Off St John's Road, Oldwinsford, Stourbridge, Dudley, West Midlands With thanks to Leo Conway for informing me of this Survivor. Situated at the back of some land belonging to a Telephone Exchange is a 15 ft (5 m) tubular steel column supporting an Atlas / Thorn Gamma 2 post-top lantern, designed for two or four 2 ft (600 mm) 40 Watt MCFA/U (linear fluorescent with starting aid strips). This suggests that the Exchange building dates from the 1960s, and by the style of its architecture, this is probably correct. Whether the Gamma 2 still works, or is even capable of doing so these days, is not known, however. No other examples exist on the site, and there is no remaining evidence of additional examples ever existing.

The distinctive skittle-shaped body of the Gamma 2 makes it instantly recognisable.

The base casting is painted the same dark blue of the column; however, the top section (bonded permanently to the bowl) is still the original light blue.

Zooming in on the small hole in the Perspex, the lantern's internal support spine is visible - albeit, now slightly rusted with the passage of time.

As with my own Gamma 2, the bonding cement is beginning to fail towards the bottom of the bowl, causing the Perspex to start splitting along the seam.

Behind the column, in the background, the modern Stourbridge Bus Station can be glimpsed. This was built on the site of the former Stourbridge (Town) railway station; the platform being relocated to a site a little further south in 1994.

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