I was always excited to see the horse and rider illuminated and with the legs moving as we crossed the bridge at night.
The sign measures 25 feet tall and 44 feet wide. It is made of copper with five colors. There are 126 sections of neon.
It takes 200 pieces to create the illusion of the legs galloping. Altogether there are over 1000 feet of neon tubing.
Sometime in the 1970's the lights went out. They were disconnected and by 1994 the sign was removed because it was in woeful shape.
WHALE the local Waterfront Historic Area League led a fundraiser to rehab it.
The cost was about $50,000 to $100,000.
Since 1998, the sign can be seen as you are driving east on Route 195 near the New Bedford Water Tower on Hathaway Road.
Seeing the sign at night warms the cockles or cockle, I'm not sure, of this writer's heart.
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