Local Industria Arcs

The Arc first appeared in Derbyshire in 2004 - it wasn't until about a year later that the lantern was first used in Derby City, however. The lantern can be mounted both side entry and post top - both types are shown on this page. SON lamps are the order of the day in Derby City; whilst compact fluorescent and metal halide examples can also be seen in the wider county of Derbyshire. The smaller Arc 80 can accommodate lamps up to 150 Watt; whereas the larger Arc 90 can be fitted with lamps up to 600 Watt - though 250 Watt is the maximum used in Derbyshire.

This small cul-de-sac in Langley Mill is home to several 35 Watt CDM-T examples; this is the only road in Derbyshire where this type of lamp is employed.

The miniscule capsule lamp can only just be seen in the Arc's elliptical optic. A Royce Thompson Oasis 2000 photocell rated at 55 Lux is employed.

These Arcs with 42 W PL-T lamps are mounted on 5 m columns at a development in Buxton.

More 5 m 42 W Arcs here - seen on a rainy January night. Notice that the second lantern along has a lamp with a lower colour temperature than the other two.

These 42 W Arcs are on (what was when the photograph was taken) a new development in Belper. Although 42 W lamps will 'work' at 6 m, the output can appear quite dim to the human eye.

Also in Belper are these Arcs running 57 Watt PL-T lamps at 6 m. Unusually, the installer has opted for lanterns sporting curved glass bowls, rather than the 'standard' deep polycarbonate bowl. The columns lead onto what was the site of the Parks Secondary Modern school - this access road was the original driveway into the school.

This Arc has been retro-fitted to a column which once supported a Thorn Beta 5. Notice that this looks a little too big for the bracket!

This Arc is around the corner from the previous example. At the time of photographing, it had been vandalised.

This post-top Arc replaced a GEC Z9538 when the column that the GEC lantern was on, was damaged in a collision. The SS3DR cell was faulty from when the lantern was first powered up and was changed quickly.

This post top Arc is fitted to a drop-down column and will soon replace this pole-mounted GEC Z9532. Oddly, an elliptical lamp has been fitted in the Arc - presumably to reduce glare in the narrow footpath. A Beta 5 was originally fitted to the new column - this photograph was taken soon after the changeover.

Another couple of photographs of Arcs in Buxton - this 6 m 70 Watt example is adjacent the development mentioned further up this page. The new column has been installed to replace the 5 m column and Beta 5 - when I visited, the service had all ready been transferred to the new column (hence, the temporary safety barriers surrounding the area).

This Arc in Matlock is mounted to a 6 m column with a diameter wider than the standard 76 mm as it also carries a School Safety Zone sign and a twin amber flashing unit - the wider diameter is necessary due to the added weight and windage being placed on the column by this equipment.

At the junction to the new development where the 6 m 57 Watt PL-T Arcs (as seen above) are used, two new 8 m columns running 100 Watt SON-T Arcs have been installed. Previously, there were two 6 m concrete columns with 55 Watt SOX lanterns here, but the higher columns were required due to the width of the road at this point.

This 100 Watt Arc was located in Markeaton Park. It was removed a few weeks after these pictures were taken and replaced with a Thorn Alpha 8 running a 250 Watt MBF lamp.

This 100 Watt example in Duffield would have replaced a Thorn Alpha 9 90 Watt SOX lantern.

This must have been a slightly earlier replacement, as this lantern carried WRTL branding.

This 100 Watt example is located just off the A6 at Whatstandwell. It replaced a cast iron column fitted with a Thorn Beta 5 35 Watt SOX lantern in late 2012. The lantern incorporates control gear that automatically dims the lamp's output by 30 per cent at approximately midnight until approximately 6 am. A Zodion Super6 photocell is fitted.

This damaged 100 Watt Arc is seen in December 2008, on Occupation Lane in Woodville.

The low sun and icy conditions may both have played a factor in this column being hit.

The force of the impact was sufficient for the lantern's canopy to have been thrown from the rest of it.

A replacement double-arm column was installed on the A516 in Burnaston after its predecessor was damaged by a vehicle; however, this was, itself ,involved in a collision in December 2010; perhaps as a result of a vehicle skidding on an icy surface, following a bout of snow at the beginning of the month. Just up from the damaged column is a 'Reduce Speed Now' sign - the column ensured that the vehicle did just this, whether intentionally or not!

The column was not quite as badly damaged as its predecessor was, although the two Arc lanterns were still wrecked.

The right-hand lantern was the more badly-damaged of the two; both the canopy and reflector are missing - the latter had fallen into the central reservation; the former...well, keep reading!

The rear section of the left-hand lantern's canopy is broken. The earth bonding wire has prevented the canopy from completely falling away from the lantern.

This section of lights is group-switched from a nearby feeder pillar; meaning that the Oasis 1000 photocell fitted to the surviving canopy was unnecessary; indeed, the Oasis cells seem to dislike being switched on at a level that is close to their own switching setting; resulting in the lantern they are fitted to activating late every evening.

Remember the missing canopy from the right-hand lantern? Well, a small part of the front was spotted on the footpath adjacent the road.

Further parts, along with the distinctive red gasket fitted to Arc lanterns, were spotted about 500 m east of the damaged column, in a lay-by. Presumably, the canopy hit a vehicle as it fell, and the parts then became trapped, before being discarded by the vehicle driver.

This 150 Watt SON-T Arc is located on Nottingham Road, Ilkeston, and is attached to the spigot of a 10 m column. This column replaced a 10 m Stanton 1810 concrete column supporting a Philips MA 50 135 Watt SOX lantern, as part of the construction of a new housing development opposite.

The lantern is the larger "Arc 90" type, and features a curved glass bowl.

We remain in Ilkeston for another couple of examples of 150 Watt Arc 90s. The traffic signals at the junction of Derby Road and Oakwell Drive were replaced in 2013, and the opportunity was taken to renew the street lighting around the junction at the same time.

The narrow profile of the curved glass bowl is apparent here.

An internal mechanism within the lantern provides an upward tilt of five degrees; this can be altered by manually adjusting the mechanism.

These columns also replaced 1810 concrete columns supporting MA 50s, and one "early replacement" steel column with a slightly more unusual small bracket attachment shoe.

The size difference between the Arc 80 and Arc 90 is apparent when the photocell almost looks miniature when viewed from ground level!

These two damaged Arc 90s were spotted in April 2014 at the junction of Staker Lane, Mickleover, and the A38 Findern junction.

Although the impact damage appears lower than that seen on the A516 example was, the force has still been sufficient for both canopies to be lost.

The lamp control gear for the left-hand lantern may also have fallen away. The capacitor remains visible on the right-hand example.

An Arc 90 lantern running a 250 Watt SON-T lamp replaced a Thorn Alpha 8 lantern on this sleeved Stanton 1810 column in Long Eaton.

The Philips-made lamp can be seen within the lantern optic.

This Arc 80 in Chesterfield has had its factory-fitted optic and bowl removed and replaced with a retro-fit LED solution.

A SELC / Westire AcRo photocell is fitted.

The retro-fit solution features 14 LEDs housed within an oblong-shaped enclosure. Notice also the cranked bracket adaptor - Chesterfield is home to many of these hockey stick columns with the bracket section angled steeply, but when LED lanterns are fitted to them, there is a tendency for the lantern's beam to be focused too far across the road. In extreme cases, this can also cause glare issues for any residents living opposite the column; the adaptors being fitted in order to reduce the lantern tilt.