Traffic Signal, ready for duty...again.

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m3a1
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Traffic Signal, ready for duty...again.

Unread post by m3a1 » August 3rd, 2018, 9:37 pm

I'm an old highway patrolman so naturally, when I came across this old traffic light being sold on the cheap, I had to bring it home for the Man Cave and I got to have the fun of refurbishing it.

There's really not much to these. Each section is a complete unit unto itself and they can be assembled in stacks or just about any way you'd want. This section had a crack in the back which I fixed with JB Weld's plastic resin. What a fantastic product that stuff is!

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This is the full stack, completely scrubbed, lightly wet-sanded and painted with Rustoleum. Even when fully assembled, the whole thing is extremely lightweight, chiefly because the body and doors are constructed of plastic.

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If you've ever wondered what goes on inside these things, well, they are extremely simple. Here we have a reflector kit that is held in place by two pins and a spring. Put the spring end on a post, compress the spring and this allows it to clear the opposite post. Line it up, release the spring pressure and the reflector assembly engages both posts. The reflector can be swung out for ease of serviceability. Its socket is threaded for a standard-type household bulb though I'm sure what they use has a far greater service life.

This light set had only two reflector assemblies when I got it. The benefit of having this type of reflector assembly is it would allow you to put lower wattage incandescent bulbs in if you wanted but, of course these would then also require a colored lens. The thinner of the two kinds of LED lights mine came with actually nest inside the reflectors when the standard incandescent bulb is removed. This means the reflectors can stay in the unit whether they are being used or not. On final assembly, I elected to remove mine altogether in the hope that I might be able to use them for another light.

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Mounting pieces are very necessary parts of these lights and there are many variations. If you ever consider buying a traffic light, it would be a huge bonus if it comes with at least some kind of mount. A variety of mounts can be found on eBay but they are not cheap! I found this source on the internet but they certainly aren't the only supplier. However they do have a pretty good site. https://www.trafficlights.com/index.php?

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The LED lights are fairly inexpensive, considering what you get for the money. You may notice the green light seems a bit more massive than the other two (as well as an altogether different diffusing-type lens). Because of the green light's greater overall depth, the reflector would not fit behind it and thus, the reflector had to be removed to make additional space. This green light was why mine came with only two reflectors. Because my lenses were rather weathered and a bit scratched from sliding around in the back of a service truck, I refinished them just as one would refurbish a headlight lens and I think anyone would agree they refinished beautifully. These lights actually mount to the door of the traffic light housing, just as a colored lens would.

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There are replacement lights that can be had with colored LEDs and clear lenses. They are far less expensive than the ones with colored lenses, probably because when the light is not illuminated, they just don't look like much. These, on the other hand, look great even when off and Yes! I have hoods coming for this light set!

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Electronics for making the lights actually cycle are sold on eBay. Units are individually serial numbered. They are small lightweight units that come with everything you need to get a light going...even a power cord and the necessary bits to mount the electronics inside the light. A three relay switch costs about $35 and the seller stands behind their product with an ironclad guarantee. So easy to hook up, too! They can be set to many variations in their cycle including the speed at which they cycle. Variations include the European-style light cycle and yes, you can even set it to cycle exactly like a drag strip "Christmas Tree" provided you have the correct number of lights! VERY COOL!

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A friend of mine said it looked just like the real thing and asked me where I got it. I told him, "It IS the real thing! And where did I get it? Well, that's a secret....and I don't want to spoil the surprise!" :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers,
TJ
Last edited by m3a1 on August 5th, 2018, 10:56 am, edited 6 times in total.

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rickf
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Re: Traffic Signal, ready for duty...again.

Unread post by rickf » August 4th, 2018, 8:37 am

Meanwhile, some cop is sitting at 5th and Vine talking on the radio and asking "wasn't there a light at this intersection?"............................................................(reply) Yea, thats the one with all those different lights in it...........................(cop) Not any more. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
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csmith
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Re: Traffic Signal, ready for duty...again.

Unread post by csmith » August 4th, 2018, 9:06 am

Pretty cool!
1976 M151A2 4 Color Cammo Mutt, aquired August 09
1976 or 7? M151A2 "Miss Sandy" Driver, aquired May 2010
Former owner M151A2 "Miss Saigon" Vietnam Rescue Sold Sept 09
Fond appreciation for the M151 Breed!!

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m3a1
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Re: Traffic Signal, ready for duty...again.

Unread post by m3a1 » August 4th, 2018, 9:19 am

:D :D :D :D

Reminds me of one of my favorite old traffic cop jokes and this is one I occasionally told to people who I had caught driving past stop signs. Most of them got a good laugh out of it even if they were receiving a ticket. Traffic Cops telling jokes to violators....Sounds crazy, right?...but we were different cops in a different time. Anyway, here goes...


Traffic cop is parked in a shady spot watching an intersection.

A driver gets up to the intersection and slows to a slow roll and passes the stop sign and into the intersection without stopping, whereupon, the traffic cop pulls him over.

Cop (scribbling out the beginnings of a traffic citation) - "Sir, the reason I pulled you over is because you just entered the intersection without stopping."

Driver - "What?! Come ON! I stopped!"

Cop (looking over the top of his glasses) - "No, Sir, I'm afraid you didn't. While it is true that you slowed you did slow your car quite a bit, you failed to come to a full and complete stop as required by law... evidenced by the fact that your wheels were turning the entire time.

Driver - "Look, Officer. This is my neighborhood. I know the area. I come through here at least twice a day, every day, and even if....and I'm not admitting anything....even if I only slowed to a crawl, I looked both ways and that should be sufficient, even for you.

At this point, the Cop pulls his nightstick out and starts lightly bopping the driver right on top of the head.

Driver - "Ow! OW!! OWWWWW !! What the HELL are you doing?!?!"

Cop (continuing to bop) - "Just making sure that when we part company, we're both on the same page. So tell me, Sir, would you like me to slow down, or would you rather I just stop ?

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