In case anyone is interested in my unusual hobby, here’s a few of my traffic lights. I set a couple up in a temporary configuration to start programming my controller.
It’s not the best quality, I used video mode of my still camera which is probably optimized for still pictures, it puts vertical streaks in the picture in video mode.
Very cool!
Wonderfully geeky! Niche collectors remind us that everyday things are art in their own way.
I would have never known the neon crosswalk signs were so special.
I do know I appreciate the modern ‘countdown style’ crosswalk signs. The knowledge of possible impending yellow and red signals is quite helpful when operating a larger vehicle.
Nicely done sir.
Way cool!
I appreciate the complements.
Maybe calling them the “holy grail” is a bit much. That would be the Acme semaphore signals that you see in all the old movies, that can run into 5 figures if you’re lucky enough to find one (a nonworking example recently sold for $7000 on eBay). The exposed tube neon Walk/Don’t Walk are rare because they were most extensively used in California (new installations stopped in 1973) , which is aggressively converting to LEDs due to the cost of energy there, and they’d usually rip out and discard the tubing and transformers and insert an LED in the same housing rather than carefully take the whole unit back to the shop. I believe every last one in the field is gone. The neons cost around $500, and do show up on eBay once in a blue moon.
Also highly desirable are pre-war signals that have the written command lenses, which can fetch several thousand dollars. The plastic hand/man signal I got for $45 at the local surplus store, you can probably get them even cheaper at government surplus property auctions.
Teh Cool,
I couldn’t watch the whole vid because I am not well connected but if I may suggest…
East Berlin had some very unique ped xing signs, so much so the images are on tshirts and the like. One of those would make a great addition to your already great collection.
Teh Cool
Capt
I do think the Ampelmannchen are cool, unfortunately I don’t think any have been imported into the United States. It is working the other direction, a store in the UK is importing old New York Walk/Don’t Walk signs, converting them to 220 volts and installing a sequencer, and selling them for 975 Pounds, roughly 10 times what they’d fetch on the collectors market in the US.
I have about 16 lights total. My favorite vehicle signal as a late 1940s vintage art deco style, it’s currently being rewired because the insulation is literally falling off the existing wiring Two more of them are in my video showing off my old controller. My main setup always will be my modern controller (which was in service at Mall Road in Pekin, IL) but I happened to see the old one for sale in the local surplus store, and I have a fondness for old electronics.
I hate the way my voice sounds so I use annotations rather than narrate.
Next thing you need to get is one of these German traffic signals.
Curious–I can’t quite tell from the video if the orange and green "WALK"s are the same tube or different (and I’m not smart enough about neon lights to be able to know whether it’d be possible to have two colors in the same tube).
Hey - that’s pretty cool!
The two neon tubes are stacked on top of each other. The green tube (actually filled with argon/mercury rather than neon) is opaque white when off and is on the bottom. The orange tube is clear when off, so the green can shine right through it.