Author Topic: Need help identifying 1902 street lights  (Read 4787 times)
Fred L
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Need help identifying 1902 street lights « on: March 13, 2020, 01:29:05 PM » Author: Fred L
I am researching the first electric street lamps placed in Strasburg PA in 1902-1903. I would like some assistance identifying the fixtures used. According to the borough council minutes, they housed 35 candlepower incandescent lamps with a mazda base.

 - Does that type of fixture have a name?
 - Were they commercially manufactured?
 - Are there any other examples of similar fixtures?











Thanks in advance.
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CreeRSW207
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Re: Need help identifying 1902 street lights « Reply #1 on: March 14, 2020, 09:44:19 AM » Author: CreeRSW207
Similar lights here.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh69ox6-Tv4
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Long live the Incandescent streetlights!
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Miles
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Re: Need help identifying 1902 street lights « Reply #2 on: April 06, 2020, 04:14:36 PM » Author: Miles
Hi, Have a look at this catalog on page 9, or this one as well. They're the inverted / convex cone kinds. They are extremely early electric models and were briefly used in the Americas. They are also very rare and hard to find. By 1919, they were already discontinued in favor of the typical radial wave design.
You can also check this catalog for the hardware and figure out how they were mounted.

Interestingly, this particular "reversed cone" however was rather popular in France and Italy, scaled down to about 12" diameter for outdoor / yard and barn lighting.

Also, the YouTube video posted above, those aren't what he's looking for. They're just old radial waves.
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Fred L
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Re: Need help identifying 1902 street lights « Reply #3 on: April 07, 2020, 02:54:49 AM » Author: Fred L
Great info! Thanks!

I found some better images of the Strasburg lamps.



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Miles
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Re: Need help identifying 1902 street lights « Reply #4 on: April 08, 2020, 12:41:11 AM » Author: Miles
35 CP is insanely low for a streetlight. No wonder they have those long hovering arms to light directly above the roadway. Thats about the equivalent of a 40W tungsten light bulb, at 440 lumens., not including losses from the poor cut-off.

I have one of those, and while they look super cool and at the time the reversed cone was thought to be a clever mean to reflect the light, about ⅓ of it is wasted up to the sky because the bulb protrudes so low.

Thanks for sharing the pictures, this is super neat to see!
 You also might enjoy this picture taken in 1906 in Puerto Rico. Have a look on the right on the wall. ;)
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Fred L
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Re: Need help identifying 1902 street lights « Reply #5 on: April 21, 2020, 01:41:01 PM » Author: Fred L
Best pic yet of a circa 1903 street lamp in Strasburg PA

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