There seems to be some strange stuff, lamppost and luminaire-wise, increasingly happening in Sunnyside, Queens. While NYC’s streets until mid-2009 were a glorious mish mosh of lighting styles, from the green-white mercury bulbs of the 1960s GE M400 and Westinghouse OV25 “Silverliners”on up to the brilliant yellow sodium lamps first seen in the 1970s and in command until the 2000s.
That all changed in mid-2009 when NYC outfitted nearly all its lamps (excepting retro styles like Bishop Croks, Twinlamps, et al.) with updates of the GE M400, which also shone brilliant yellow.
However, in Sunnyside, Queens, with the presence of the Department of Transportation’s lamppost storage yard, the DOT has apparently been taking new styles out for a spin to see if they stick. And the results seem quite strange indeed.
The davit-style post, with its curved upper mast, is slowly gaining traction in NYC streets, popping up in SoHo, the West Village, and Cobble Hill in Brooklyn. A couple of them have appeared on 43rd Street near Skillman Avenue, outfitted with the “Stad” luminaires first een on the Triborough (RFK) Bridge.
This one also has a fire alarm light attachment.
A flock of luminaires that eschew the traditional glass diffuser bowl, known as “cutoff” lamps, can be seen along 47th Avenue from 33rd-35th Streets.
This type is so new it’s not yet in the DOT catalog. The lamps burn bright white and apparently don’t need much reflection to adequately light.
Their “scoop” or “wedge” shape reminds me of similar 1960s models. This one on 40th Avenue around the corner from me was replaced in the 2009 GE M400 purge.
A black Stad has found its way onto one of the cobra-necks on 34th Street, making for a strange sight.
A few of the newbies, including a couple of odd lengthened models, as well as a new “Helm” light on a guy-wired WM pole, have popped up on Queens Boulevard.
This LED lamp on 43rd Avenue and 34th Street has a “top hat” fire alarm lamp affixed.
Even the retro Bishop Crooks on Skillman Avenue have had new luminaires attached to the Bell fixtures, an odd mix of 1930s and 2010s styling.
Will some of these Franken-lamp experiments come to a street near you?
4/12/13