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-----Original Message-----
From: Renee Davis <pandr@cybertours.com>
To: Military Vehicles List <mil-veh@uller.skylee.com>
Date: 24 February 2000 03:11
Subject: Re: [MV] OK, What is it? A semaphore?
>
>I think you're right; it looks like a telegraph turn signal. Saw one in
>a 54 VW Bug once. From the shape I'd say it would have to be mounted
>perpendicular to the direction of travel, and probably on a flat
>surface. That could make it pretty old; say the teens or twenties when
>vehicles were made with lots of flat surfaces and right angles. Just a
>guess.
>
Known as a "Trafficator" here, they are very common indeed having been fitted to
everything from about the mid 30's to post war, the legal requirement for
non-manual turn indication didn't come it until about late 60's and then it was
for flashing indicators as present.
The UK designs are slightly different with a straight top and V shaped lower
edge with a festoon (dome) lamp in the broad part, they are invariably operated
by a solenoid in the body which can be found mounted in the rear door pillar or
as a stand-alone bolt-on item.
Very few, if any, MVs had them being designed with half doors or even just a
canvas flap excepting the civilian cars used as staff transport which would have
come fitted as is.
Some early large vehicles have an amusingly crude but effective, left side only
for the UK, manual turn indicator that is simply a large steel semaphore arm
painted white and red operated by a length of "coat-hanger" wire contained in a
slotted tube along the lower edge of the windscreen with a protruding hand loop
and a cut-away allowing the loop to be locked in the operated position, much
like the Sten gun bolt catch. To be found on early Scammell tractors
especially.
Richard
(Southampton - England)
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