Crouse Hinds 2-light 8-inch Art Deco

Dating back (I believe) to the early 1950s, this looks like it has been around. It has a layer of greyish paint that I've decided to leave for now. I believe that this is part of its history and I would like to keep it with its history intact. I've added a Lights-to-Go controller that makes it work like it did in the old days, with a brief, red-green overlap lap phase. This was my first real signal purchase on ebay.

McCain 3-light 8-inch Poly

I stopped in at the local road department after getting off early from work one Friday. The only guy on duty was eating lunch. I asked if he could spare any old lights, but he explained that anything that was deemed unusable was put into a dumpster after any salvagable parts were pulled from it. He took me out back and showed me their morgue of signals that needed a once-over. After pointing out this signal, he stated he was going to go back inside, close the door, and finish his lunch. He continued that if I was going to walk around the other side of the building with this light, put it in my truck, and drive off, what was he to do? This functions normally with a Lights-to-Go controller and, man, does everyone love it. Great at parties.

Mechanical Cop

This signal was originally used in the 1950s as a portable, temporary installation signal which ran on 6-volt batteries. The mechanical controller was built into the bottom of the signal unit. Not attached to this signal is supposed to be a pole and base which housed the batteries. Each of the lights appears to be some sort of tractor or other farm vehicle light. Since the unit has the controller built-in, I should be able to get this functioning properly, provided the guts work. This signal can be seen during the opening of "MacGyver."

Crouse-Hinds 3-light 12-inch Aluminum

I received this one from fellow Signal Fan Ryan. From what he told me this came from a span in Baltimore, Maryland. The mismatched visor on the green lens leads me to ponder what happened to this signal. Where in it's life did it get a different visor? Why? Hurricane? Accident? Again, part of its history that gives it character. This also got a heart in the form of a Lights-to-Go controller.

Ruleta 2-light 4-way

Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time. At work one day I was the only one at the studio. Just before my lunch I hit Craigslist and searched for "traffic light." Up popped this listing. I hadn't taken lunch yet, the guy lived about 5 minutes away, and he was home. It was fate.

Though these signals were widely used in New York City they were the only light used by the city. Starting with the fifth avenue traffic towers, other brands were used including a strange horizontal box-like GE, SSC (two and three section) and possibly Horni's that were similar in appearence to Ruleta's (industrial espionage?). Still they are the signal that have the closest association to NYC the way the Acme was to LA and the Wiley was to Frisco. Many of these survived changes in traffic commissioners and were known as 'olives' (thank you Forgotten NY) at least until the Henry Barnes yellow brush jobs. The oldest Ruletas seem to have been stamped or branded with the Ruleta name (either raised lettering or embossed) including a number (presumably a part number to aid assembly?) Also the castings seem to get a little thinner on the 'newer' models and these were not stamped with the Ruleta name but a different name. A controller is waiting to be installed.