33CA. Nottingham Railway Station, Carrington Street, Nottingham. Situated just to the west of the station, beyond the ends of the platforms, is an Abacus base-hinged tubular steel column supporting a GEC Z8260 twin 40 Watt fluorescent lantern - once, a very common combination on the UK's railway network, but considerably rarer by 2022, with most examples (the lanterns, at any rate) having been replaced in the mid-2000s. This example seems to have survived by virtue of it no longer lighting anything definitive, especially with it being away from all public areas. I remember seeing it 'working' when travelling past one evening in the early 2000s, though by 'working', I mean that the electrodes of both lamps were glowing intensely, but the lamps themselves were not lit - an indicator of a possible poor earth connection; the Quickstart circuit relying on a good earth to start the lamps reliably.

The column is located in the approximate centre of the cutting, with three pairs of rails passing to the north of it, and two further pairs passing to the south.

The lantern attaches to the column by means of a short, angular outreach bracket.

Heavy blackening exists to the rear of the lower lamp (the upper lamp could be missing completely); I assume that this means that the glowing electrodes that I encountered almost twenty years earlier were never rectified!

Also of note are several of the lanterns installed on double-arm brackets between Platforms 6 and 7. These are Mk 1 Urbis ZX3 lanterns, and may have been 1980s' replacements for more Z8260s. These too are attached to Abacus columns, and were pictured from the pedestrian footbridge that is (conveniently) located around half way along the length of the platforms.

These lights provide illumination along the two narrow footpaths located adjacent both sets of running rails.

Early versions of the ZX3s can be identified by the plastic locking toggles that are situated towards the rear of the canopy, although, the one from the left-hand example is missing.

The toggle remains on the right-hand example, however. I assume that these must have had a habit of breaking off over time, leading to the design being revised, and two stainless steel clips situated at the very back of the lantern being used as a sturdier solution in securing the hinged rear section of the canopy (though the other design flaw, the plastic hinge, was never altered).

A little further west of the station, on Castle Meadow Road, is this abandoned reflector lantern.

The fitting is attached to a rather misshapen swan neck bracket.

A couple of corrosion holes are present in the neck section of the fitting.

Further corrosion exists around the circumference. A high wattage GLS lamp remains extant within the lantern.

On the other side of the tracks is an identical column; this time, with a post-top bracket and Benjamin Duoflux floodlight.

This too contains a large GLS lamp.

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