"BEEHIVE" / "JELLYJAR" Light Thread

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
Need help identifying this "beehive" light (no markings, of course, except for on the fresnel glass--Corning)

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It was roof mounted on North Oldham (County, KY) fire departments first "fire truck". It was a 1950 ford flatbread with a 1,000 gal. tank (un-baffled) and two 2-stroke portable pumps, 2 Indian tanks, 500' of 2 1/2" hose and 200' of 1 1/2" hose...straight pipe nozzles, of course.


It looks like the same lights KSP used on their cars in the late 40s, early 50s before the FedSig 17 came along in 56. Which would make sense as the truck was built at the LaGrange penitentiary....
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At least the was on the fender of the truck!

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ImageUploadedByTapatalkHD1407282206.712614.jpg (A John Dorgan restoation)
Nice old 78 doubletone.  When I got my '63 Pontiac Consort ambulance in 1971, it didn't have a siren; but I found a 78 like the one above at the old Gordon K. Allen Co. in Dallas well worth the money.  The Pontiac originally had a fender-mounted siren, so the 78 fit there with no problem. But less than week after we put the ambulance in service, the siren was ripped, quite literally, off the fender.  An S8B Siro-Drift replaced the 78, and no one ever seemed to want to bother it, as it lasted for several years.

I like that nice CS8B Siro-Drift you have sitting next to the 78.  I have one here just like it.
 
Jul 14, 2010
1,639
S.W. Ohio USA
A 1960's Mack pumper in my town had two jelly jar lights alternating on the rear of the truck. They were Federal Signal "Scat-O-Rays" (like scatter ray)

Anyone know anything about them? (DAN?) I have found STRAT-O-Ray in a Google search, but I'm fairly certain the ones I saw were different.

I have never seen any since.
 

Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
The Federal Enterprises name was used from 1948 to 1955.
I try to keep up with what year Federal built what, but sometimes they slip by.  So if they were still Fed. Enterprises in 1955, the change to Federal Sign and Signal was 1956.  I was a year off in what I had thought for a long time.
 

dmathieu

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 20, 2010
8,766
S.W. New Hampshire, USA
Added a SAFCO Flashing Light, very similar to Whelen's Clear Ray Flasher, and others with just a bare flashing 50 cp bulb.

This is NOS in original box.

I remember these on the shelves in the mid to late 1960s.

This was a precursor to the new magnetic suction mounts offered by most manufacturers now. Safco's magnetic suction mount was way ahead of it's time!

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Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
Added a SAFCO Flashing Light, very similar to Whelen's Clear Ray Flasher, and others with just a bare flashing 50 cp bulb.

This is NOS in original box.

I remember these on the shelves in the mid to late 1960s.

This was a precursor to the new magnetic suction mounts offered by most manufacturers now. Safco's magnetic suction mount was way ahead of it's time!
Very nice. Haven't seen one of those before.  How well does that little magnet work?   I have a Lectric-Lites magnetic beehive light that uses the larger donut magnet. This is the second one I've had, as I got one of their first ones made back in 1970 when they were still in Lubbock.  I think one of my fellow vollies got off with it, but I found the one I now have through this board.
 
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Skip Goulet

Member
Feb 23, 2011
4,241
Midland, TX
(In reply to what stan said in regards to these lights not being effective)

Actually  you see these lights heavily used back in the olden days on tow trucks, rear of fire trucks, etc. Its what they had to work with and at the time were extremely effective. :thumbsup:

We are speaking of times that were not like today, there weren't as many cars on the road and the drivers weren't idiots texting or rattling their brains with bass music. :blink:

No we are speaking of a time where the woman was day dreaming of the new toaster or what to make the beaver for dinner, or the men that were listening to the am radio and trying to lite a smoke.. ;)

