109EBA. Prune Park Lane, Wilsden, Bradford, West Yorkshire With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. Installed throughout this lane are a number of 25 ft (8 m) tubular steel poles that provide a support for both the street lighting brackets, as well as the overhead wiring that feeds them. The poles seem to have been the same as the type employed for supporting the overhead conductors for trolleybuses, although these particular poles never catered for trolleybuses - the terminus / turn-back loop being at the southern end of Prune Park Lane, on Stoney Lane, as seen in this image from 1969. This similar view shows that ELECO HW-846 lanterns were installed along Prune Park Lane at the time, but by 2009, only two were left. By 2025, only the example near the junction of Wilsden Road remained, and even that was removed on the 8th March. By complete fluke, I had decided to visit these installations on that same day, and after walking along the lane (owing to it being subject to a road closure at the time), I noticed a Bradford Council street lighting van parked alongside this particular pole. I chatted to the workmen, who explained that one of the other nearby poles had been hit by a vehicle recently, which had brought down the surrounding overhead conductors, including the one feeding the HW-846. The ELECO lantern wasn't working after the cable had been replaced, and so it was doomed - I noticed that an LED lantern was being prepared within the van, and of course, then asked whether I might be permitted to take the old lantern away with me - the workmen couldn't have been more obliging in facilitating this request! Thank you to them for allowing me to have it.
The HW-846 is pictured here moments before being removed. One of the workmen mentioned that the poles are likely to be replaced completely in the near future, as all of the original ones are now in poor condition through corrosion.
The close-up reveals that the bowl is cracked, but I was still keen to save the lantern.
Here is the HW-846 after being removed. The full write-up for it can be read here.
The majority of the other poles now support Philips MI 26s. This example is the first from Stony Lane.
Seeing lanterns designed for mounting at no more than about 5 m at this height seems very odd indeed!
Some examples were dayburning when I visited. It was when I saw this, combined with the road closure signs, that I wondered if street lighting works might be underway along the lane.
The angled bracket looks to be a Stewart & Lloyds design.
Even in the relatively modern design of an MI 26, the glow of any type of SOX lamp on a public street in 2025 is a very welcome sight!
This example, attached to a lighting column that had been adapted for accommodating the clamp-on bracket and overhead conductors, had had an LED retro-fit lamp installed. The usual cover over the rear of the lantern's canopy, where the bracket attaches, was missing.
Although there appears to have been an inspection door fitted on the column at one stage, with there being nothing in the base, this has been removed.
This Thorn Beta 5 had also been retro-fitted. Notice that it too is dayburning, but also, is at the end of this section of the overhead network. Therefore, the dayburning lights here probably due to faulty photocells, rather than because of a master control point being overridden, as the section with the HW-846 on it was separate.
This MI 26 had lost its bowl.
Here, the lantern was operating in override mode, as it was fed from the same control point as the HW-846 was on. The photocell must, therefore, be wired out.
BACK TO SURVIVORS IN WEST YORKSHIRE
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION
© 2002 - English Street Lights Online