This page features rare vehicle and pedestrian signal lenses.
Before I get into the rare lenses, some people have asked if a 12" smiley lens was ever made. I have never seen or heard of one. The 12 Inch Crouse Hinds Art Deco signal that I have came with this type of lens shown here.
This picture was taken from the inside of the door. The detail of the lens is shown better that way.
Crouse Hinds lenses with the commands STOP, CAUTION, and GO embossed in the lens.
A few different companies made lenses like these. Crouse Hinds put their 3D cube shaped logo near the top of the lens. Other companies produced lenses that were almost identical, except they obviously could not use the Crouse Hinds logo.
Macbeth Evans Glass Company Lenses
I am not sure how rare these lenses are, but I like them because they are identical to the lenses with the commands embossed in them except without the commands. Below are views of the inside and outside of the lens. The pattern in the lens is the same that was used in the lenses with the commands embossed in them.
WAIT WALK lenses.
These were used in Crouse Hinds 8 inch Art Deco style signals, and were also used by Eagle signal.
Recently I discovered that the WAIT WALK lenses pictured above also were made in 12 inch versions! I have only heard of them being used in the state of Hawaii in Econolite Bulls-Eye heads with square doors.
The WAIT lens was also made in a square version as shown below.
Also recently discovered is this LUNAR BLUE WALK lens shown in the animation below.
Crouse Hinds Smiley Lens
Most signal fans know about the Smiley or half moon lens. But what is not as commonly known is that there is an earlier version of the smiley lens that was made before ITE specs were introduced.
Here is a picture of the common smiley lens on the left and the rare smiley on the right.
(Depending on what screen resolution you are using, the common one may appear first with the rare one below it.)
Notice the size of the "beads" in the glass. They are much bigger in the older lens. The smile pattern is slightly larger as well.