Today we are spoiled, as we have so many different choices and the light sizes of today would blow peoples minds  from yesteryear.  Jus sayin.. :popcorn:
Code Man, I just re-read your post.  I had to chuckle when you talked about women daydreaming or someone trying to light a smoke.   Years ago the then-fire chief's wife in West Odessa drove a beat-up old station wagon and still had little kids at home.  In those day the volunteers were allowed to run hot inside the city if they got toned-out.  But what follows got that privlege revoked for many years.  One day West Odessa got toned out and the chief's wife was in town with a car load of kids.  The old wagon she drove was equipped with an electronic siren, grille lights and some sort of teardrop light on the dash.    She was observed driving at least 50 mph west on 8th St., which is one of Odessa's busiest streets with the lights and siren on; a cigarette dangling from her mouth and screaming kids in the back.  Because she was on a run the cop couldn't stop her, but filed a report and her husand got an earful from the police dept.  From that time on all county volunteers had to wait until they left the city limits before running hot.  That was almost 30 years ago, so they're not all that strict about it anymore, and that chief and his wife left town a good long while ago.
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,290
Canada
Added a SAFCO Flashing Light, very similar to Whelen's Clear Ray Flasher, and others with just a bare flashing 50 cp bulb.

This is NOS in original box.

I remember these on the shelves in the mid to late 1960s.

This was a precursor to the new magnetic suction mounts offered by most manufacturers now. Safco's magnetic suction mount was way ahead of it's time!
I remember seeing that type of light for sale at Canadian Tire (one of Canada's leading hardware stores).   It came in amber but they also sold replacement domes in red, dark blue, and a lighter blue with a hint of teal.  I saw an amber one mounted on a pickup truck, and from what I remember that bare bulb didn't give off much light.
 

stansdds

Member
May 25, 2010
3,533
U.S.A., Virginia
I remember seeing that type of light for sale at Canadian Tire (one of Canada's leading hardware stores).   It came in amber but they also sold replacement domes in red, dark blue, and a lighter blue with a hint of teal.  I saw an amber one mounted on a pickup truck, and from what I remember that bare bulb didn't give off much light.
Without some sort of optical lens, I would not expect much light from this sort of beacon.  I guess their biggest selling point was cost.
 

dmathieu

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 20, 2010
8,766
S.W. New Hampshire, USA
Just received the Lucas light. Pics to come after clean up.

Lucas, Model B12, 12 Volt, Made in England.

I know it;s not an effective light by today's standards, but they worked OK in their day.

This is a unique light,

1. because I have never seen this type of flasher by Lucas before, and

2. it is a 3 wire light. The bulb has 2 filaments, and works using a on/off/on switch. It runs steady burn/cruise light, or flashing using its own internal solid state flasher built into the base. Both filaments light in both functions making flash and steadyburn equally bright. It also has a bottom and top reflectors which are very effective in tripling the light output.

I'm very pleased with this addition to my "beehive"/"Jellyjar"/"flasher" light sub-collection.

Pics to follow!

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Crownfire

Member
Jun 23, 2011
531
USA CA
My Griffin No. 360 collection. All the domes are glass. Finally found a blue one on the bay which prompted this photo op. The red/amber split dome is mounted on the left rear stanchion on my 1975 Crown pumper. There is a matching solid red one on the right stanchion. image.jpgimage.jpg
 
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Crownfire

Member
Jun 23, 2011
531
USA CA
It doesn't have a G or Griffin or anything else on it. I bought it on eBay, just the dome. So it could be from any manufacturer or maybe a specialty after-market supplier. I don't imagine there were more than a few companies producing this style glass lens.
 

dmathieu

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 20, 2010
8,766
S.W. New Hampshire, USA
Kopp was one manufacturer, usually marked with a K on top. 

If you find another magenta, please let me know.

The older Griffin lights had single fluted lenses, (outside ribs only, smooth inside). I think your red might be one, if I see it correctly. Check out my pics in previous posts for mine in red, amber, and split red/amber. These single fluted lenses give off a very intense beam of light.
 
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Crownfire

Member
Jun 23, 2011
531
USA CA
You're right, the red is the single fluted style. I have a couple more of those. All the rest have both horizontal outside and vertical inside optics. I will keep my eyes open for another magenta, but I think you are looking the same places I'm looking, and a lot of places I never dreamed of looking.
 
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Zapp Brannigan

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 23, 2010
3,580
.
One member currently has an old Griffin 360 For Sale:



The picture is not in the thread as he just took some more pictures that I got in a PM.

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