page_title: History of street lighting in the United States
section_title: General Electric
hierarchical_section_title: History of street lighting in the United States / List of streetlight manufacturers and fixtures / General Electric
caption_attribution_description: English: 201-SA found in Billings MT
context_page_description: Street lighting in the United States was introduced to the US by inventor Benjamin Franklin, who was the postmaster of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For this reason, many regard Philadelphia as the birthplace of street lighting in the US.
  The colonial-era streetlights were lit by candles placed inside a glass vessel, which kept the candle from being blown out by wind. Franklin's design was four-sided, with four separate panes of glass, so that if one pane of glass was broken, the lamp did not need to be entirely replaced, and might not even blow out.
  After the invention of gas lighting by William Murdoch in 1792, cities in Britain began to light their streets using gas. The United States followed suit shortly afterwards with the introduction of gas lighting to Pelham Street in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1803. Throughout the 19th century, the use of gas lighting increased. Some locations in the US still use gas lights.
  After Thomas Edison pioneered electric use, light bulbs were developed for the streetlights as well.
context_section_description: Form 175 (100–250 watts)
  Predecessor to the M250. Had the strange cone shaped refractor. (Very Rare!)
  Form 109 (250–400 watts)
  Predecessor to the Form 400.held 600 watt incandescent lamps or 400 watt mercury vapor lamps.made from 1948 to 1955.
  Form 400 (250–400 watts)
  Replaced the Form 109, and predecessor to the M400.also made as the form 400 powerpack an iteragate ballast version of the form 400. made from 1956 to 1959.
  Form 402 (700–1000 watts)
  Predecessor to the M1000.
  Form 7980
  Claw shaped fixture. Similar to the Boston Wheeler crescent moon heads.
  Form 131VR
  Predecessor to the Form 79RV
  Form 72
  Predecessor to the Form 79 luminaire
  Form 45113
  Pendant or span wire mount luminaire for incandescent lamps (extremely rare!)
  Form 110 luminaire
  "Compact" luminaire. uses mercury vapor lamps or incandescent lamps. Also includes photocell.
  201-SA (70-150 watts HPS and Metal Halide)
  Current General Electric NEMA luminaire first introduced in the early to mid-1980s as the Form 201 and redesigned and renamed in 1985, and again slightly redesigned in the late 1990s-early 2000s. The newer 201SA fixtures no longer feature a gray paint, and come standard with stainless aluminum, and a tool-less photoelectric socket, meaning the technician does not require any tools to adjust the photoelectric socket.  As of 2008, Mercury Vapor is no longer offered.  (Example: SAH10S1N21181 utility model)
  PMA-115/PMC-116/PMC-117 (50-175 watts)
  GE's Post-Top Luminaire. Compatible with either mercury vapor or high-pressure sodium. A major difference is that the PMA-115 uses a flat top design, while the similar PMC-116 has a cone-shaped design. The PMC-117 series is the same as the PMC-116 but with added decorative scrolls.
  P16M/P17M (50-175 watts)
  GE's Post-Top Luminaire.  Competes with American Electric's 245 Contempo Series Luminaires, and 247 American Revolution Series Luminaires.  The P16M is the P17M but with added decorative scrolls.  These models replaced GE's PMC-116 and PMC-117 post-top luminaires.  Discontinued in 2016 in favor of GE's LED Luminaires
  M100 (100–175 watts)
  An open bottom companion to the M250, also believed to be the first as a full cutoff.
  M150 (50–250 watts)
  This PowrDoor luminaire, noted for its boxy profile, was introduced in 1980 as a companion to the M250A. In 1986, it was renamed the M250A2, and continues to use that designation today.
  M250 (1959–1960)/M250R (1960–1970)M250R1 (1970–1985)/M250R2 (1985–present) (50–250 watts)
  Introduced in 1959, redesigned in smaller body in 1960 then redesigned in May 1970 (as the M250R1) and 1985 (as the M250R2). The original M250 from 1959 to 1960 was actually a fixture with a M-400 body but with plastic refractor. Additionally, "Crimefighter" versions of the M250R exist in Chicago, with a cylinder-shaped refractor attached to the 1970 version's bodyshell.  In 1993, GE Experimented with a slightly re-designed body for the M250R2, but reverted to the current version from 1994–Present. (Example: M2RR25S0A2GMS3358
  M250A (1967–1985)/M250A2 (1986–present) (50–250 watts)
  This PowrDoor luminaire was introduced in 1967 as the smaller companion to the M400A, and its bodyshell was a miniature version of the M400A's. A full-cutoff version of this luminaire was introduced in around 1980 (very rare!). It was redesigned in 1986, taking on the M150's boxy profile, and renamed the M250A2. ARK Lighting's A601 and A604 luminaires use the same designs as these luminaires, but with notable differences: The A601 (which is similar to the M250A2) uses lamp sizes of up to 250 watts, and the A604 (which is similar to the original M250A) uses lamp sizes of up to 400 watts.
  M400 (1959–1970)/M400 Split-Door (1970-1985)/M400R2 (1986–1996 Reintroduced in 2008–2016) /M400R3 (1997–present) (150–400 watts)
  Introduced in 1959, this single-door luminaire was discontinued around 1970. From 1970 to 1986, the split-door M-400 was virtually identical to the M-400A with the exception of having a non-vented door held in place with a simple spring latch. The ballast components were mounted on the top housing. In 1986, it was re
caption: 100w Metal Halide found in Billings MT
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