208. Bury Park Drive / Jarman Close / Sandpiper Road / Smith Walk / Steward Road / Victory Close, Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk Installed on 15 ft / 5 m columns on the various roads leading off from Nowton Road are a selection of post-top lanterns; the majority being from the GEC Z5680 series (specifically, Z5681s or Z5682s), although other types are fitted too; presumably, these Z5680s required replacing, and with GEC no longer producing these lanterns when replacements were required, suitable alternatives had to be provided instead. The following pictures are only a small selection of the lanterns that can be seen on these roads - really, the lanterns are so numerous here that their 'Survivor' description (almost) doesn't apply!
Bury Park Drive
This column is first from Nowton Road. For some reason, after taking this picture, my interest in exploring the surrounding streets and seeing what lanterns were installed blossomed considerably...I'll get my coat!
Unlike my own Z5680, which features a copper-coloured canopy and base casting, these are painted Suffolk's standard sage green.
The columns may be GEC products too - either sheet aluminium or steel - though their inspection doors did not carry GEC branding, which is unusual.
The lanterns are now equipped with Telensa radio nodes for switching - given that the whole canopy unscrews when access to the lamp is required on a Z5680, this must make reassembly slightly more challenging.
Wisely, the original (and now, redundant) two-part photocell detector is located on the (fixed) base casting, though this then carries the disadvantage that the photocell's switching accuracy is compromised. Perhaps, this is why the Z5680 fell out of favour, as photocell control overtook time switch operation, this design was no longer suitable. The detector has been wrapped in tape - presumably, light emitted from the lantern was falling on the detector, causing the photocell to switch off, and then back on again, as the light was extinguished - another disadvantage to this design.
A Siemens / WRTL PTBT lantern (what started life as the GEC Z5713) was fitted to one of the columns.
Evidence that this is a post-GEC lantern is the stepped canopy, and hole in the toggle catch.
Cast into the lantern's base section is "Disconnect supply and refer to instructions before servicing" - a rather odd placement, given that the lantern is accessed by opening the canopy!
A newer tubular steel column supporting a Davis 'Highbeam' PT1197 was next.
The glass refractor cylinder surrounding the lamp is just visible within the grubby bowl.
Jarman Close
A lantern from GEC's sister Z5670 range (probably, a Z5672) was seen first.
There isn't much to suggest that both this, and the Z5680 in the background, are in any way, related!
Another Z5680 was located around the corner.
A rather unpleasant blob was present on this lantern's bowl, suggesting that the lampholder had worked loose from its fixing brackets, causing the hot lamp to come into contact with the acrylic, and melting it.
A newer CU Phosco sheet steel column was located on a communal grassed area away from the main carriageway.
A narrow-canopied P107 (also made by CU Phosco) was fitted.
Sandpiper Road
This Z5680 was located after emerging from Smith Walk.
The sage green paint seems to attract lichen growth, curiously.
Smith Walk
Another Z5670 was first from Nowton Road.
The lichen was worse on this lantern's canopy, with it being GRP, rather than aluminium.
A short distance up the footpath was this Z5680.
A tape modification to the photocell detector was applied here too.
The Telensa node doesn't have this problem, of course, though its wiring is visible within the lantern, owing to this example having a more transparent bowl than the rest have. The GEC logo is visible on the base casting.
Steward Road
This column has a sign containing a child's drawing attached, owing to a school being situated at the end of the road.
Once again, tape had been wrapped around the barrel of the photocell detector.
Given the lack of optical control in the Z5680, these gardens will be well-lit at night!
The bowl on this example has suffered heat damage from the lamp too.
Victory Close
The first column here supported another PTBT.
The canopy has had to be taped in place here - I suspect that a branch from one of the adjacent trees may have knocked it open at some point, especially as leaves are visible within the lantern.
One final Z5680 followed.
Thankfully, this example was in good condition.
The bowl on this Z5670 was especially clear, making me wonder whether it had been re-bowled at some point, though it might be a newer Siemens / WRTL PTCH lantern instead.
Whatever the case, it is definitely a later version, as there is provision for a NEMA socket in the centre of the canopy. An elliptical lamp - either an MBF or SON - can be seen inside.
I spotted this Z5670 whilst driving along the road in the background - I had planned to photograph this example and leave it at that, but then when I found that the whole estate was rife with Survivors, I changed my mind!
The bowl on this lantern was noticeably more discoloured.
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