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 Post subject: Re: Columns and Brackets
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:01 am 
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Phosco152 wrote:
I believe that for the south coast PFI (someone will correct me if I get this wrong.. ;) ) that the parish owned lighting is not included in the PFI, however in some cases the parishes are "opting in".


I think a number of parishes are transferring their lighting over to the county council and will therefore be subject to the PFI. I know most of Eastleigh Borough's parish lighting, apart from a handful of installations, will be subject to the PFI. New Forest have a large inventory of parish lighting, and I think their policy is to include "urban" parish lighting in the PFI but to retain control over parish lighting within the National Park boundary. For example, parish lighting in Totton, Hythe and Lymington will be subject to PFI, but not in Brockenhurst. It will be interesting to see what happens though. Will the use of wooden electricity poles continue, or will the PFI see new columns go up next to existing electricity poles? I know it sounds strange, but some roads near me have a mix of columns and wood poles, suggesting that there is a power supply both above and below ground.


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 Post subject: Streetlight columns
PostPosted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:42 pm 
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Gramma6 wrote:
Indust wrote:
An Eleco GR100 on long outreach bracket towards the Wingfield end of town. But the whole installation is being replaced with a bracketed SGS252. All the old columns along here are in poor condition, but the reason for why this one was replaced could be because the lower part of the door has rusted away.


This rusting was no doubt caused by decades of dog urine!  :lol:


To think I poked it to see how severely rusted it was.  :shock:  :?

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Last edited by Indust on Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:52 pm 
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The problem caused by dogs is why new columns have the door further up the column than older columns so that the "vulnerable" door is not in direct line of fire...It also means that for maintenance the part of the column that is in the line of fire no longer needs to be actually touched. Another benefit is that minor flooding will no longer see water enter the column base via the door and affect the cutout which isn't waterproof.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:30 pm 
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It's ironic how they have decided to raise the door height in new columns...at the same time as the vast majority of new lanterns are now integrally-geared!

It would have been a great help if they had decided to do that years ago - and saved the backs and knees of those unfortunate operatives working on control gear mounted two feet off the ground.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 6:37 pm 
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David wrote:
It would have been a great help if they had decided to do that years ago - and saved the backs and knees of those unfortunate operatives working on control gear mounted two feet off the ground.


Then again, working on the ground is much quicker, easier and safer than working at height.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 1:09 am 
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I think Petitjean started the trend of putting the column door higher. When I was younger I always thought their columns were strange that the doors were so high up and 'stuck out'   :mrgreen:


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 Post subject: Re: Streetlight columns
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:26 am 
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The Petit Jean design of column was one that had not been used in Britain before. The hex/octagonal design allowed a lightweight column to be designed compared with current tubular steel ones of the time. The door aperature was simply a welded frame with a flat door and considerably simplier than some of the door designs then in use. The bracket was also a simple right angle tube which also acted as a column extension. This would further keep the weight down and ease installation of 10m and tall columns.

When Stainton took over the design, they simplified the door further, dispensing with the frame and making the door flush with the column and nearer its base.

After what looked like a demise in the use of this column in the early 2000s with large numbers being replaced on motorways and town centres with tubular columns, it is good to see that they are now again making a comeback on major roads.

Another type of column in demise is the twin door (one above the other) style of column that was popular in the 1960s and 70s for twin bracket columns. Twin doors were needed back then as the lanterns were often remote gear and for 135/180w SOX or twin MBF/SON lanterns, twin bulky ballasts, PFCs, possibly ignitors and two part photocell controllers as well could not all be located in a single aperature together with the supply cutout.


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 Post subject: Re: Streetlight columns
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:40 am 
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Phosco152 wrote:
The Petit Jean design of column was one that had not been used in Britain before.


Octagonal columns were in use long before PetitJean introduced them.


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 Post subject: Re: Streetlight columns
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:34 am 
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I meant that Petit Jean columns hadn't been used in Britain previously.


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 Post subject: Re: Streetlight columns
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 1:27 pm 
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What a nice first post to this thread!  :lol:

I seem to remember someone saying that Petit Jean were a division of Stainton, which is why their columns and brackets are similar, or am I just going mad?

Interesting about the column doors... I didn't think about why (most) on the new columns are installed with the doors facing to the side of the pavement. Makes sense though. I haven't noticed the column doors become higher... Some of the highest column doors we have for side roads are British Steel types from the 80s, but the Phosco types are lower. Obviously just a difference in manufacture.

I wonder how long it will take for an air-tight/ water-tight column base to make an appearance! I guess it may encourge more remote geared lanterns to be produced again. Which will hopefully mean they are smaller and more attractive! (Alhough I do like some older internally geared lanterns) *cough*Beta9HW11600*cough*

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Remembering GEC.


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