Gallery of Lights
Obtaining Fixtures => Fixtures or Lamps for sale => Topic started by: Mike on September 12, 2013, 04:04:58 PM
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Very interesting... See here. (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Lucite-Paperweight-with-Light-Fixture-from-General-Electric-Lighting-Systems-/310669538414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item485558f46e)
the M-150 was the original M-250A2 but it was renamed the M-250A2 after they got rid of the M-250A.
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Very interesting indeed! I wonder if GE made a series of paperweights, each with a different light inside lol.
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I don't know. It'd be cool! The M-150 was the milestone for GE The first to have the plug-in igniter, the updated bail latch, the new street-side reflector for drop lens (the FCO M-250R1 had a similar reflector to the FCO A2s and R2s starting in the early 80s but before that used the drop lens reflector).
Also, it was the first light to use the tool-free photocell socket IIRC. Then in 1985 the M-250R2 rolled out. (that's why the two have different housings, since one came out after the other. the same reason for the M-250A being drastically different from the M-250R and M-250R1). The M-400A came out before the M-400 split door yet they use basically the same parts though... the socket bracket is different though (the M-250A and M-400A have the same socket mount and the M-400 split door and M-250R1 have the same socket bracket).
Then the M-400A2 and M-400R2 rolled out either with the M-250R2 or shortly after. The M-400A2 and M-400R2 have identical top housings. The reflectors are identical too. Only the bottom section is different. I think the reason the bottom sections are different is because GE wanted to keep the power doors the same (yet they chanegd the plugs so you wouldn't be able to use a new door on it anyways unless you cut off the plug and used the old one if you wanted to use an M-400A2 power door on a M-400A...)
I wouldn't mind an M-400R2 now that i have an M-400A2 lol.
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Thanks for the info, I didn't GE introduced so many of their current features with the M-150. I wonder if they considered using the M-150 top housing when designing the M-250R2 lol.
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I don't think they could use the M-250A2's top housing since there are no holes for a ballast. Same thing with the M-250A. All there is is two holes for the terminal block right in the center. I'm sure it could have been worked out but I guess they just wanted a fresh start. The M-150/1st generation M-250A2 was the only boxy street light GE ever made. But over time it's been smoothed out. I think if GE ever decides to ditch the M-250R2 they'll redesign the M-250A2 as well and make one housing for both lights. That's what they've always done for the medium fixtures so I don't know why they didn't for the small lights. Americal Electric had used the same top housings for both the single door and powerpad lights.
I think the M-250A lights had plug-in igniters but they were metal and I'm sure if they were actually plug in. The only time i've seen one was in Jace's pic of his M-250A powr/module. It would be interesting to see how many light fixtures i can get to make up the GE cobrahead line. I honestly wouldn't want the second and third generation M-250A2 though. I only like the really boxy M-150/1st gen version.
I already have the M-400 split door, M-250R1, and M-250A which make up the 70s lights (well, the M-250A is a 60s light but was offered up until the 80s). I think the M-250R2 is the longest running model with GE. In 2015 the M-250R2 will have been around for 30 years! I'm pretty sure the M-250R2 came about in 1985... The original M-250R2 was pretty different from the mid-90s to present day M-250R2. Then there's the 1992-1993 M-250R2 with the flat door and slightly flatter looking top housing. That specific version of the M-250R2 is probably the shortest-running street light design, being made roughly only for 1-1/2 years. I'd love to get one of them too and it shouldn't be impossible since they're a lot more common here than they seem to be elsewhere.