This surviving CU Avenue 3D Arc 2 column column supporting a GEC Z9450 has been linked before by Rojojnr in the GSV thread. Yesterday I managed to go up to the open base and take a photograph of the rare control gear. Can anyone guess when this might date back to? We know the columns are 1950s but is the gear as old as that?

I have a second example from Grange Park on a newer-type concrete column. I *think* these columns would have originally supported Alpha 1s (hence the Atlas gear) as I know that this was the case in another part of the borough, going by an old photograph from a local history book. Is anyone able to date this installation going by the gear? Such a method has worked in the past when the ELECO gear from outside where I live was traced back to c.mid-60s going by the logo and lamp types displayed on the gear box. To take a closer look, just copy and paste it into Word and then expand.

I'm guessing that GEC gear is 1950's as whats written is the same as a 1951 GEC transformer I used to have. Also it mentions 'cycles' which I'm assuming it says "50 cycles" which was changed according to wikipedia in 1960 to Hz to fit with SI unit system.

So maybe it is original

The second Atlas one is also marked CPS "cycles per second" so guessing that's similar age.

Excellent vintage gear there Alex. It's a shame it'll all be destroyed.  

Look at the size of that capacitor! The leak transformer itself looks to be of the same size and profile to an Eleco one I have. Pictures of that are in the collection thread somewhere.


That is possibly the biggest leak transformer I have seen, close to the size of the black one Stelmer has.

It's a shame you can't just take the gear out the base of the column once it's been disconnected - otherwise the contractor has to pay to have it destroyed.

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The GEC ballast is early 1950s and would be original to the column. I have 2 identical ballasts which came from early 1950s installations.

The Atlas ballast would be 1960s and whilst similar in shape to your smaller Eleco version is again similar to one I have but is badged Phosco. Manufacturers often bought gear and had them relabelled. I suspect your Eleco one is actually Thorn/Atlas of origin but relabelled as Eleco.

The capacitor is again original. Square box capacitors were common for that era - Hunts branded ones were one make in that form, yours however is a BICC.

Thanks for your responses - much appreciated! The column in the second example dates back to the 1960s so the gear must be original to it; it's just at one point the Alpha 1s would have been swapped for GEC Z9454s.

Phosco152, the relabelling fact is particularly interesting. For those of you who haven't seen my ELECO gear: