Ranger,
That sounds like M-Halide starting up, it actually turns all sorts of colours, but many of the changes happen so fast, the eye never picks them up.
Paul, that Pilot+Contactor system must have been expensive.
We had this system over here(and also a variation of it, in some places).
It's not used here now, the streetlighting is on it's own dedicated circuit, controlled by a photcell and contactor on every 3-4 blocks.
