174BA. Queslett Road, Old Oscott, Birmingham Attached to a 5 m tubular steel column on the service road that parallels the main A4041 Queslett Road is a Simplex Diadem lantern, still running an 80 Watt MBF (mercury vapour) lamp in July 2024. This might be a 'forgotten' installation, as it still relies on a 1990s' Haromarkt S90 one-part NEMA photocell to switch the lantern automatically, rather than being connected to Birmingham's Telensa Telecell-based operating system instead.

Much of the service road does not have its own lighting - the back spill from the main road lighting being considered sufficient. Only at this point in the road, where the service road starts to split from the main road, is dedicated lighting provided. An odd quirk of the main road is that this side of the dual carriageway is in Birmingham, but the other is in Walsall; hence, the use of columns painted black on this side, but unpainted galvanised finish on the other. The lanterns employed are also different.

This installation is very much a 1990s' time capsule, with the brown paint applied to columns then remaining visible, although it is beginning to wear now, revealing an earlier grey finish.

The S90 photocells are incredibly rare in the modern era - in many cases (as has also happened here), the translucent orange plastic used in the casing would crack, sometimes causing damp to enter the photocell's interior, leading to component failure. Others also suffered component failure without the casing becoming damaged, however - the use of TRIAC switching in a photocell was a relatively new invention at the time that these were manufactured.

The mercury lamp has discoloured the polycarbonate bowl during the course of the lantern's life.

< Previous | Next >

BACK TO SURVIVORS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

BACK TO SURVIVORS

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION