Willis Lamm's
Traffic Signal Collection

(And Street Lights Too)

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  General Electric (GE) Form 79
Hinged No. 205 "Gumball"
Street Light

The GE Form 79 with the No. 205 globe, commonly referred to as the "gumball," actually came with a variety of optics. With the classic bowl refractor, the refractor was factory joined to the reflector. Higher powered fixtures with larger bulbs were typically provided with larger, No. 107 tear drop type refractors to better dissipate light and heat. Many of these larger bulbs would not fit through the neck of the reflector, so the glassware was hinged for bulb replacement. Some jurisdictions and utilities preferred that the No. 205 standard bowl (gumball) units also have hinged mounting bands to facilitate easier lamp changes.

The Form 79 body was produced in either a pendant mount configuration or a side mount slip-fitter. The side mount version either had a solid cap (for operation on multiple circuits) or an adjustable socket for a photo control. This particular fixture has a threaded top fitter for pendant mounting.

  Components of the Luminaire

While many bowl globes were manufactured by Holophane, a great number were also made by Gleason-Tibeout Glass and some were made by Corning. This particular globe is a Corning 2-way refractor, GE's glass Form 500.

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Reflector, head, bulb, socket and refractor bowl.
Initial testing after installation.
Interior view.
Reflector with deflector blade.
Back in service for area lighting.
This luminaire is currently using an original 6000 Lumen (410w) extended service lamp as it is only lit occasionally when needed.

Most of these classic street lights have years of service remaining in them. They can still provide great security, safety and area lighting. For dusk to dawn operation, low wattage - high light output lamps can be used to provide lighting equivalent to traditional incandescent illumination at a fraction of the cost.


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GE Form 79VR Street Light


More Information on Series Street Lights

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