69CH. Chad Road, Swan Village, Coseley, Dudley, West Midlands Located outside the Chad Road Service Station are two 6 m tubular steel columns supporting Atlas Alpha 3 lanterns for 250 - 400 Watt MBF (mercury vapour) lamps. Similar to the examples seen on page 176A, although this mounting height is unusual for such powerful lanterns, the use here is more to provide bright area lighting over the forecourt area than to form general street lighting.

Only one of the two columns is pictured as the second is identical to the first. The column design seems far too modern for the 1960s' lantern, suggesting that any original columns were replaced, but had their lanterns transferred over.

The brackets are unusual, in that they look to be sections of pipe that are welded to the columns. At some point, the metalwork was painted, but because of the galvanised surface, this has not adhered correctly, and has peeled off.

Sadly, the bowls of both lanterns are broken.

The rear castings have been painted too, but again, the paint has flaked off.

Interestingly, the lamp is still intact in this example, and notably, features an uncoated flat front end. Although British MBF lamps were of this design originally, later types were fully elliptical, and only some US and Japanese lamps continued to be produced with the flat section. Thus, the lamp here is (either) original to the lantern (unlikely, but not impossible), or is an import from one of the above markets.

Considering the position of the bowl damage, the lamp is incredibly lucky to have survived.

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