# My Traffic Lights

> I collect traffic lights. Odd hobby? Maybe. Cool collection? Definitely.


## Posts

- [Traffic Light Photos Enjoyment](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-photos/): As I travel throughout the country, mostly on the east coast, I’ve always kept my eyes open for unique traffic signal setups. Whether it’s an old signal from the 40s or 50s that is still doing its duty or a more modern configuration that just have a great presence, traffic light photos seems to be one of those things most people don’t necessarily have on their list of things to bring home. However, I try to capture them in their collective bunch of pixels. These photos don’t have a place in my collection. Although some of them would look quite nice […]
- [Replacement Light Bulbs for Yacker Tracker Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/replacement-lightbulbs-for-yacker-tracker-noise-monitoring-traffic-lights/): AGI YACKER TRACKER BULBS ARE NOTHING SPECIAL Are you looking for replacement light bulbs for your AGI Yacker Tracker stop light? Maybe you’ve seen companies that are trying to screw you over because of what might appear to be a specialized piece of equipment. It’s not. It’s a plastic enclosure with little light bulbs with certain requirements. I’ve found sellers asking stupid amounts of money, $86, $199, $124, and even $127 for 10 tiny light bulbs. There’s no reason to charge that. What they’re banking on is you not realizing that these “Yacker Tracker bulbs” are generic 12-volt 3-watt bulbs. These […]
- [Using ChatGPT to Tell You About Collecting Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/using-chatgpt-to-tell-you-about-collecting-traffic-lights/): As a Gen-X’er, I often express to others what an amazing time we are living in. Over the last roughly 100 years, we’ve gone from only half of the homes in the United States having electricity to having a device in your pocket that allows access to almost limitless knowledge with wireless visual communication to just about anyone on the planet. In roughly that same time frame, we’ve gone from traffic control devices in which a human flipped switches to change a traffic signal every so many seconds to a system that intelligently recognizes changes in traffic flow through visual communication […]
- [My Foray into Furniture](https://mytrafficlights.com/my-foray-into-furniture/): Up-cycling and recycling items into usable items, like furniture, tables, and lighting fixtures, has been a fascination on mine for some time. Take the show Flea Market Flip. Two teams are poised against each other to find objects and do something with them to later be sold to see who can net the most money at the end of the day. I find most of them really intriguing, but the one that struck me the most was the couple who turned a traffic signal into a very attractive and vibrant bench. A friend must have seen that and bought a signal […]
- [Upside Down Traffic Signals](https://mytrafficlights.com/upside-down-traffic-signals/): I guess it’s one of those things that I’ve just taken for granted. I mean, for a traffic signal enthusiast, we’ve always known that red is on the top and green is on the bottom. There are a couple of exceptions that have to do with some interesting history. But every other vertically-mounted signal in the United State is set up with the red on top. With the increasing popularity of motor travel in the early 1900s, many firsts had emerged. The first center line appeared, the first stop sign popped up, the first official route signs were laid out, and […]
- [Why is there a blue lens on the traffic light?](https://mytrafficlights.com/why-does-the-green-lens-on-my-traffic-light-look-blue/): I got an email from Les who picked up an older GE traffic signal for his man cave. Personally I think it’s a great addition to any room of the house, but if I want to stay married, I’ll have to keep the signals in the garage. Anyway, Les has been browsing eBay, looking for a green lens because his traffic light came with a blue lens. Fortunately, Les doesn’t have to worry about looking for a replacement. What he has is the correct color. Wait, what? Traffic lights are red, yellow, and BLUE? Well, sort of. Although you may not […]
- [My Attica Traffic Light](https://mytrafficlights.com/attica-traffic-light/): I love the internet. The ability to type anything into a Google search and find out all kinds of information from people all over the world is a very powerful thing. I’ve gotten used to being able to do that. So when I acquired a traffic light by the Attica Traffic Signal Company, I was looking forward to finding out all kinds of information about it. I wanted to learn about the history of the company, find out when these signals were made, and see photos of them in others’ collections. So what did I find out? Almost nothing. First, I’ll talk about […]
- [Oh, my Darley. Oh, my Darley!](https://mytrafficlights.com/darley-traffic-light/): My latest traffic light acquisition is a four-way three-bulb W.S. Darley Simplex C-811 from Colorado. I thought I was almost done with collecting 4-way signals (Who am I kidding?), and my wife wishes I was done with them too, but the uniqueness and history of the Darley Simplex signals intrigued me and I couldn’t resist. Since the 1930s, a committee called the American Society for Municipal Improvements recommended that red be on top and green be on the bottom. And since the 1950s, the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) has stated that all vertically mounted traffic signals must have indications […]
- [How to choose the right light bulbs for your traffic light.](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-light-bulbs/): Which light bulbs do I need for my traffic light? I received an email from George, a visitor to MyTrafficLights.com, looking for information on what kind of light bulbs are needed for the traffic signal he recently picked up. In the real world these days, modern traffic signals are now assembled with LED modules that contain an array of LEDs which will gradually fail over time, usually many, many years, rather than all at once like a regular light bulb. LEDs also use much less electricity, saving towns on their electric bills over time, especially if there are hundreds of signals […]
- [A traffic light restoration is better late than never.](https://mytrafficlights.com/restoration-done-late/): In May of 2015, I bought a traffic light from a gentleman (Ed) at his garage sale. (Read my previous post about that) It wasn’t much to look at. The light was nothing but a sand blasted shell with a cardboard box of loose lenses. He said that if I was going to restore it, he’d like to see it once it was done. Restoration began when I scrubbed the oxidation off of the aluminum body. I knew it would be difficult or impossible to remove much of the hardware without damage, so I opted to just tape them off with […]
- [Why is there a clear light in the traffic signal?](https://mytrafficlights.com/clear-led-light-in-the-traffic-light/): I love it when people contact me with questions about traffic lights after stumbling into my website. I love it even more when I can answer their questions, and Merissa’s was a gem. Like any red-blooded, level-headed American, she bought a traffic light. Odd thing about it was that one of the sections had, what appeared to be, a clear light, and she wanted to know why. The person she bought it from thought that it may be from a railroad. Sorry, my dear Watson, but that “clear” light will actually light up green. Many of the LED manufacturers offer tinted […]
- [Idiot kid and a traffic light bank](https://mytrafficlights.com/idiot-kid/): The old saying, “Hindsight is 20/20” has meaning here. Today I look back and think, “Wow, I was an idiot when I was a kid.” Fortunately for me, my parents realized that I’d make stupid decisions. I was about 10 years old and my family was spending time at the Jersey shore like we did every year. After spending the day playing in the sand and jumping through the waves, we’d walk into town after dinner and check out the local stores, maybe looking for a t-shirt, new toy, or towel. While rummaging through one such five-and-dime, my parents came across […]
- [A Small Gesture Meant More Than She Knew](https://mytrafficlights.com/chain-pull-traffic-light/): Part of the idea behind my blog is to provide some history behind some of the signals in my collection. This is one of them that I’ve had for many years that has a great story behind it. I showed my interest in traffic lights at an early age. I think my parents first saw my fascination in this street furniture when I began drawing them everywhere. (If you haven’t already read my brief bio on the Me and MTL page, it’s mildly entertaining.) Like most kids, I had a toy that I cherished over everything else and would likely enter severe […]
- [History of New York's red-green traffic lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/history-of-new-yorks-red-green-traffic-lights/): In the tight-knit world of signal collecting, I’m lucky to be able to chat with many other collectors and industry experts on forums and at meets, and there are a good number of them who really know their stuff. There are a couple of guys who will forget more than I’ll ever know when it comes to controllers. A few of them can tell you what kind of signal is in a photo, the year it came out, what company bought out that company, the year that company was bought out, and the year that company closed down. And I’ll likely […]
- [They know me.](https://mytrafficlights.com/they-know-me/): This goes back to the whole idea of letting others know what kind of hobbies you’re in to. I found out that the son of our pastor is into Pez dispensers. I had one laying around that I really had no desire to hold onto any more so I gave it to him. If I didn’t know he was into those things, it would have been thrown into the recycle bin or garbage. Well, the same goes for my situation, too. A few weeks ago, a friend and his boys were driving past a garage sale and noticed an old 4-way […]
- [My name is Chris, and I collect traffic lights.](https://mytrafficlights.com/my-name-is-chris-and-i-collect-traffic-lights/): Unless someone else is a collector of something normal, it can be a little difficult to admit that you collect something as odd as traffic lights. Some people look at you like you wear polka dots every day. But I’ve recently learned that admitting that can open some pretty cool possibilities. In the 1950s, Stadco made a little traffic light that you’d hang int he back of your car. The green would come on when you had your foot on the gas, yellow would illuminate if you were coasting, and red would come on when you hit the brakes. I have […]
- [The only traffic light on my site that I don't own.](https://mytrafficlights.com/the-only-traffic-light-on-my-site-that-i-dont-own/): My website is an outlet for me to talk about and show off my collection – All of my wearable traffic lights, all of my toys, my real ones, and my decorative signals that only come out once or twice a year. But there’s a key word in all of this: “My”. But aside from the ones on my homepage slider, there is one signal on my site that is not in my collection. As a signal collector I will notice old, tattered, worn-out, and new signals. Some of them immediately jump out at me. Others take a few passings by. Some are striking and some are […]
- [Fine Art Signals](https://mytrafficlights.com/fine-art-traffic-lights/): When I was a young lad dreaming about owning my own traffic light, I tended to draw them. Sometimes they were part of an overall scene, but more than that, they were just the light by itself. Despite my father being an art teacher, I never really did get very good at drawing. This isn’t the case with Sean Gallo. While surfing the web for signal images (yea, I do that) I came across one of his great pieces of art on his website SeanGallo.com. It appeared to be an impressionistic oil or water color painting of a signal, but created […]
