Willis Lamm's
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FIXED FOUR-WAY SIGNALS In the New Millennium |
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Greenwood, MS. The Capital of Restored 4-Way Signals |
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Greenwood, MS went all in when it came to restoring old 4-way signals and placing them in the city's historic downtown. A couple of us collector / restorers were able to participate behind the scenes in some of the research and development that demonstrated to the city officials that refurbishing their old signals and updating them to current MUTCD standards were both esthetic and cost-effective.
How this all came about was described in the Fall, 2018 edition of Leflore Illustrated, starting on Page 35. |
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If the city was to place historic 4-way signals in service they needed to accomplish two objectives. First, they needed to collect enough signals to place two in service at each intersection in order to meet the MUTCD redundancy standard. Second, they didn't want to be constantly changing incandescent bulbs so all the old signals needed to be able to be retrofitted with LED modules.
Newer (1950s and 1960s) four-way signals were not so much of a concern as many communities had converted theirs to LED service without any issues. We needed to make sure that less conventional signals such as old W.S. Darleys could accept the LEDs. Not only did the LED packs have to fit properly, but the installations needed to be practical for electricians to service when the signals were up in the air. With minimum modifications, the retrofit concept worked. The old signals were stripped down, powder coated and refurbished for years of future service. |
LED Experiments "on the bench" with a
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The first prototypes out on the street (Darleys on Washington Street and Cotton Street.)
A couple Eagles restored with LEDs. (Howard Street and Johnson Street)
A pair of Crouse-Hinds type DTs. (Washington Street and Walthall Street)
3-way Eagles. (Market Street & Howard Street)
Note: Additional parts were acquired after this street view and these signals now are full 4-ways.
A couple more shiny Darleys. (Dewey Street and Washington Street)
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A Google Street View tour around the historic center of Greenwood will reveal dozens of restored vintage traffic signals. It appears that Greenwood can now boast the largest collection of restored fixed 4-way traffic signals in service on city streets that exist on the planet. Better yet, take a trip to Greenwood and see these remarkable restorations for yourself!
At the time the street views above were taken by Google, several additional signals were in the shop ready to be hung out over the streets including Southern Autoflows, Sargent-Sowells and those made by Traffic Signals Inc. Credit for inspiring this massive restoration of vintage signals has to go to historic preservationist Barrett Williams who was persistent in his vision and who eventually convinced others as to both the aesthetic and functional values of restoring these old icons of traffic control. |
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| Update: USA Today also wrote a feature on Greenwood with lots of photos that can be viewed Here. |
| New Haven, CT. |
| New Haven, CT has repurposed a number of old 4-way signals, most of them Marbelites, that are most often backed up by 2-way clusters. Below you can find an example. A google Street View around town will reveal others. |
Mast arm mounted Marbelite, the most common configuration (York & Chapel Streets.)
A Marbelite with an 8-inch arrow indication (Chapel and temple Streets.)
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Continue to Part NineReturn to Part SevenReturn to the BeginningReturn to Signals Page |
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