109F. Scarborough Railway Station, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Installed throughout the platform area of this seaside terminus station are 5 m Abacus base-hinged tubular steel columns, many of which still support an unknown multi-lamp fluorescent lantern. Original thoughts were that these lanterns were GEC Z8288s, but cross-referencing their design with that of the GEC product confirmed that they were not. Curiously, the lanterns appear to have been re-used when the columns were replaced - the predecessors also being Abacus base-hinged columns.
The image below by Rob Newman is taken from Wikimedia Commons, and shows these lanterns in use on the older columns in 1983, with a Class 45/6 'Peak' diesel locomotive being the main focus of the image.
A slightly similar view, almost 40 years later, with the new columns in place, but the lanterns still going strong. Two Mk 5A coaching sets are seen on the adjacent platforms, with a Driving Van Trailer providing the 'front' of the right-hand train.
The lanterns are rather utilitarian in design, and unlike the GEC Z8288, do not include the station name along the length of the bowl.
The lanterns look to be around 5 ft (1500 mm) in length; the Z8288 accommodated two 80 Watt fluorescent lamps of this length too.
A small spigot allows the lantern to fit centrally onto the column.
The lanterns must weigh very little, as their large size would, otherwise, affect the windage calculation of the hinged column, particularly with it being in a coastal area.
The bowls are devoid of any refractor prisms, with the lanterns providing illumination to the general surrounding area, rather than having focused beams.
As a bonus, outside the station, on Valley Bridge Road, is a twin-arm 10 m tubular steel column supporting a gear-in-head Thorn Alpha 3, along with a Philips 'Streetfighter' SGS 102, which was probably a replacement for another Alpha 3.
The size difference between the two lanterns is obvious.
A twist of wire links the two bowl clips, suggesting that one (or both) has lost its springiness, with the wire locking it in place. A Royce Thompson Oasis 1000 photocell controls the lantern's operation.
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