- [Bring your other passion to church](https://mytrafficlights.com/bring-passion-church/): When you have a hobby so uncommon as mine, it’s very rare that you get to openly talk to others about it, let alone have someone ask you about it and be able to see much of it. Any moments like that are very few and far between – and thoroughly enjoyed. My church had a little event last weekend called “Bring Your Other Passion to Church”, highlighting collections, skills, or hobbies of some of the church members. I was supposed to have to work all weekend, but the job got cancelled last-minute. I didn’t mind because I don’t get paid […]
- [How do I make my traffic light work like it did on the road?](https://mytrafficlights.com/make-traffic-light-work/): Before I talk about how to make your traffic light work, I’m starting this with a disclaimer: If you don’t have a basic understanding of electricity or you’re the least bit uncomfortable about working with electricity, PLEASE ask a trained electrician or someone who knows what they’re doing to set this up for you. I’m not a licensed electrician, but I have a good understanding and a healthy respect for electrical work. You can cause serious damage to yourself or your surroundings if you screw this up. Use this as a guide. It is YOUR responsibility to wire it up correctly […]
- [Now you see 'em. Now you don't!](https://mytrafficlights.com/now-see-em-now-dont/): Every week for a couple of months in 2004, I drove back and forth from my home in northern New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. There was a particular section of 690 at which traffic would have to cross the highway certain times of the year when festivities were happening at the fairgrounds on the southern side of the highway. To help with traffic control, temporary signals were used. Span wires were used with disconnects in place, allowing the easy hook-up and take-down of traffic lights whenever they were needed. Below are two photos I took during my travels. I’m curious […]
- [A checkered past for Checker Signals.](https://mytrafficlights.com/checkered-past-checker-signals/): Bob H. came across a single section traffic signal at an auction and wanted to know more about it. His plans were to wire it up and put it in his garage. (Photos: Bob H.) I was not familiar with the logo on this one so I called upon my fellow gurus for their expertise. It turns out that this signal is from a company called Checker. From what I understand (as one story goes), the signal company Singer were in financial ruin in the 1970s. Fearing unemployment, a group of employees started making their own signals under the name Checker. […]
- [Spousal Acceptance Factor](https://mytrafficlights.com/spousal-acceptance-factor/): I know for most guys, there’s a something in their lives that they’re into. Something that takes up spare time. Something that helps to keep some level of sanity. Maybe it’s a huge screen TV, a motorcycle, a car, a gaming system, trains, or an extensive Star Wars action figure collection. (You know who you are.) All of these items have some sort of, what is commonly called, the Spousal Acceptance Factor – or how much of your “something” is tolerated by your significant other. For me, traffic lights have a relatively low SAF. I have a small house so I […]
- [100 Years of the Traffic Light](https://mytrafficlights.com/100-years-traffic-light/): I’ve decided that there’s more to this hobby than just looking at my collection, so here it is. It’s My Traffic Lights Blog. Never thought I’d actually start a blog. I feel so… 2005. Although you’ll find conflicting information on the web resulting in dates from 1886 to 1920, August 5, 2014 marked 100 years of traffic control devices as we know them today and many are celebrating the first officially-functional traffic signal being placed into service on August 5, 1914. You can learn more about it in this article. There are other implementations of traffic control devices, and you read about them […]

## Pages

- [Signal Store](https://mytrafficlights.com/signal-store/)
- [Wordpress Log-in](https://mytrafficlights.com/wp-admn/): Remember Me Lost your password?   ← Back to MyTrafficLights.com
- [Traffic Signs](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/traffic-signs/): Give Me a Sign. Any Traffic Sign. Traffic signs are sort of a gateway into traffic signal collecting. They’re flat, easy to hang, have interesting graphics, and are easy to store if you don’t have it hanging on your wall. These signs come in many shapes and sizes. Over the years standards set by the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) have come and gone dictating how large it has to be, how much reflectivity it should have, what the design needs to look like, how big the letters are, what style font has to be used, and much more. […]
- [Traffic Light Books](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/traffic-light-books/): Traffic light books, magazines, brochures, periodicals, and other reading material I’m not a big reader. I much prefer video. But as a kid, any chance I could get my hands on a book that focuses on traffic signals was a treat. The one book that always stuck with me was “Blue Bug’s Safety Book” by Virginia Poulet. During Blue Bug’s adventure, he encounters a traffic signal, which I thought was so cool. I took that book out of the library so many times, I think my parents almost bought it for me. But over the last few years, I’ve managed to […]
- [Traffic Light Collections](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/): My Collections Here’s the breakdown of my collections. There are four separate categories. Please understand that these are part of my collection and generally not for sale. Click on an image below to visit that collection.
