SignalTraffic Forums

by **steven1981** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:29 pm

In my hometown, which is Staten Island, New York, there are only two doghouses that exist. I believe that both were installed in the early 1980s. Both are located at the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Avenue. Both were manufactured by Alusig.

http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1T4GWYE ... CBMQ8gEwAA

by **steven1981** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:36 pm

signalkid1 wrote:Can't speak for many other states, but Delaware was probably one of the first states to experiment with doghouses. The first doghouses were installed around the 1960s or so, being Eagle flatbacks. Major thoroughfares had the usual 12" doghouse while more minor intersections had these "big head" doghouses where the red section was 12" whole the rest were 8":

New Jersey IIRC started around the 1980s, because there is one intersection in Fort Lee with Econolite button backs:

Today, New Jersey hates doghouses, most new protected/permissive heads are 4 section 12"ers with a yellow/green bimodal arrow on the bottom.

New Hampshire hates the whole protected/permissive signal idea. Few intersections within the state have them. Rhode Island hates doghouses. Most intersections with protected/permissive heads are the 4 section 12"ers with a yellow/green bimodal arrow on the bottom, like New Jersey likes. In Pennsylvania (at least in the Philadelphia area), the doghouse is a fairly new thing. Many of the 4 section 12" R-Y-G-GA protected/permissive signals are still alive, many being 2nd generation Durasigs.

Ian, believe it or not, New Jersey still uses doghouses. I live less than one mile away from an intersection that uses two doghouses. Both were manufactured by Econolite, and both were installed three weeks ago. One day, I am going to take my camera and take a picture of the intersection that uses both.

by **Macsignals** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:02 pm

Jersey has a love/hate kinda relationship with doghouses. It really depends on the DOT and municipalities. Anyways... There's a few 12" Flatback doghouses around here, so I'll pin the first in this area during the 1960s.

These have all since been updated with LEDs. Being how they're all in Bristol Township, I think they'll be around for a while.

YouTube · by **signalkid1** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:23 pm

Macsignals wrote:Jersey has a love/hate kinda relationship with doghouses. It really depends on the DOT and municipalities.

I think select counties and municipalities may still use doghouses. I know NJDOT doesn't.

by **notMUTCDcompliant** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:24 pm

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=40.015729,-75.229485&spn=0.020969,0.031114&t=h&z=15&layer=c&cbll=40.015785,-75.229345&panoid=f27zi0fw-8I8PDv_Ut1abw&cbp=12,66.72,,0,18.9

One of the oldest ones I know of...

by **TAFeltman** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:43 pm

Around STL: probably Mid 1980's when St Louis County started with the doghouses. MoDot specified a median mount for mastarms until about 1990 (which would have the R Y GA or Inline 5) Those are being phased away.

St Louis Co also used the 3M Bimodal Arrows :drool:

, but those are now history also.

by **somuchtoseeanddo** on Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:36 pm

I was chatting with Cliff Clavin on the subject over a beer last weekend. He swears that the first dog house was in Chicago, and it was made by ESSCO back around the time of the crash in '29. They were originally going to call it a "shed" signal, but instead decided on "doghouse."

by **Nevada Willis** on Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:28 am

somuchtoseeanddo wrote:I was chatting with Cliff Clavin on the subject over a beer last weekend. He swears that the first dog house was in Chicago, and it was made by ESSCO back around the time of the crash in '29. They were originally going to call it a "shed" signal, but instead decided on "doghouse."

Essco was pretty innovative so that's really possible, but some old timers (long gone now, no offense to you O.T.,) called Essco's rectangular lens signal that said STOP - TRAFFIC CHANGE - GO the "shed" signal because that's what it looked like. (Don't have a photo handy at the moment.)

Some signals were known as bird houses.

I know one old guy who came from an era where fixed 4-way signals were called "doghouses." When trying to figure out some historical stuff we need to consider that some of our familiar terms changed over the years, or the name folks gave to something in one region might mean something completely different in another.

by **Mike80** on Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:39 am

Long Island has plenty of doghouses. Here is a 4-way doghouse.

by **sorphin** on Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:50 am

There's a nice 3M doghouse not all that far from my work. I'll be sad if it ever comes down and gets replaced by the junk I know it'll get replaced by. :-/

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