Because those were from around the 1950s or so!!! A lot of early fixtures EVEN some early cobraheads were remote ballasted!!! Plus a 400 watt MV ballast can't really fit in the head....I am pretty sure they were never converted....also those GE heads have the older design slipfitter, the ones a little bit later had the GE Form 400 slipfitter...the ones pictured has the GE Form 109 slipfitter...
They have made teardrops, clamshells, gumballs remote ballasted.....there were even some before the Form 109s and OV-20s....
But the Form 109 and OV-20s were the first fixtures to be DESIGNED for mercury only and have the designs suitable for horizontal mount!
Another reason why I think they were always mercury is because this is a main road....its called Northern Bvld. in Nassau County, just go a bit farther ahead, you will enter the incandescent world with admiral hats and quartermoons and even radial waves....some of the radial waves are NEW reproductions with metal halide lamps!
Plus the fact the arms are aluminum with slightly newer mountings on the wood style shows it is from around early to mid 50s and it was one of the mercury vapor booming days! The older mount would be more of iron cast...but those mounts are flatter so it's a newer style...
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![Broken Teardrop
I took this one myself in July 2010....This is the EXACT same one that [url=http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-8325] our newest member, RichD [/url] has posted!
It is a GE Tear Drop fixture....There's a few of them in this road!!!
It is in Nassau County NY!
Keywords: American_Streetlights](albums/userpics/normal_DSC01677.JPG "Click to view full size image
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Broken Teardrop
I took this one myself in July 2010....This is the EXACT same one that [url=http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-8325] our newest member, RichD [/url] has posted!
It is a GE Tear Drop fixture....There's a few of them in this road!!!
It is in Nassau County NY!
Keywords: American_Streetlights")
They have made teardrops, clamshells, gumballs remote ballasted.....there were even some before the Form 109s and OV-20s....
But the Form 109 and OV-20s were the first fixtures to be DESIGNED for mercury only and have the designs suitable for horizontal mount!
Another reason why I think they were always mercury is because this is a main road....its called Northern Bvld. in Nassau County, just go a bit farther ahead, you will enter the incandescent world with admiral hats and quartermoons and even radial waves....some of the radial waves are NEW reproductions with metal halide lamps!
Plus the fact the arms are aluminum with slightly newer mountings on the wood style shows it is from around early to mid 50s and it was one of the mercury vapor booming days! The older mount would be more of iron cast...but those mounts are flatter so it's a newer style...