Local Industria Auroras (WRTL Vectras)

The Vectra (as it is known in the UK but known as the 'Aurora' in its Netherlands homeland) is not a common lantern in the Derbyshire area. Both main and side road examples exist; however the lantern mainly sees use as a Zebra Crossing lantern - this is the 'Vectra X' and (usually) features an offset metal halide lamp within the lantern optic.

This Vectra is on a development in Etwall. Oddly, the lighting changes about half way along the road - the first few lanterns are Philips XGS 103s with outreach brackets...quite why the Vectras were used to complete the scheme is unknown - the Arc was Derbyshire County Council's lantern of choice at the time. The Vectras here are mounted on Numana 5 m columns and are fitted with 70 Watt SON-T lamps.

This Vectra in Ashbourne is of the 'Vectra X' variety - in that the optics are configured to shine more light towards the Zebra Crossing and less along the road itself. A metal halide lamp is fitted to highlight to motorists that the crossing is there.

Another Vectra-X lantern is seen below; this example is on Wilmot Road in Swadlincote. This Zebra Crossing is newer than the example seen above is; consequently, the Belisha Beacons are now of the Simmonsigns 'Midubel' 24 Volt LED variety. Prior to the Vectra-X columns being installed here, the crossing was only marked by two regular Belisha Beacons; each running a single 100 Watt tungsten lamp.

The beacons are each formed of two hemispheres, which fasten together around the column, providing 360 degrees of illumination.

This Vectra-X lantern fitted to an 8 m column on the A5111 Warwick Avenue, in Derby City Centre, provides additional lighting over the adjacent signalised crossing.

The lantern's GRP canopy shows significant weathering; this was to be expected, given that the column was installed in the early 2000s and was pictured in 2014. This installation (and an identical column on the opposite side of the road that is not visible here) was installed prior to the A5111's relighting in 2004. At the time of installation, 135 Watt SOX lanterns were still used on the route.

The offset lamp can clearly be seen within the lantern. Although a 150 Watt SON-T lamp was fitted at the time of photographing, when new, the lantern ran a 150W quartz metal halide lamp; the green-white tinge being what made me notice it, when the rest of the lighting was SOX. Now that both the route and the crossing is lit with SON, the effect of this lantern highlighting the crossing is lost.

These 250 Watt SON-T Vectras are installed on the A6 Diversion road in Matlock - the road opened in Autumn 2007. The column in the foreground in the right-hand picture is one of several that light a nearby car park.