La Cañada Flintridge, CA
15 pics
SurvivingChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), so can be assumed to be surviving at least as far as that date
as of Jun 2019 but removal imminent
I've labelled this section as La Cañada Flintridge, but if anything the lights here are nearer to Altadena and Pasadena. Either way, we're in the northern end of the greater Los Angeles area. This is Inverness Dr, which rises from Linda Vista Dr near Brookside golf course and snakes all the way over the hill to Chevy Chase Dr on the other side. It's home to some extremely old series incandescent lighting. Starting on the Linda Vista side, this first pic as I remember is actually a multiple wired incandescent. This is actually a reproduction, intended to reflect what was there previously perhaps. The refractor is actually a standard NEMA 'yard light' type, and the banding on it seems to be decorative. Apologies for the picture quality, I'm sure I have some better ones which I'll try and find.
Pic taken May 2005.
A little further up, the really old lighting starts- this one is typical of what is to be found up there. Just lengths of pipe, a really decorative arm, and what looks like part of a radial wave fixture, but now with what looks like a traffic signal reflector instead of the radial wave.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
A little closer, you can see this one won't work as the filament and support are resting at the bottom of the lamp.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
This pic shows what is probably an original fixture, with the radial wave reflector.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
Some of them have no reflectors at all.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
If you look at the fullsize version, you'll see the short V shaped series filament in the lamp.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
Another one with a traffic signal reflector. They are dotted all over the hill, we've been up there at night and the series string still works, as do most of the fixtures.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
The decoration on the arm is not the same for all the poles...
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
I think those are the San Rafael Hills in the background.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
The ones with the traffic signal reflectors are by far the most common.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
There are also some other styles of pole, here's a CD803 pole with an acorn, dayburning mercury.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
Right at the top of the hill, a run of these old poles has been refurbished. They've been repainted, and rewired.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
As can be seen, the original series socket has been removed, and replaced by a household medium base socket and lamp. The original series string for the rest of the street is still intact though, or maybe there was more than one string. We looked for, but never found the regulator as all the wiring up there is underground.
Pic taken May 2005.
Pic taken May 2005.
A couple of pictures taken later the same year, a nice closeup of one of the radial waves. It is in quite good condition given it is probably 90 years old! Notice how the pole has been repainted, and the back of the fixture, but they haven't touched the reflector.
Pic taken October 2005.
Pic taken October 2005.
The same fixture, showing the pole, and a bit further up the street, an acorn. This is still Inverness Dr, by the way.
Pic taken October 2005.
Pic taken October 2005.