A look around the MCSL collection in Storage
The collection is stored in several locations at present until a more permanent home can be found for it. This is a look at some of the many rescued items currently held in the Collection.
These Revo Swannecks were saved from Wolverhampton some years ago. The 'brown bowled' Diadem was from Staffordshire, and the 'winged' Revo tungsten lantern originated from Lytham St Annes in Lancashire, but all were made in the West Midlands by Revo of Tipton.
A dismantled Revo Solumbra, another fitting that came from Wolverhampton. I normally dismantle post top lanterns in this way because they are easier to store. Fully assembled post-top's are very bulky things.
Most of my large sodium lanterns are stored on their backs to prevent distorton or damage to the fragile plastic bowls. The Alpha-One to the right has been dismantled to save space. For ease of storage and for safe keeping, many lanterns are stored on Dexion shelving bought from a local warehouse, when it closed down a few years ago.
I have a lot of smaller sodium lanterns, which take up less room, but I can't justify using Dexion shelf space up for. Some of these are piled up on shelving as pictured, and while this isn't an ideal way of storing these smaller lanterns, it will have to do for the moment.
I have quite a lot of small mercury fittings, some of which are still attached to their brackets. This Eleco 'Ware MkIII' lantern was one of two rescued from Kinver in South Staffordshire during a massive PFI renewal program a few years ago.
It is an inevitibility that when collecting old street lighting equipment that you're going to end up with lots of control gear; all very necessary if ultimately it's your intention to get the lanterns working. Here are some of the transformers and ballasts that I have saved over the years.
Familar to some; a veritable Aladdin's Cave for the street lighting collector.
These are just a few of the items stored at a location in the West Midlands, which no other collector's to date have visited.
Anyone for an Alpha 2000?. Duplicate lanterns stored pending a decision on their future.
More swannecks rescued from Wolverhampton a few years ago. Left is an AC Ford Bracket with a GEC Z5590 lantern, the one to the right is Revo bracket and control box, with a Revo Bell-top lantern.
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Please note that all pictures are by Claire Pendrous, or are part of the Claire Pendrous photographic collection unless otherwise stated; none of these images can be copied without obtaining prior permission.