Hornby / Meccano lamp / bulb query

[andyman7]

These spare bulbs turned up in a small auction lot of otherwise unrelated Triang items. Would anyone be able to suggest what items they might be suitable for? There are two boxes of item 1565 Lamp 10v (code 13177 on base) plus two boxes where the the top label is missing, one with a blue label with 20509 on the base; and one with a yellow label 20918 on the base. Thanks...

 

[Dagworth]

Spares for these?

 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/meccano-Hornby-dublo-a2-power-control-1773212316

[Wolseley]

They look like they are spare bulbs for the building lighting kits that Meccano Ltd introduced around mid 1961

[Il Grifone]

This requires access to the 'Bible'. Unfortunately my copy is in the UK and I am in Italy at the moment.

 

A perusual of online catalogues was no help.

 

http://img.chem.ucl.ac.uk/dublo/catalog.htm

 

A possibility for the 10V ones is overload lamps for the controllers (possibly the elusive Marshal 3?)

edit

Or these? http://img.chem.ucl.ac.uk/dublo/lf58s2.htm

 

Note the transformer is not marked (inc. Tax) (presumably because transformers were not subject to purchase tax?)

 

A few interesting rarities in this one. I wasn't aware of the bauxite mineral wagon and BR(W) & BR(M) brake vans! I've don't recall ever seeing any! (Wrenn yes - Dublo no)

http://img.chem.ucl.ac.uk/dublo/d64/d64fll.htm

Edited November 15, 2022 by Il Grifone

[GoingUnderground]

45 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

Note the transformer is not marked (inc. Tax) (presumably because transformers were not subject to purchase tax?)

Toys were subject to purchase tax, electrical equipment wasn't. That's why the Triang controllers prior to the introduction of VAT never appeared in the Triang/Rovex catalogues to avoid any inference that they were toys subject to purchase tax.

 

The purchase tax situation was quite complex as regards electrical equipment. I once asked the managing director of a small electrical manufacturing company who made transistor radios why they didn't make a cassette radio - such things didn't exist at the time, at least there were none on sale in the UK that I knew of. His reply was that it was better to sell them as separate units as one attracted purchase tax and the other didn't, sorry I can't remember which did and which didn't. However, if they were combined into a single unit then the whole unit would have been subject to purchase tax. Or at least that's what he told me.

[Il Grifone]

Yes purchase tax legislation was quite complex. When we joined the Common Market, it was all scrapped and VAT was charged on everything, initially at 10%, then reduced to 8% as it produced too much revenue!

[railroadbill]

 

Well I've got an A2 controller,  wouldn't use something electrical that old now,  but I dug it out and - can't get the  bulb out, won't move at all, so can't see specification.  Don't know if it's screw or bayonet fitting. However, it does look the same shape as Andyman7's bulbs for what that's worth.

Presumably if they are bulbs for controller spares then the boxes must be a trade pack for a dealer to use in repairs. They could actually be the same bulbs as Wolseley's building lights anyway.

Controller difficulty with a bulb that lights up if an overload is if it fails you don't know if there is a problem...

Edited November 15, 2022 by railroadbill

[Il Grifone]

They screw in/out, M.E.S. thread. By now, it could well be corroded in place! I doubt it's only 10V though as it would then be overloaded. IIRC the cutout is a bulky relay, so full volts (12/15V) would be  applied to the bulb. I think I have an A2 somewhere here. I'll have a look. (It wouldn't be in use - the T.R.S. cable is well past its 'use by' date (25 years) now.)

I believe the building lights are somewhat smaller. Large bulbs and plastic buildings don't mix well.

 

 

[andyman7]

On 15/11/2022 at 15:42, railroadbill said:

 

Well I've got an A2 controller,  wouldn't use something electrical that old now,  but I dug it out and - can't get the  bulb out, won't move at all, so can't see specification.  Don't know if it's screw or bayonet fitting. However, it does look the same shape as Andyman7's bulbs for what that's worth.

Presumably if they are bulbs for controller spares then the boxes must be a trade pack for a dealer to use in repairs. They could actually be the same bulbs as Wolseley's building lights anyway.

Controller difficulty with a bulb that lights up if an overload is if it fails you don't know if there is a problem...

The bulbs are definitely dealer spares, designed either for use in repairs or to be sold individually from a spares price list. It would be good to work out what they are for as no doubt there is someone out there who needs one or other of them.