The first truss rod mast arms that did not have guy wires may have been installed as early as 1949 or so. They have been the standard way to suspend signals in New Jersey, whether vertical or horizontal, since the mid ’50s. Today, they are still widely used in new installations, although tubular mast arms are equally common. Most new NJ installations today use a combination of truss and tubular masts.
I was alerted to the above intersection by the keenly observant collector Kasey J, who noted that these signals in Paterson (along with another pair at this corner) appear to be Hornis or old Marbelites. On closer look, I could tell by the door shape that these were Marbelites with the “Phantomless” reflector systems, dating to about 1948-50. The aluminum poles and trombone-style masts here do appear to be old and original, so I think this is one of the earliest examples of a non guy-wired signal mast.
Vintage Views
A cool long exposure shot of horizontal trusses featured in a 1960s postcard for the Tropicana Motel at Boston & Pacific in Atlantic City.
Brand new Crouse-Hinds type DT signals on shiny aluminum poles with horizontal masts were installed in Camden in 1956.
These 1950s GE “Streamline” clusters in River Vale were favorites of fellow-collector Steven Conboy, who grew up in the area. In 2020, Steven alertly nabbed one of the heads from this intersection when he spotted it for sale on eBay. I was able to make the pickup and send it along to him; the first time I ever handled one of these very cool (and very lightweight) lights.
I certainly remember the Hyway Theater in Fair Lawn! In fact, I probably saw the original showing of Jaws, along with other scary movies I was a bit too young for, there. The string of green Marbelite signals along Broadway (NJ Route 4) is also a fond memory of mine.
A new installation of LFE-Automatic signals, still wrapped in burlap, are about to be activated at Riverview and N. Winifred Drive in Totowa in 1970. I remember passing this corner many times in the ’70s. The building in the background contained a Thomas’s English Muffins thrift store back then. The 8″ signals facing Winifred are still there, I believe, but the 12″ arrow clusters facing Riverview Drive were, sadly, replaced by plastic 12″ doghouse style signals.
A new signal installation at the Marlton Circle in the 1970s.
New Views
In 2017, Steve Conboy sent me a great set of photos that he took of a truss rod signal installation in Totowa, NJ – a traffic light that I am very familiar with. The 8″ lamps are early LFE-Automatic incandescent signals (check out the cool logo on the closeup photo), from the late ’60s or early ’70s, while the 12″ arrows are by Marbelite. I really dig the green fading to yellow. Great photos as usual, Steve!
A recent Google image of incandescent Marbelites from the 1960s or ’70s, still surviving in Edison Twp, not far from me. These also have the green-to-yellow fade as do the LFEs in Steven Conboy’s photos above.
Banner image: A Marbelite cluster on a truss rod mast overlooks a traffic jam on Route 18 in East Brunswick in the early 1980s
Garden State Signals 
