Remember When?

[Anonymous]

i can get my permit in less than a year, and in a year and a half, i can get my license

[Mark300]

QUOTE: Originally posted by baldwinjl

On the centerline question—

http://tcd.tamu.edu/Documents/evolution.stand-alone.pdf

It looks like the “official” change was 1971, which which fits my distant memory, more or less. However, it looks like there may have been variation from state to state before that, so a difinitive answer may be difficult to come up with.

I didn’t read this thing word for word, but it has a lot of info…

Jeff, thanks for that link…I did read thru it and found a nifty map showing all of the line conventions in each of the 48 contiguous states. One of the problems related to different conventions used between the Federal Highways, State Highways, county & local roads. Between 1961 and 71 was a long period of convergence and gradual coordination in pavement markings (I was learning to drive in 1967).

& wow, I can use this link on some of my traffic engineering consultants in my day job!

Thanks & Happy Railroading!

Mark

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831

Doc - As I’m sure you have gathered by now from the responses, in your modeled era you are safe to go with the red stop signs, white highway marking, and olive mail boxes. Most major changes came post 1970, I often think because youger adults of the period were trying to separate themselves from the ways of the early post-war generation.

Incidentally, it’s a hoot to carefully watch vintage films/movies and note the dramatic differences from pre-war to post-war. In the 1930’s very few roads, including major NYC area highways, had any centerline divider marks at all! You used the form lines in the concrete slabs to indicate your lane. And most downtown, two-way, suburban city streets were unmarked through the 1950’s. Imagine setting today’s drivers loose on such roads!

CNJ831

I went to Topeka, Kansas for a job interview in 1963. It was on that trip that I saw a sign which said something like “Use Zip Codes. Zip Code moves the mail!” I had not heard the phrase zip code prior to that trip. It was in the summer of 1963. The mail TRUCKS at that time had the blue and white paint job they still sport today. I don’t remember about the mailboxes themselves.

Cheers,