It was fun while it lasted.

[NYhwyfan]

*Sideways primary signal along Elmwood Avenue in Tonawanda, NY - possible clearance issue?
http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.970665,-78.878725&spn=0.00796,0.01929&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.970849,-78.878732&panoid=3Ce6w1ZrHzkx401DHmMIhQ&cbp=12,314.55,,0,-8.01

*Crosswalk signal along Payne Avenue in North Tonawanda, NY - has pedestrian signals attatched on span wire with the signals for Payne Ave.
http://maps.google.com/?ll=43.040073,-78.873623&spn=0.001988,0.004823&t=m&layer=c&cbll=43.039988,-78.873593&panoid=YkplHiP6jpeDfb1eTHRk5w&cbp=12,356.63,,0,3.9&z=18

[Big John]

Doghouse signal in Smyrna, GA:  https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Concord+Road+Southeast+and+King+street,+Smyrna,+GA&hl=en&ll=33.880271,-84.516401&spn=0.001697,0.002403&sll=33.880271,-84.516401&sspn=0.001706,0.002403&hnear=Concord+Rd+SE+%26+King+St,+Smyrna,+Cobb,+Georgia+30080&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=33.880271,-84.516401&panoid=fkOVVbNyCXRa71g4WZt3ww&cbp=12,99.54,,0,-4.52

[Central Avenue]

Doghouse signal in Smyrna, GA:  https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Concord+Road+Southeast+and+King+street,+Smyrna,+GA&hl=en&ll=33.880271,-84.516401&spn=0.001697,0.002403&sll=33.880271,-84.516401&sspn=0.001706,0.002403&hnear=Concord+Rd+SE+%26+King+St,+Smyrna,+Cobb,+Georgia+30080&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=33.880271,-84.516401&panoid=fkOVVbNyCXRa71g4WZt3ww&cbp=12,99.54,,0,-4.52

The cartoonish Arial Black "King St" sign isn't gonna win any awards, either.

[kj3400]

Near Westport in Baltimore: http://goo.gl/maps/t3N42

The pole the 12" signal  is on used to be longer. I have no clue where it went.

[roadfro]

*Crosswalk signal along Payne Avenue in North Tonawanda, NY - has pedestrian signals attatched on span wire with the signals for Payne Ave.
http://maps.google.com/?ll=43.040073,-78.873623&spn=0.001988,0.004823&t=m&layer=c&cbll=43.039988,-78.873593&panoid=YkplHiP6jpeDfb1eTHRk5w&cbp=12,356.63,,0,3.9&z=18

Yeah, pretty sure that's a clear violation of MUTCD for mounting height of ped heads...

The confusing part is that there are poles and wires going to the push button...the ped signals could have been mounted normally.

There's also the secondary problem that there is only one signal head each direction for vehicular traffic, where two would be minimum required for redundancy purposes.

[kphoger]

redundancy

redundancy

[Brandon]

*Crosswalk signal along Payne Avenue in North Tonawanda, NY - has pedestrian signals attatched on span wire with the signals for Payne Ave.
http://maps.google.com/?ll=43.040073,-78.873623&spn=0.001988,0.004823&t=m&layer=c&cbll=43.039988,-78.873593&panoid=YkplHiP6jpeDfb1eTHRk5w&cbp=12,356.63,,0,3.9&z=18

Yeah, pretty sure that's a clear violation of MUTCD for mounting height of ped heads...

The confusing part is that there are poles and wires going to the push button...the ped signals could have been mounted normally.

There's also the secondary problem that there is only one signal head each direction for vehicular traffic, where two would be minimum required for redundancy purposes.

Some states (Illinois) take that a step further and require three signal heads per direction.

[Alex]

Lincoln, Illinois has a number of eight inch signal heads affixed with 12" lens around the Logan County Courthouse. Very ugly:

http://goo.gl/maps/v3eig

http://goo.gl/maps/bo1ms

They appear to be used only for flash mode as four-way stops.

[hm insulators]

Not sure if this counts... I see them a lot in the San Gabriel Valley but this was in La Cañada. They look dumb

Isn't that Foothill Boulevard and Crown Avenue, right where the offramp from the westbound 210 ends in the same spot? I grew up in La Canada, so the Flintridge Preparatory School sign caught my eye.

[hm insulators]

<img>
Not sure if this counts... I see them a lot in the San Gabriel Valley but this was in La Cañada. They look dumb

That one's actually really old. Look at the photo I posted above with the Eagle enlarger units. These were made by Econolite and were put up may be throughout the 60's or 70's (?).

That signal, if it's where I think it is does date back to when the 210 Freeway was built through La Canada, in the early 1970s. The freeway opened to traffic in 1973.

[thenetwork]

Not a specific Frankensignal per se, but in each direction there are three different varieties of traffic signals.  This is at the intersection of Snow Road and Pearl Road (US-42) in Parma, Ohio.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=middleburg+hts+oh&hl=en&ll=41.404678,-81.744509&spn=0.003545,0.006539&sll=39.085692,-108.569836&sspn=0.164956,0.41851&t=h&hnear=Middleburg+Heights,+Cuyahoga,+Ohio&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.404799,-81.744361&panoid=h5IN1YYjt-nz4kq9r_okfA&cbp=12,54.38,,0,-2.88

[KEK Inc.]

Here's an inverse Kentucky.

http://goo.gl/maps/L9Awp

[Brandon]

Not a specific Frankensignal per se, but in each direction there are three different varieties of traffic signals.  This is at the intersection of Snow Road and Pearl Road (US-42) in Parma, Ohio.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=middleburg+hts+oh&hl=en&ll=41.404678,-81.744509&spn=0.003545,0.006539&sll=39.085692,-108.569836&sspn=0.164956,0.41851&t=h&hnear=Middleburg+Heights,+Cuyahoga,+Ohio&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.404799,-81.744361&panoid=h5IN1YYjt-nz4kq9r_okfA&cbp=12,54.38,,0,-2.88

"Let's see how many signals we can get cheap on Ebay."

[kj3400]

Here's an inverse Kentucky.

http://goo.gl/maps/L9Awp

I didn't think Cali used anything but full hoods.

[myosh_tino]

Here's an inverse Kentucky.

http://goo.gl/maps/L9Awp

I didn't think Cali used anything but full hoods.

That might have been the case in the past but I'm seeing more and more signals with tunnel visors.  I first saw them up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, presumably to keep snow from accumulating in the visor but now I'm seeing them pop up around the San Jose area where snow isn't an issue.