- [Traffic Light Videos](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-videos/): Here is my effort to collect and preserve traffic light videos and audio. Traffic light videos range from kids’ television shows to clips in feature length movies and everything in between. I find it quite interesting when a taken-for-granted piece of everyday life traffic signal is featured in a discussion, the news, a song, or a commercial. The first traffic light video I think I’d ever seen was on the TV show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He’s the guy who made it OK to have a traffic signal in the living room. I’ve compiled a collection of traffic light videos and audio […]
- [Blog](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-blog/)
- [Welcome to My Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/): Welcome to My Traffic Lights Yes, I have a collection of traffic lights and it all started a long time ago. My collection includes a wide variety. I don’t discriminate. You’ll see real signals that once served on the street. I also have toys large and small. Decorations, like pillows and figurines are a must-have. Wearable signals, such as earrings and pins make great small additions. My dead tree section of books as well as a decent media page highlight traffic signals in paper, radio, film, and television. If you crave more, you’ll find links to other signal-related sites. Use the […]
- [Wearable Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/wearable-traffic-lights/): Wearable traffic light jewelry make great fashion. Everyone needs to look their best when heading out for a night out on the town. What better way to stop the public in their tracks than with wearable traffic lights? Here you’ll find necklaces, lighters, pins, button, and iron-on patches. Key chains and bracelet charms seem to be plentiful. I also have a few t-shirts emblazoned with a traffic light or two. Some of these are hand-made one-offs, some are from signal enthusiast gatherings, and others just happen to have a traffic light on for one reason or another.
- [Traffic Light Links](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/traffic-light-links/): Traffic light links to sources for traffic lights, parts, information, and collectors. These traffic light links are just a handful of great resources for signal, parts, people, collectors, manufacturers, information, and more. Thanks to the interwebs, I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with and meeting others who share this hobby. They may have an interest in traffic lights because of how signals work, because of how signals look, or because they work in the business. There is a huge array of knowledge blanketing this hobby. Interests range from newer construction signals to older 4-ways, building IC control boards to wiring old […]
- [Traffic Light Decorations](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/traffic-light-decorations/): Traffic light decorations? Sure! I know people who decorate their homes with cows. And I also know people who are into moose. It doesn’t matter what you’re into. You can decorate your house with just about anything you want, so why not traffic light decorations? The first traffic signal to adorn the home as decorations that I can recall was the 4-way, glow-in-the-dark chain pull that so many homes had in the 1970s. Believe it or not, they’re popping up on eBay – some still in their original packaging. And every once in a blue moon, I’ve seen the ash tray […]
- [Traffic Light Toys](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/traffic-light-toys/): Traffic light toys of all sizes Traffic light toys, and I’m including hobbies in this, are a natural accessory for kids, big and small, especially those who played with cars and trucks. I was no different. Early on, I drew traffic lights, made them out of cardboard, and cut out construction paper to make them. My first of my traffic light toys was probably the “signal bridge” from the Fisher Price Little People town. It was a four-way signal hanging from a “stone” overpass that connected the two sections of the little village. I wanted desperately to remove it from the […]
- [Real Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collections/real-traffic-lights/): These are genuine, real traffic lights, plucked from the street. Real traffic lights seemed out of reach to me when I was a kid. So getting my first real traffic light was a thrill. It came from the Chester Flea Market when I was about 10 years old. There was nothing special about it. It was a standard three-section with no visors. It ran off of, what appeared to be, a home-made controller, about the size of a cigar box. The simple mechanism slowly rotated a wheel with three short indents cut into the edge. Rocker switches for each indication were […]
- [Me and My Traffic Lights](https://mytrafficlights.com/traffic-light-collection/): Who is this guy? He collects traffic lights? Really? Thanks for visiting the official website for my collection of traffic lights – Stop lights, stop signals, red lights, whatever you’d like to call them. Odd hobby? Sure. I admit it. But everyone has some sort of “thing” that they’re into or collect. For some people, it’s coins. For others, it’s books, salt & pepper shakers, or old computers. I collect traffic lights. Where it All Started For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination with traffic lights. I don’t know if it was because of the shapes, the […]

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