Here's a pile of cobra-bits, this is the company that I got some of my lights from. Mine were in the exact same spot as these pieces. As you can see it's a Street View shot taken here. I'm hoping to go back there this fall and see what they have.
Yea I saw that I would have thought they give themselves the new lights. OV-25's probably were replacements of some clamshells or new installed lights years after the clamshells were put in.
probably lol. BTW, i might be getting five lights from a contruction project. Oddly enough, my mom said if i get permission i can have them! They'll be in he shed though. Anyways, I'll be getting two 400W HPS M-400A2s (retrofitted to 320W PSMH) two 1000W MV M-1000s (non-step door and converted to 320W PSMH) and a Hubbell RLG. Not sure if i'll get all five. I want a M-400A2 and an M-1000, maybe both of each kind. I don't know yet. Once i get them I'll decide what i want to keep and what i don't want. What ever i don't want will go to a collector who wants one.
anyways, i emailed them and customer service said they'd talk with the general manager tomorrow and i'll get my answer. If yes, my dad and i will take the pick up truck and load up the fixtures and a few mounting arms. i'll bring the email with the gen. manager's contact info in case the cops come after us. all the lights were retrofitted to PSMH and boy that ED28 cram lamp looks small in the M-1000.
i hope so too. I went there today and poked around. I didn't think to look at the ballast label for manufacturer's info and for the voltage (they're likely quad-tap, 5-tap, or 480V single tap since those are the most common).
they look like they could be advance ballasts:
They have that paper cover on them but the coils are still visiable and the core is big in proportion to the coils. One coil was significantly larger than the other too if that helps determine if it's 480V or multi-tap.
The two M-400A2s were originally 400W HPS with "skimmed over PE control receptacle holes" (as GE puts it). Which is a black cap that goes over the hole where the PC receptacle would go. I plan to get my hands on a couple GE PC receptacles (i'm assuming they would use the new tool-free spring loaded receptacles versus the conventional GE sockets. the M-1000s have an extrused circle where the PC receptacle would go but it's solid cast aluminum. I didn't look at the hubbell fixture since its right at the main road (didn't want some newsbag calling the cops on me, since they're right down the road) but IIRC, it was 400W HPS originally. I saw the top and there was a square hole where the PC receptacle would go. So there must be a clear cover over the PC hole since there was never a PC in it and the light would've shorted out if there was an open hole on top of the fixture. The hubbell had its refractor door removed (glass intact) and laying next to the fixture. I think the power door was still on the fixture.
I wouldn't mind a hubbell though after i see it in person i may not want to keep it (if i find it not-so-robust) though I'll grab it if i get permission. the hell what anyone else thinks. If i have permission those peopl in their cars giving me looks can kiss my *** as I bend over to pick up the light. I definetly want at least one of the M-1000s and one of the M-400A2s. I don't see any sense in keeping two of the same model though so I'll likely end up parting with one of the M-1000s and one of the M-400A2s. Maybe ebay... I could use the extra cash. I'm sure we all could these days.
One thing i noticed when opening and the M-400A2 is that the bail latch is really hard to grab since it's just a thick wire. It sorta hurts your hand but linemen wear thick gloves so there's probably no noticable difference to them. It's too bad i missed out on the OV-50s since those would've been the holy grail (though i have to say i'm more of a GE fan anyways). The M-1000s might be close to the age of my M-400 and M-250R1. They're not step doors but they have NEMA tags so sometime in the mid 70s. A little newer than my M-400 and R1 but probably not much newer. The M-400A2s don't have the grooves so they're from the 90s. the hubbell probably isn't any older than the 90s either. hubbell has never changed their fixture whatsoever down to the last detail so there's really no way to guess the date of them lol.
The paint on the M-400A2s looked pretty good at a quick glance but the M-1000 is obviously bare on top from the years. Eventually I'll repaint the M-1000s (or at least the one i keep) but that's probably four cans of paint for the inside and outside (takes two full cans just to paint a small cobrahead) so I might hold off a bit. It'll defintly wait until next summer since tomorrow is my last day of summer vacation.
Sounds great getting all these lights from your highway if only I could do that just as easily. My parents know we don't have too much room but 3 or 4 would be my max unless I stored them at my grandparents
these lights are from alocal shopping center. Not sure if they'll grant me permission. I'm guessing probably not, but they are just laying there for anyone to take. If i can get them, i hope i can get them tomorrow.
I don't think people would really care if you took one I mean nobody has time to just report a light being taken thats just lying there out of service.
That's what i saw thinking, however I was just looking at them and opening them up and i was getting some looks lol. People have nothing better to do than be nosey.
In ten minutes the administration office opens so I should get granted or denied premission within the next hour. I might not be able to pick them up today though since i have to doctor appointments this afternoon and my dad is working so if i get them today it'll be after supper and it's supposed to be pouring rain this evening with a 40-50% chance of rain all day. It's been dark all day today but no rain yet.
If i get turned down (i'll not only be pissed but upset too) I'll try to go back at at least grab pics of the lights before they're hauled away. and if i get turned down, I'm prepared to give an earful to the general manager over the phone about how the lights shouldn't be left out in the open like that and that they should be secured in a fence or dumpster because they can get stolen if just left.
my parents wouldn't knowingly let me steal lights and if they were to find out they'd probably kill me so i don't want to do that. still no reply from the person though. it still is only 10:40AM though...
UPDATE: STILLLL no update and it's 1PM. I'm starting to think she's not going to respond.
well, i swung by today and discovered that someone stole them overnight. the only two left are the M-400A2s. I'll grab those and their mounting arms tonight. I guess the hell with doing it the "right way". Someone grabbed the M-1000s and the RLG and their mounted arms so I'm making my move tonight before whoever stole them before doesn't strike again. I suppose stealing to prevent someone from stealing is wrong but i'd rather steal the lights and keep them safe than let someone else steal them and scrap them.
Don't feel bad you're still going to get something even though it wasn't exactly what you wanted , there could be a chance that the place they were at stored them somewhere. who knows. The good people who want to be honest loose out to others action
I know the feeling, I've lost out on quite a few lights in the past... There's currently two M400R2s laying on the ground at a parking lot around here. It's very tempting to take them, except they are beside a very busy road...
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![A Rather Sad Sight
Here's a pile of cobra-bits, this is the [url=http://www.langleyutilities.com] company [/url] that I got some of my lights from. Mine were in the exact same spot as these pieces. As you can see it's a Street View shot taken [url=http://goo.gl/maps/pwE93] here. [/url] I'm hoping to go back there this fall and see what they have.
Keywords: American_Streetlights](albums/userpics/scrap_lights.jpg "A Rather Sad Sight
Here's a pile of cobra-bits, this is the [url=http://www.langleyutilities.com] company [/url] that I got some of my lights from. Mine were in the exact same spot as these pieces. As you can see it's a Street View shot taken [url=http://goo.gl/maps/pwE93] here. [/url] I'm hoping to go back there this fall and see what they have.
Keywords: American_Streetlights")
anyways, i emailed them and customer service said they'd talk with the general manager tomorrow and i'll get my answer. If yes, my dad and i will take the pick up truck and load up the fixtures and a few mounting arms. i'll bring the email with the gen. manager's contact info in case the cops come after us.
they look like they could be advance ballasts:
They have that paper cover on them but the coils are still visiable and the core is big in proportion to the coils. One coil was significantly larger than the other too if that helps determine if it's 480V or multi-tap.
The two M-400A2s were originally 400W HPS with "skimmed over PE control receptacle holes" (as GE puts it). Which is a black cap that goes over the hole where the PC receptacle would go. I plan to get my hands on a couple GE PC receptacles (i'm assuming they would use the new tool-free spring loaded receptacles versus the conventional GE sockets. the M-1000s have an extrused circle where the PC receptacle would go but it's solid cast aluminum. I didn't look at the hubbell fixture since its right at the main road (didn't want some newsbag calling the cops on me, since they're right down the road) but IIRC, it was 400W HPS originally. I saw the top and there was a square hole where the PC receptacle would go. So there must be a clear cover over the PC hole since there was never a PC in it and the light would've shorted out if there was an open hole on top of the fixture. The hubbell had its refractor door removed (glass intact) and laying next to the fixture. I think the power door was still on the fixture.
I wouldn't mind a hubbell though after i see it in person i may not want to keep it (if i find it not-so-robust) though I'll grab it if i get permission. the hell what anyone else thinks. If i have permission those peopl in their cars giving me looks can kiss my *** as I bend over to pick up the light.
One thing i noticed when opening and the M-400A2 is that the bail latch is really hard to grab since it's just a thick wire. It sorta hurts your hand but linemen wear thick gloves so there's probably no noticable difference to them. It's too bad i missed out on the OV-50s since those would've been the holy grail (though i have to say i'm more of a GE fan anyways). The M-1000s might be close to the age of my M-400 and M-250R1. They're not step doors but they have NEMA tags so sometime in the mid 70s. A little newer than my M-400 and R1 but probably not much newer. The M-400A2s don't have the grooves so they're from the 90s. the hubbell probably isn't any older than the 90s either. hubbell has never changed their fixture whatsoever down to the last detail so there's really no way to guess the date of them lol.
The paint on the M-400A2s looked pretty good at a quick glance but the M-1000 is obviously bare on top from the years. Eventually I'll repaint the M-1000s (or at least the one i keep) but that's probably four cans of paint for the inside and outside (takes two full cans just to paint a small cobrahead) so I might hold off a bit. It'll defintly wait until next summer since tomorrow is my last day of summer vacation.
In ten minutes the administration office opens so I should get granted or denied premission within the next hour. I might not be able to pick them up today though since i have to doctor appointments this afternoon and my dad is working so if i get them today it'll be after supper and it's supposed to be pouring rain this evening with a 40-50% chance of rain all day. It's been dark all day today but no rain yet.
If i get turned down (i'll not only be pissed but upset too) I'll try to go back at at least grab pics of the lights before they're hauled away. and if i get turned down, I'm prepared to give an earful to the general manager over the phone about how the lights shouldn't be left out in the open like that and that they should be secured in a fence or dumpster because they can get stolen if just left.
Or if you really wanted to you could teach them a lesson
UPDATE: STILLLL no update and it's 1PM. I'm starting to think she's not going to respond.