GWR Signal Lamps

[OldSutt]

As I was slowly going mad with the construction of Ratio Signal kits for my layout, a thought crossed my mind.

Am I correct in thinking that Oil?  GWR Signal Lamps were maintained by a lamp-man, whose job was to clean the spectacles, trim the wicks and top up the oil. If so, did these stalwarts have to walk miles of track to the next section? Presumably maintenance/topping up would have been done on a regular basis if the light was not to go out. How long would a lamp burn?

I guess that some lamps would be changed to electrical when power became available.

 

[The Stationmaster]

As I was slowly going mad with the construction of Ratio Signal kits for my layout, a thought crossed my mind.

Am I correct in thinking that Oil?  GWR Signal Lamps were maintained by a lamp-man, whose job was to clean the spectacles, trim the wicks and top up the oil. If so, did these stalwarts have to walk miles of track to the next section? Presumably maintenance/topping up would have been done on a regular basis if the light was not to go out. How long would a lamp burn?

I guess that some lamps would be changed to electrical when power became available.

Western long burning lamps would officially last for a week if they were properly trimmed and clean with the flame set to the correct height.  In practice a properly trimmed lamp on the standard well would go just over the 7 days to allow for slight delay in attention/changing.  Lamping districts were originally designed to allow a week's work for the Lampmen (where Lampmen were used) and could involve a lot of walking/cycling but in some places Signalmen did their own lamps while in many smaller stations the lamping was the job of one of the Porters.

 

The usual method on the Western was for the Lampie to keep a supply of spare lamps and these were kept trimmed and ready so they just needed to be checked as full and lit before taking them out to the signals.  The usual way of carrying was to take as many as possible/sensibly needed at a time and carry them on a broomstick (without dropping any) although usually when climbing signals you would only take the one or a couple but gantries with quite a few lamps could be a nuisance so the experts would go up the main structure ladder with the broomstick.

 

The lamps you see on the signals are actually only an outer casing, the lamp itself slots inside that casing - and it's no good at all trying to do lamps up on a gantry or bracket although that's what the idlers would try.  there is a degree of art and a fair bit of work in keeping lamps in good condition - the burners must be kept scrupulously clean as any build-up of carbon will affect the clarity/size of the flame and affect oil consumption, the wick also needs to be kept carbon free and properly set to give the correct flame and of course the glass of both the inner lamp and the lamp casing on the signal has to be kept clean.  All sounds rather menial I suppose but it needs a really conscientious person in order to do the job properly. 

 

By my time good Lampies were akin to gold dust - having spent most of one Boxing Day evening/night, in pouring rain of course, replacing lamps which had gone out you won't be surprised to learn that part of the following day was devoted to sacking the Lampman.  We were very lucky and recruited a chap in his late 50s who was very much into oil lamps and he did a fantastic job although it took him a while to get all our lamps back to where they should be and he was forever badgering me for spare parts but even in the mid 1970s it was difficult to get parts from Reading and in the end we had a number of interiors made locally and got the glasses cut and engraved locally as well (the glass in the interior had guide lines for the height of the flame).

 

The Western Region seems to have finally started to use electric lights in semaphore signals in the early 1990s and a big conversion programme got underway which saw the end of oil lamps.  Electric had previously been regarded with suspicion because not only were power supplies very difficult in many places but getting an electric lamp which could stand the shocks encountered in a semaphore signal and didn't cost a fortune had also been a long standing problem.  Although electric lamps had been available for many years the Western considered them far too expensive and awkward to use and reliability was a big issue.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

[The Bigbee Line]

I did a bit of lamping at Betteshanger in the late 1980's, You think a signal is a solid structure, wrong!  I was on a bracket signal waiting for the signal to be replaced after a train passed before changing the lamp.  The signal swayed when the train passed, when the signal dropped, it was a right bang, not for the feint hearted.  We had a length of brake release cord to hoist up the lamp from a confederate on the ground.

At night the smell of a lamp (very distinctive) brings back memories of shunting where the dummies were oil lit.

The good old days,

[BRealistic]

The elderly gentleman in the little 'railway museum' in Newton Abbot said, when I was taking a closer look at the signal display (they'd dug out the basement to get it in!!)... "You'll notice that the spectacle is blue... and that's because the light from the oil lamp was yellow, and this combination gave green!"  I have no reason to disbelieve him!  He was one of the chaps that pulled a lever to change it!

[TheSignalEngineer]

Signal lamps were usually what was known as an 'Eight Day Lamp'. In other words there should be no problem in getting a continuous light as long as they were filled, trimmed and properly set up on a weekly basis. On the LMS the inners were made in the tinsmiths shop at Crewe, a job still being done in the 1960s. When I did my engineering training there soldering up a lamp inner was the test piece for apprentices in the school at the end of their session on the sheet metal section.

 

Not specifically talking about the GWR but at that time there were still the local trip workings so the Lampman often timed his work to coincide with these. Very useful for getting out to an oil lit distant, and if a margin was arranged with the signalman they would wait for him to change the lamp before taking him to the next box.

 

Electric lights didn't catch on because of the cost of getting power to isolated signals. We experimented with solar power at Willaston in 1968 but it was not particularly good at the time. The batteries needed otherwise were big, heavy and expensive.

[RailWest]

There are references to lamps on the S&DJR at Radstock in the early 1900s being powered by gas (presumbaly form the local 'town gas' supply), tho' quite how widespread that practice was I have no idea.

 

By contrast, many heritage railways these days are experimenting with LED lights in their signals, in order to reduce the power requirement and eliminate (hopefully) the risk of blown bulbs.

[Horsetan]

.....The Western Region seems to have finally started to use electric lights in semaphore signals in the early 1990s and a big conversion programme got underway which saw the end of oil lamps.  Electric had previously been regarded with suspicion because not only were power supplies very difficult in many places but getting an electric lamp which could stand the shocks encountered in a semaphore signal and didn't cost a fortune had also been a long standing problem.  Although electric lamps had been available for many years the Western considered them far too expensive and awkward to use and reliability was a big issue.....

 

Indeed, Dorman started making LED inserts for semaphore lamp casings. I've got a Dorman PowerPoint presentation somewhere that mentions these!

[LNERGE]

I believe the lampman was allowed 15 minutes per lamp plus walking time to and from the signal?

[TheSignalEngineer]

There are references to lamps on the S&DJR at Radstock in the early 1900s being powered by gas (presumbaly form the local 'town gas' supply), tho' quite how widespread .................

 

In their book 'Modern Railway Signalling' written c1925, Tweedie & Lascelles mentioned the use of acetylene gas lamps in signals. Regarding town gas, when my grandfather was assistant lineman at New St between the wars signals in the station were gas lit. The lamplighters turned the lamps on at the same time as the platform lamps. I recall being told of one which I think was in Monument Lane tunnel which had no arm, just a spectacle plate which moved in front of a gas lamp.

[The Stationmaster]

I believe the lampman was allowed 15 minutes per lamp plus walking time to and from the signal?

Not  by the 1970s I would have thought or our bloke would have been on a 12 hour day - at the quieter 'boxes.  As far as I know we just simply had what was regarded as a day's work although the bloke we recruited after the useless one was sacked used his own car to get around and thus worked the hours and lamping to suit himself and in fact combined a couple of 'boxes onto the same day to create a day off for himself.  All a good old sort of 'country railway' approach to things - which would probably get us all sacked in this day & age.

[28XX]

Signal lamps were usually what was known as an 'Eight Day Lamp'. In other words there should be no problem in getting a continuous light as long as they were filled, trimmed and properly set up on a weekly basis. On the LMS the inners were made in the tinsmiths shop at Crewe, a job still being done in the 1960s. When I did my engineering training there soldering up a lamp inner was the test piece for apprentices in the school at the end of their session on the sheet metal section.

 

Not specifically talking about the GWR but at that time there were still the local trip workings so the Lampman often timed his work to coincide with these. Very useful for getting out to an oil lit distant, and if a margin was arranged with the signalman they would wait for him to change the lamp before taking him to the next box.

 

Electric lights didn't catch on because of the cost of getting power to isolated signals. We experimented with solar power at Willaston in 1968 but it was not particularly good at the time. The batteries needed otherwise were big, heavy and expensive.

 

I was the next generation of Signal Engineers after you, and they were still making oil lamps in the tinsmiths shop at Crewe in 1976.

[TheSignalEngineer]

I was the next generation of Signal Engineers after you, and they were still making oil lamps in the tinsmiths shop at Crewe in 1976.

Are you trying to make me feel old, Mr. S?

 

Eric

[unclebobkt]

 .... .  

Although electric lamps had been available for many years the Western considered them far too expensive and awkward to use and reliability was a big issue.

 

 

 -- I served in the Royal Artillery, HAA. branch, for a few years in the early '50s..  To shed light on the meters of the generators' switch-boards we used what were called 'LAMPS, rough service, 230V.' , (as far as I could judge the filaments were thicker than the domestic variety?),   wch. supposedly were made specially to withstand the constant vibrations from the Diesel motors.

 - Then, later on at sea, we used special bulbs for the ship's navigation lights - again designed to withstand the sometimes violent motion of the ship during rough seas.  We had a complete set of oil-lamps, for wch. we used colza oil,  as spares in case an electic light failed inconveniently - fortunately neither of the two masthead light did, otherwise there would have been one heck of an argument between the Sailing Master, (myself),  and the ship's electricians as to who should replace the blown bulb - on the Foremast it was fixed some 90ft. above the deck! 

[unclebobkt]

  ... .

 Am I correct in thinking that Oil?  GWR Signal Lamps were maintained by a lamp-man, whose job was to clean the spectacles, trim the wicks and top up the oil.

 ... .

 

 -- I believe that the GWR. men on the footplate used to refer to the oil-lamp lit signals as 'Glow-worms.';  in which case, and especially during inclement weather, such signals must have been the very devil to see in good time for adequate & safe braking , were that necessary.

 - It would be courting disaster to assume that because the preceeding 99 times a certain signal was set to 'Clear.' that it would be so at the 100th. time of passing - constant vigilance!

[The Stationmaster]

 -- I believe that the GWR. men on the footplate used to refer to the oil-lamp lit signals as 'Glow-worms.';  in which case, and especially during inclement weather, such signals must have been the very devil to see in good time for adequate & safe braking , were that necessary.

 - It would be courting disaster to assume that because the preceeding 99 times a certain signal was set to 'Clear.' that it would be so at the 100th. time of passing - constant vigilance!

Usually there would be no problem at all observing the light in an oil lit signal lamp - but it required the wick to be properly trimmed and the height of the flame correctly set and the lamp bullseye to be kept clean.  Then - as long as enginemen knew where to look for it no problem at.  But increasingly powerful street lighting over the years plus a lot of extraneous lineside lighting from houses etc gearadually made it more difficult to sight signal lamps - you really had to know where to look for them.

 

By way of contrast I remember travelling over the West Highland Extension in the cab of a diesel in 1969 and it was quite noticeable how well properly trimmed signal lamps stood out in a part of the world where lineside etc lighting was as near non-existent as made no difference, but still had to know where to look for them.