A couple of days ago we shared a photo of Martha Vickers sitting atop an old-fashioned traffic signal. Such devices—with flags that popped up bearing the words “stop” and “go” as a bell rang—were known as semaphores. The particular type seen with Vickers was manufactured by the Acme Traffic Signal Company and used primarily in the Los Angeles area.
Other cities had different types of signals. For instance San Francisco primarily had Wiley traffic signals. Acme semaphores were general around L.A. during the 1920s and 1930s, but due to the tendency of birds to set up house inside the flag mechanism, the signals were soon deemed inadequate. They were eventually replaced by standard three-light traffic signals, with the last semaphores coming down during the mid-1950s.
Like us, you may be aware of Acme semaphores thanks to their appearances in Warner Brothers or Loonie Tunes cartoons, or perhaps you even remember them from personal experience. Well, today you get to ride down memory lane, because above and below we have a collection of photos of these elegant inventions, with mid-century L.A. providing the backdrop.
