Willis Lamm's
Traffic Signal Collection

(And Street Lights Too)

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  Joslyn Manufacturing Co.
Style 52 "Gumball" Street Light

In the days when incandescent street lights were king, most every manufacturer made a "gumball" and "teardrop" style street light. These lights had round or oval glass refractors that were ideal for use with high voltage series and 120 volt lamps ranging from about 2500 lumens (200 watt) to 10,000 lumens (600 watts,) although most often for brighter application the luminaires used the larger and longer "tear drop" refractors.

I have had this street light since 1966, far longer than anything else in the collection. When I was in 8th grade, my next door neighbor and I would ride our bicycles to the town dump where the utility company had dumped dozens of street lights in the switch over to mercury vapor. We could get street lights on 6 ft. arms for fifty cents each. We would ride home with the street lights balanced across our handle bars.

After we had accumulated a few fixtures, we would clean them up, install new bulbs and cords, and sell them for $7.00 apiece. That was a huge profit for kids back in 1966.On one trip I hit a bump and dropped one of the street lights, breaking the refractor. We didn't sell that one and I saved it all these years, eventually mounting it to a single guy channel steel bracket arm to light the rear gate at our California ranch where it provided service for about 20 years.

It wasn't until 2011 that I found an exact replacement for the broken refractor although I had to fit it to a Line Material reflector. Until then I used a GE Form 79 reflector and refractor on the light.

Some reflectors on pole mounted street lights had an additional aluminum blade called a deflector that dropped down on one side inside the refractor. This deflector directed light away from houses located behind the street light and towards the roadway. This particular light was for a center of street application and had no interior deflector.

The aluminum NEMA style luminaire head could be used for either high voltage series or conventional 120 volt applications. An insulated entrance was provided on the side of the luminare sufficient to prevent high voltage discharge against the aluminum housing. After installation the entrance hole would be packed with putty to prevent insects from entering the light.

Example of a deflector on a LM reflector.
Joslyn Trade Mark and "stairstep" fitter nut.
A slightly different version of the Joslyn logo on the glass.

The first Joslyn refractor I found was a semi-teardrop that was fit to a Line Material reflector. Eventually I needed the longer optics to use on an outdoor area light.

Fitting the refractor to the reflector.
The light restored with an LM reflector.

I was able to find a "gumball" refractor and eventually an original Joslyn reflector, so the light is now restored to its original condition.

Joslyn reflectors can be identified by their longitudinal rings.
The light hanging in the collection.

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Line Material Spherolite Street Light


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