12RAA. Off Judd Street, King's Cross, London Borough of Camden With thanks to Lucas Allen for discovering these Survivors. Installed on a roadway leading to an underground car park that is situated below Wakefield Mews, are two 15 ft (5 m) AEI / Atlas / Thorn 'Leader' triangular aluminium columns, with both supporting a Gamma 2 post-top lantern, for two or four 2 ft (600 mm) 40 Watt fluorescent lamps. Sadly, one of these lanterns is hanging off the column by its cable, and its outer bowl is missing, as are its lamps. This does, however, confirm that it ran four lamps when it was in use, and in all likelihood, therefore, its more intact neighbour probably ran the same, though this is unlikely to be in operation any longer either.

The two installations are pictured initially from the adjacent Bramber Green park, which is at a higher level than the roadway is on, and allows the two lanterns to be seen closely. This is probably also why the second lantern has ended up in the condition that it is in now.

As a bonus, the foreground column also supports a Thorn 'Sunflood 500' halogen floodlight. The columns are painted black, as are the lantern base castings; however, the top section of the intact lantern is still the original light blue. This is also visible on the base casting, where the black has worn away.

This information plate is attached to the Sunflood.

As the Gamma 2 requires a 76 mm diameter (circular) column shaft, an adaptor is fitted over the triangular Leader column spigot.

The adaptor looks to be the downfall of these lanterns, with the damaged Gamma 2 still supporting its adaptor within the base casting, while the triangular spigot is exposed.

The four lampholders in the base confirm the quantity of lamps that these lanterns would have operated.

At the other end of the internal spine, time has not been kind to these lampholders, with the front sections (where the lamp pins press into) having been lost, and the internal springs having become visible. One aluminium-canned starter switch is still fitted. No ballasts were installed within the lantern - these would be situated in the column base. The wiring to these lanterns must have been quite complicated, owing to this arrangement.

Moving to the car park ramp side now, and the more intact of the two lanterns is seen first.

The column base sections are painted yellow to highlight their presence. The original Leader column doors appear to have been replaced with panels screwed into the column structure.

The top of the lighting spine is seen here.

All of the lantern's internal wiring terminates into a connector block that is attached to the spine.

The LED bulkheads attached to the wall behind provide reasonable confirmation that this lantern doesn't work any longer.

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