Railway yard lights

[cl19]

Quick question - please can anyone give me details about the type of yard lights seen in the attached picture.

In addition, I’m after one for my ever growing collection of railwayana. Could anyone advise where I may be able to purchase one?

Thanks for your help

Chris

 

[Ashley Hill]

The enamel lampshade should be easily obtainable. Reclamation yards or antique centres usually have them. The lamps mounting could be made out of bent conduit pipe. BT used to sell of telegraph poles years ago,perhaps they still do! Find a signal ladder from somewhere (plenty of resignalling going on) and Bobs your uncle.
Alternatively look in abandoned yards for a genuine one.

 

[John Webb]

If you do get one, look very carefully at the electrics. Some used General Lighting Service (GLS) lamps - ie filament bulbs - usually with Edison Screw (ES) fittings. Some yard lamps were fitted with discharge lamps which were more efficient and brighter for a given wattage. But these have an inductor or 'choke' or other control gear in series with the bulb.

When we got two station lamps for use outside the St Albans South signal box, these were fitted with 70Watt High Pressure Sodium bulbs with the appropriate chokes. Had we used these I suspect passing train drivers would have started complaining we were dazzling them! We stripped these lamps out and completely rewired them to run 12W domestic LED bulbs - adequate light for our needs and we've had no complaints from drivers. See http://www.sigbox.co.uk/sigbox/news/content 2018.eb - scroll down the page for some pictures showing how we did it. The telegraph poles they are mounted on came from a contact of one of our members.

 

[bishdunster]

Not so sure that the column is a telegraph pole, the majority of these that i remember seeing had reinforced concrete columns,.

 

[cl19]

Thanks both! I’ll let you know how I get on. I remember there was on at Wigan North Western station for years when I used to commute quite a bit

 

[John Webb]

Thanks both! I’ll let you know how I get on. I remember there was on at Wigan North Western station for years when I used to commute quite a bit

My pleasure! I assume the one you photographed is in an ex-railway yard. Might just be worth approaching NR to see if they want to dispose of it....

 

[cl19]

The power of the internet - just found the said light at Wigan!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/79292848@N04/16386866738/

 

[John Webb]

The power of the internet - just found the said light at Wigan!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/79292848@N04/16386866738/

I wonder if this is the same lamp:
Up express at Wigan (North Western)

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