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Traffic cones?


Nick G
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At least some were. The two which were found in our garden one morning soon after moving in (in the mid '80s) both had [faded] red bases. (We suspect the previous owners' student son of having 'borrowed' them one night). Better not say why I remember them so well! 

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At least some were. The two which were found in our garden one morning soon after moving in (in the mid '80s) both had [faded] red bases. (We suspect the previous owners' student son of having 'borrowed' them one night). Better not say why I remember them so well! 

 

 

Thanks.

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Thanks.

 

cones in the 1980s were generally smaller, and a one part moulding, with a pentagon base with a sand filled sock inside the base as ballast weight. most road works on minor roads used approx 500mm high cones with reflective sleeves , but not the class A sleeves that you see today, they would have looked whitey silver with some glitter in it. I have some from the 80`s somewhere if you need pictures. The road lamps would have been the four side parafin type, or the square metal dorman smith trafilamps, I know, cause i pinched loads of these for the photocell controllers, they were 12v and made all the street lights on my layout come on at dusk, and also used the flashing part to make flashing police car lights, well it looked ace back then in the 80`s, i bet it cost hillingdon borough council a fortune lol.....

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  • 2 months later...

Just to add to this not very interesting topic, here is a picture of two cones.

 

The one on the left is a BT one from 1982, the one on the right is from the early 1990s, they are quite small, from my, ahem, collection.

post-12679-0-86670600-1517342243_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Apparently they were first used in the UK on the M6 Preston bypass construction in 1958

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_cone

 

But I suspect that they only became commonplace after the 1967 Road Safety Act, the Wikipedia article does give a pointer to what they replaced - red painted paraffin lamps.

 

All the best

 

Nick

Edited by doctor quinn
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Funny story about the old paraffin lamps. They used to be red, but at the end they had become yellow instead (lamp body & lens). It wasn't long after I'd passed my driving test (Jan 1967) so would probably be that summer. I followed an elderly couple in a Morris Minor out of Ely on the A10 towards Cambridge Just past the present day bypass roundabout, the road narrowed slightly, and had a different road surface, slightly undulating. There were some verge works going on, and possibly a re-surface, but no lane closures. It was dusk, and the YELLOW lamps were lit. The MM actually stopped at these, knot knowing what they meant!  Presumably they were used to red ones...

 

Stewart

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Apparently they were first used in the UK on the M6 Preston bypass construction in 1958

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_cone

But I suspect that they only became commonplace after the 1967 Road Safety Act, the Wikipedia article does give a pointer to what they replaced - red painted paraffin lamps.

In fact that article suggests they weren't plastic until 1961.

 

I suspect you're correct that the '67 Act might have been a tipping point; certainly they were in common use by the early 1970s.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Cones became commonplace from late 1960s. There were black base ones, types moulded from black rubber with a plastic sleeve that formed the red and white bit that slipped over the top. Mostly though before 1986 cones were still one piece plastic weighted with a sandbag. Best ones I use on my layout which I think are accurate for any period are the ‘modelscene’ ones. Easy too to assemble.

 

The oil lamps were yellow and red into the mid seventies. Red was phased out due to yellow becoming more visible and finally due to health and safety and cost of oil lamps . They disappeared completely by the early 1980s. Nobody as far as I know makes them in oo; only nearest possibility is somebody (can’t remember who) makes red GWR tail lamps. These possibly could be modified. Flashing yellow battery lamps were introduced in 1966 by Dorman. These were often on tripods. But again these would be a pig to model.

 

Barriers up until the mid 70s could still be made of wood. ‘Scalemodel scenery’ do a great set of these barriers if you’re modelling I’d say pre 1977. 1977 to late 80s many barriers were fitted to cones with adaptors or big heavy red barrier posts were used manufactured by a company called Glasdon in Blackpool. The one section laser cut barriers you can buy everywhere now only came in from the early 2000s and these would be incorrect for a layout prior to 1999.

 

And anybody whose a certain age will remember the old striped GPO tent used by BT and the gpo!

I’ve made one for my layout. Bachmann do one in a set but it’s expensive and the figures that come with it are too modern for my layout. There’s plenty of pics online you can get templates from.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Funny story about the old paraffin lamps. They used to be red, but at the end they had become yellow instead (lamp body & lens). It wasn't long after I'd passed my driving test (Jan 1967) so would probably be that summer. I followed an elderly couple in a Morris Minor out of Ely on the A10 towards Cambridge Just past the present day bypass roundabout, the road narrowed slightly, and had a different road surface, slightly undulating. There were some verge works going on, and possibly a re-surface, but no lane closures. It was dusk, and the YELLOW lamps were lit. The MM actually stopped at these, knot knowing what they meant!  Presumably they were used to red ones...

 

Stewart

 

They were ERDiC lamps.   Ely Rural Distric Council

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They were ERDiC lamps.   Ely Rural Distric Council

I was just going to ask about ERDIC, the Railway used BARDIC lamps and I wondered if there was a connection.

Having re-read your post, I guess not.

As for making your own cones, someone suggested appropriately coloured crayons in a pencil sharpener... some locations had blue ones as I recall.

Steve

Edited by divibandit
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I was just going to ask about ERDIC, the Railway used BARDIC lamps and I wondered if there was a connection.

Having re-read your post, I guess not.

As for making your own cones, someone suggested appropriately coloured crayons in a pencil sharpener... some locations had blue ones as I recall.

Steve

 

Blue cones are used on the motorway and A roads during bigger upgrades and similar work to advise crews of overhead structures such as bridges, when they are used for power lines they tend to have a yellow sleeve with the danger of death sign on them.

Green cones are used for access points.

Red cone lamps are now in use for motorway closures, often with a big truck parked across the road behind them to enforce the message, always funny when you get a driver go through cones and hit an impact protection vehicle... then say I didn't see it.

 

Mark

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  • 1 month later...
On ‎09‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 15:49, ianmacc said:

Nice use of the modelscene fence posts! A way to make the unsightly feet part of the actual design. The rubbish chute is a nice touch but I think the scaffold inspector may not sign you off ;)

Yes they look better as barriers now than fences...

thumbnail_IMG_6577 (2).jpg

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3 hours ago, Tangoman69 said:

Neil, I think the highways inspector will do you for not following section 74 of the NRSWA. 

Pedestrian & traffic management is seriously lacking on today’s standards

 

Karl

Good job theres no H&S in this modelling era...:D

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