Thorn Triumph 1

This lantern came from the riverside footpath on Pride Park in Derby City Centre after its column was damaged - I can remember seeing the damaged column and thought then that it would probably be replaced at some point, but did not expect that its lantern would enter my Collection! The Triumph 1 is confined to being used on just a few footpaths in Derby - all around the Pride Park area; however, the larger Triumph 2 was used on the section of the A52 maintained by the City Council, in the direction of Nottingham, for a few years.

All of the street furniture for the Pride Park area is painted a deep red colour - a nod to the Midland Railway, whose workshops were situated on the land now occupied by the Pride Park site, and whose colours were the same deep red and cream. The red on the lantern has faded over time, but it is still very vivid.

The green of the Monostar 1000 photocell's circuit board contrasts sharply with the red of the lantern!

The reflector for the lantern is very narrow (it is shared with that employed in Thorn's Riga lantern), and so the direction of light may be restricted. A piece of removable flexible plastic fits around the column as it enters the lantern, in order to conceal the fixing bolts, as well as maintaining the curvature around the rear of the lantern. The plastic insert was damaged when the column was hit - remember that the installation was situated on a footpath, but perhaps someone decided to go on a late night off-roading spree! A polycarbonate bowl following the contours of the lantern is employed - alternative options included a curved glass bowl, and flat glass cover.

The canopy hinges to one side, in order to allow access to the lamp and gear. Incorporated into the opening mechanism is a thin metal rod that prevents the canopy from closing accidentally during maintenance. Another safety feature is a plug and socket arrangement that disconnects the supply to the lantern when the canopy is opened.

The lantern was installed in February 2002 according to a date on the label, with date codes on the internal components suggesting 2001 as being the year of manufacture.

Restoration of the lantern took place on Wednesday, 25th January 2006. I started by taking the lantern to pieces and cleaned each accessory individually. The bodywork was then repainted. Luckily, I managed to find a red that was almost exactly the same colour as the original, though the photographs below made it appear much brighter:

The scratches incurred to the paint finish disappeared with the repaint.

The bowl and reflector received a much-needed clean as part of the restoration.

The length of the lantern, combined with the mini column's centre of gravity, made this assembly rather prone to tipping over, and the lantern was removed and put in storage until 2018, when it was attached to a more substantial stand.

A WRTL Arc was fitted to the column that had supported my Triumph. The grey finish of the Arc looks wonderfully incongruous when attached to the red column - clearly, birds have met the change with similar disapproval and have left their distinctive mark on the canopy!

Test Voltage (V)	Current being drawn at full power (A)	Measured wattage (W)	Apparent Power (VA)	Frequency (Hz)	Power Factor	True Power (W)	Difference to rated wattage	Percentage Difference
242.8	0.65	94	158	50.1	0.6	94.69	24.69	35%