Willis Lamm's Traffic Signal Collection Clicking on a picture will bring up a larger view in a new window.   Marbelite Flat Top Marbelite of New York was one of the most prolific manufacturers of traffic signals in the country. They provided most of the signals for New York City from the 1950s through the 1970s. While NYC signals had traditional tunnel visors, many collectors like to have at least one signal with Marbelite's distinctive "tunnaway" visors... cutaway visors that have a thick collar near the lens that makes them look like a combination between a tunnel and cutaway visor. Marbelite took over the lines of Signal Service Corp. and Horni Signal. About that time period Marbelite signals took on the appearance of Horni flat top signals and many of the earlier Marbelite signals had castings in which Horni part numbers appeared. (This particular signal was a later vintage flat top that had standard Marbelite casting numbers, although the parts are interchangeable with the "HS" stamped parts.)

The flat top that gives the signal its name. Parallelogram logo.

Classic Marbelite "tunnaway" visors. Unique reflector with pigtail wire hinge (lower left).

Another Marbelite feature is how the visors are mounted. If you click on the profile photo to bring up a larger image you will notice that the mounting tabs are riveted to the visor. (The tabs are usually a part of the visor.) Marbelite also offered a true green also called an emerald green lens. Most green lenses are really blue-green to assist drivers with red-green color blindness. A few manufacturers offered true green lenses in their earlier signals. This flat top has a Marbelite 6540 true green lens that would have been available in an earlier version of this signal.

No. 6540 green lens.

Back of lens showing pattern.

This particular housing design s a TD-19413. A later revision, stamped TD-19260, was designed with indented tops and drain slots to more effectively prevent moisture from entering the light. Eventually Marbelite produced the model TE-19408 housing that was better designed to accomodate backing plates, and Marbelite also offered a more conventional cutaway visor. Both the later version of the TD-19260 and the earlier version of the TE-19408 housings can be viewed together on the Marbelite 5-light Dog House signal. Continue to Marbelite Dog House Return to Marbelite 4-Way Return to Signals Page