BR lamp information

This is the place to talk about news, TV, music and other hobbies
Post Reply
User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

BR lamp information

Post by tom_tom_go » Sun Mar 10, 2019 9:23 pm

This was bought for me recently as a birthday present and interested if anyone can supply additional information of when it might of been produced, where it was used on the BR network, etc (I did ask the cat but he didn't have anything useful to say other than meow):

IMG_20190310_210746-02.jpeg
IMG_20190310_210746-02.jpeg (330.49 KiB) Viewed 4647 times
IMG_20190310_210835-01.jpeg
IMG_20190310_210835-01.jpeg (318.56 KiB) Viewed 4647 times
IMG_20190310_210853-01.jpeg
IMG_20190310_210853-01.jpeg (382.82 KiB) Viewed 4647 times

I like the idea of having this outside, can I paint it using Hammerite or does it need stripping back?

User avatar
philipy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5033
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 pm
Location: South Northants

Re: BR lamp information

Post by philipy » Mon Mar 11, 2019 7:00 am

Tom,
My first thought on seeing your pic, was "Doesn't it have an ID stamped on it somewhere?" but I'm sure you would have looked!

Anyway out of curiosity I've had a look around and found this on ebay. It looks identical to me, from the photos, and is indeed stamped BR(W) on the chimney.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAILWAY-TAIL ... SwqctchRlI

Don't know if this helps? I suspect the same lamp would have been used on other regions and branded accordingly, but thats just a guess.
Philip

User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

Re: BR lamp information

Post by tom_tom_go » Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:18 am

I did look for some kind of marking or stamp before posting but couldn't find one or it's corroded away and not visible.

User avatar
IanC
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 798
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 9:15 am
Location: Nr. Warrington, Cheshire

Re: BR lamp information

Post by IanC » Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:47 am

It looks very much like a BR brake van lamp.
Ian

User avatar
pandsrowe
Trainee Fireman
Trainee Fireman
Posts: 246
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 12:15 pm
Location: West Norfolk, UK

Re: BR lamp information

Post by pandsrowe » Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:02 pm

I have an identical one painted white which I suspect yours is under all the grime, mine is also embossed BR(W) on the chimney and has no other identifying marks that I have been able to find. I bought it from the railwayana shop at Quainton in the early 1980s and from memory it cost me £9 along with an enamelled "Platform 5" sign. Those were the days for sensible prices for railwayana, I've now given up collecting as the prices asked are often ludicrous to say the least. As a point of interest yours is missing the oil tank/burner assembly but these do appear on Ebay from time to time.
Phil

User avatar
BorisSpencer
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 2:36 pm
Location: East Northants

Re: BR lamp information

Post by BorisSpencer » Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:50 pm

Rather than Hammerite paint you could just give it a good scrub and then wipe it over with furniture polish, this will preserve its patina.

I have an old roadworks lamp, that is also missing its burner, I put one of those flickering LED tealights in that runs continuously for 5-6 days before the batteries need changing, I was going to cannibalise a solar light, but it hasn't seemed worth it..

User avatar
Andrew
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 3247
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: Bristol, UK
Contact:

Re: BR lamp information

Post by Andrew » Mon Mar 11, 2019 2:55 pm

That's very nice...

Yes, I'd agree that it could of the BR era - I've also got one stamped BR on the top bit. Mine's black, and is of the type that went on the side of a van, showing a clear aspect forwards and a red one to the rear. Let me know if you find a source of lamp brackets to put the thing up...

Mine's in working order (I bought it c30 years ago, which probably helps!) but I never use it, the family aren't too keen on the fumes (!) - the flickering tealight is a great idea, thanks Boris!

Cheers,

Andrew.

User avatar
Soar Valley Light
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1451
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
Location: North West Leicestershire

Re: BR lamp information

Post by Soar Valley Light » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:44 pm

Hi Tom,

The others are correct, it's a standard BR tail lamp. They were generally painted white but some of those used on freights seemed to manage to appear in black. As Andrew has already pointed out, some sidelamps were also black, whilst others were white. There's a good reason why one sidelamp might have been black and one white but painting tail lamps black always stuck me as a daft idea. After all, Signalmen were expected to pick them out on the back of a train in swirling steam and smoke, possibly four or more roads away, in poor light and that's before we get onto the subject of mist and fog! Signalmen don't just like white because it the colour of the levers they don't have to bother with!

I think this type of lamp began to appear from the mid to late fifties and survived right up to the advent of the flashing battery taillamps we are blinded by today! Early ones seemed to be stamped with regional identification as suggested but later ones seemed to just have BR or nothing at all.

Hope that helps,

Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

User avatar
tom_tom_go
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4824
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:08 am
Location: Kent, UK
Contact:

Re: BR lamp information

Post by tom_tom_go » Wed Mar 13, 2019 6:55 pm

Thanks for the info guys.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest