Old light.

[Bensham20]

Hey I was just wondering if I could get some information on what an item I got off a grandparent was. I think it’s a light but not 100%.

 

[edwin_m]

The housing and lens look like a signal, but they normally have a larger backplate and lens hoods, so this one may be incomplete or perhaps was installed in a tunnel. There is only one lens so it is probably a signal showing red only (fixed red), usually installed at the limit of a movement where trains have to reverse away from it or shunt forwards under the authority of a separate shunting signal.

 

[Railsigns]

The fact that the hot strip is pointing downwards suggests that it probably wasn't installed in a tunnel, since tunnel signals tend to be mounted at or near ground level.

A single-lens head could have come from a fixed red signal, but it could also have come from a fixed distant (yellow) signal. It may even have been something unusual like a white light for setting back, although those were usually ground mounted. If the inner lens is still in place, it would be interesting to find out its colour.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not saying it is, but could it be part of an older type of signal where a semaphore arm pivots around a 90° axis, and, in addition, there's also a number of multi-coloured lens near to the semaphore arm's pivot point, the colour light being displayed dependent upon the angle that the semaphore arm is being held at.

 

[Ken H]

Hey I was just wondering if I could get some information on what an item I got off a grandparent was. I think it’s a light but not 100%.

is there any writing cast into the case? Might give a clue?

 

[Bensham20]

is there any writing cast into the case? Might give a clue?

Hey sorry I thought I’d uploaded the photo with it on. Here it is.

The fact that the hot strip is pointing downwards suggests that it probably wasn't installed in a tunnel, since tunnel signals tend to be mounted at or near ground level.

A single-lens head could have come from a fixed red signal, but it could also have come from a fixed distant (yellow) signal. It may even have been something unusual like a white light for setting back, although those were usually ground mounted. If the inner lens is still in place, it would be interesting to find out its colour.

I’ll check tomorrow if there is and report back. Thanks for the info so far.

 

[John Webb]

It's is a signal of some sort. It uses a two-aspect signal casing with one aspect blanked off, leaving the single aspect at the lower position. When mounted at the usual height this single aspect will be closest to the driver's eye-level.
I'd agree with Railsigns that if opened up it will be found that the inner coloured lens will either be a yellow colour to form a "Fixed Distant" or a red colour as a "Fixed Stop" signal. If the latter, it may have been used to limit travel for some form of 'wrong line' working on a running line. For example, at St Albans City station a fixed stop signal (a semaphore in this case) at the north end of the up slow platform allowed passenger trains to be switched from the Down slow to the Up slow via a facing crossover for terminating the train. (It is not permissible for passenger trains in service to approach a 'Limit of Shunt' sign as this is considered an inadequate means of stopping a wrong-line movement in those circumstances.)

 

[Bensham20]

It's is a signal of some sort. It uses a two-aspect signal casing with one aspect blanked off, leaving the single aspect at the lower position. When mounted at the usual height this single aspect will be closest to the driver's eye-level.
I'd agree with Railsigns that if opened up it will be found that the inner coloured lens will either be a yellow colour to form a "Fixed Distant" or a red colour as a "Fixed Stop" signal. If the latter, it may have been used to limit travel for some form of 'wrong line' working on a running line. For example, at St Albans City station a fixed stop signal (a semaphore in this case) at the north end of the up slow platform allowed passenger trains to be switched from the Down slow to the Up slow via a facing crossover for terminating the train. (It is not permissible for passenger trains in service to approach a 'Limit of Shunt' sign as this is considered an inadequate means of stopping a wrong-line movement in those circumstances.)

Thank you for the info guys! Do you think it’s world preserving and maybe getting it to someone who would appreciate it for how it is or should I restore it and turn it in to a garden light?

 

[pdeaves]

Thank you for the info guys! Do you think it’s world preserving and maybe getting it to someone who would appreciate it for how it is or should I restore it and turn it in to a garden light?

Ultimately, it is your property. If you think it would make a nice garden light, go ahead and make a nice garden light. If monetary resale value is most important to you, sell it. etc.

 

[Bensham20]

Ultimately, it is your property. If you think it would make a nice garden light, go ahead and make a nice garden light. If monetary resale value is most important to you, sell it. etc.

I’m not too interested in getting money for it I just wouldn’t want to ruin it if it’s valuable in its current state and would maybe donate it or something. Obviously if it’s a common object that wouldn’t be the case.

 

[swt_passenger]

I’d possibly be thinking of London Underground signalling here. It used to be quite common to see similar two aspect boxes mounted above one another? Of course they’re often fitted with black plate surrounds for ease of sighting, or labels with their ID numbers, so don’t look quite the same as when not mounted.

 

[John Webb]

Thank you for the info guys! Do you think it’s world preserving and maybe getting it to someone who would appreciate it for how it is or should I restore it and turn it in to a garden light?

It's a little unusual. But it has limited interest as only being a single aspect.

These signals usually work off 100volts with a transformer inside the signal head. I recommend, from restoring such signals:
1. Don't use the inbuilt transformer unless you can get someone to test the insulation resistance.
2. The lamp it is fitted with is bright, but visible over a narrow area only due to the optical design of the signal. Spare bulbs are expensive and not easy to obtain.
3. So at St Albans South box our demo colour-light signals are fitted with 3.5Watt 12v LED bulbs (Type "MR 16" is the usual catalogue description) and fed from a separate 12v power supply.

I would suggest that you might consider something similar to make a garden light out of it. An LED 12v bulb between 3 and 5Watt will give you adequate light - keep the power supply indoors and run a cable out to wherever you have the signal placed to avoid mains voltages outdoors.

 

[WesternLancer]

Your donation option would I guess be to send photos to the 'S&T Department' of any preserved railways local to you to see if they are interested in having it. But it would make a nice garden light too - with some helpful advice from John W on how to wire it up

@John Webb - I passed St Albans box the other day on the train and was admiring it, which reminded me of your posts on this forum. I must aim to visit some time!

 

[John Webb]

.....@John Webb - I passed St Albans box the other day on the train and was admiring it, which reminded me of your posts on this forum. I must aim to visit some time!

See Our Home Page for the next few Open Sunday Afternoons or wait until September for our extended Heritage Open Days.

 

[WesternLancer]

See Our Home Page for the next few Open Sunday Afternoons or wait until September for our extended Heritage Open Days.

Thanks John

 

[Bensham20]

It's a little unusual. But it has limited interest as only being a single aspect.

These signals usually work off 100volts with a transformer inside the signal head. I recommend, from restoring such signals:
1. Don't use the inbuilt transformer unless you can get someone to test the insulation resistance.
2. The lamp it is fitted with is bright, but visible over a narrow area only due to the optical design of the signal. Spare bulbs are expensive and not easy to obtain.
3. So at St Albans South box our demo colour-light signals are fitted with 3.5Watt 12v LED bulbs (Type "MR 16" is the usual catalogue description) and fed from a separate 12v power supply.

I would suggest that you might consider something similar to make a garden light out of it. An LED 12v bulb between 3 and 5Watt will give you adequate light - keep the power supply indoors and run a cable out to wherever you have the signal placed to avoid mains voltages outdoors.

Thank you very much for the information! I’ll post some photos if I end up restoring it. Thanks again.

 

[John Webb]

Thank you very much for the information! I’ll post some photos if I end up restoring it. Thanks again.

My pleasure. If you look at http://www.sigbox.co.uk/sigbox/news/news 2020.eb you can see, about halfway down the page, a description with photos of the way we did a complete rewire and relamping of our 1970s colour light signals - click on the small photos and they are opened up in a new window for easier viewing.