173AD. Off Sherriff Street, Ronkswood, Worcester Situated throughout the site of the former railway Goods Yard and warehouse sites are a number of 10 m tubular steel columns fitted with GEC Z9563 lanterns for 180 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamps. Owing to the proximity of the railway, these lanterns are specified as they feature a cut-off light distribution, reducing the amount of spill onto the adjacent tracks. The lamp control gear is positioned within the lantern on the Z9563, although GEC produced a version that saw the lamp control gear installed remotely; typically, in the column base - the Z9565.

Two examples are to be found, attached to 8 m sheet steel columns, within the Sherriff Street Commercial Complex. There are also wall-mounted gear-in-head Philips MA 50 135 Watt SOX lanterns installed within this area.

At 1474 mm in length (4·8 ft), these lanterns appear rather ungainly at an 8 m mounting height - they are intended for use at 12 m.

A lamp remains in place in this example.

The use of rather spindly brackets enhances the enormity of these lanterns.

The other example in this car park is pictured, for completeness.

The Z9563s at the entrance to the old Goods Yard site outnumber the modern TRT Aspect LED lantern on Sherriff Street itself by nine to one!

Looking into the site, six consecutive single-arm columns are seen, along with a further couple (one of which is on a double-arm bracket) on the other side of the fence. The Goods Yard must have been extremely well lit at night.

Part of the sealing gasket is hanging down from the front of this lantern.

This second double-arm installation is positioned alongside the gates that once led into the yard.

The lanterns appear to be switched in a "master and slave" system, with the left-hand example being fitted with a one-part NEMA photocell attached to the top of the lantern's canopy, and the right-hand example having no individual cell control.

This next double-arm installation is seen from the vantage point of Williamson Road.

Again, only one lantern has a photocell fitted. The low profile of the cut-off bowl is evident here.

As a bonus, the floodlight fitted to the adjacent wooden pole is a 1920s' Lewenz and Wilkinson 'Blaizolite' - railway sidings were one of the locations deemed suitable for their use in catalogues by the manufacturer. I do like the irony of using cut-off street lighting to avoid light spill (and possible confusion of the amber light emitted with that of signals showing "caution" aspects), and yet, this would have been shining directly along the rails in the siding in quite a high intensity beam.

A further double-arm is seen in the distance, with a single-armed example being visible bottom-left.

< Previous | Next >

BACK TO SURVIVORS IN WORCESTERSHIRE

BACK TO SURVIVORS

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION