This lamp belongs to a preserved steam railway. The upper section of the pre-heater was missing, and I’ve made something by cutting out the top of a large flame spreader which just happened to be the right diameter to sit inside the rim of the cup. It’s a bit slow to get started, but once warmed up it worked well and lit the lamp. This lamp needed a full set of seals, a new mantle and an onion globe. The pricker wire needed replacing but the vapouriser is fine. Phil
Thanks, Jeff! It is in fact one of the brightest Tilleys I’ve ever seen, although that could be down to different mantles. Phil
Nice one Phil, and not easy to find! Those little heaters can be a real pain but not easy to find either. I have a PL55, no heater though. It took me years before I found a PL55. They are just plain hard to find especially on this side of the pond!
That's characteristic of the originals so I wouldn't worry about it. One just needs a little patience and they work fine...
Thanks chaps! It’s a nice lamp and a straightforward fettle. I do like these blue flame pre-heaters and in my (limited) experience they work well. I’ve got a Monitor Regal stove with a similar igniter and it is quite fascinating to watch.
That is a lovely old lamp. I rather like the association with the steam railway. You get visions of a station supervisor wondering up and down the platform At night holding the lamp to inspect the mail carriage...
Thank you, Alex. Indeed, old railway stations can be highly atmospheric. The one at which I volunteer has no electricity supply and is lit entirely by the oil lamps that I look after. It is miles from anywhere out in the Shropshire countryside on the Severn Valley Railway, and pitch black at night. It is amazing how much light a simple 5CP wick lamp emits in pitch darkness. Phil
Phil, that is such a magical photo. Timewarp! I am in Faringdon Oxon, and visited stoksely castle in June this year. Which station is it, and can I come over one evening to take photos? Fantastic. Thanks.
@Phil Harris A great photo Phil! Many years ago I lived near the Worth Valley line with it’s very atmospheric gas lit stations.....
Hi Alex and Stevie, It’s Eardington Halt, near Bridgnorth, and (sadly) it’s only open to visitors twice a year during Steam Gala special events. Dusk and night-time photos aren’t easy to take - that one was taken on an iPhone 6. A proper photographer with a decent camera could do much better I’m sure! If you drop me a Private Message, I can give you more details. Phil
Thanks, Jeff! That image actually got printed in Heritage Railway magazine a while ago. I need to take a new one because we have rebuilt and widened the platform since then. Incidentally, the waiting rooms are lit by a Tilley KL80, a TL136 and a WL25, and there are two X246 Guardsman lanterns on the platform. All the other lamps in the picture are, to sanitise Neil McRae’s description, “wicky rubbish”...! I find there’s a very short time window around dusk when it’s possible to get reasonable shots. The problem with smartphone cameras is the auto iris, which tends to make the scene look brighter than it really is and results in a grainy image. Take the photo ten minutes later and all you see are out-of-focus pinpricks of light in a black background. As I said, a proper photographer could do much better. The next opportunity will be the Spring Steam Gala in April 2020. Phil
Thanks Phil, ok, I’ll drop you a private message to hear more about the spring steam gala next year. I’ve been on a few steam lines before, but stations are never that romantic, even at night! And since you’re illuminating with pressure lamps, I think we (UK residents on this forum) should all attend!
Everyone would be welcome, of course! Not much detail as yet, but the dates are confirmed: Special Events 2020 - Severn Valley Railway Phil
