Colour of a GWR lamp...

Hello
I've recently gotten hold of a GWR lamp - it's three aspect and lots of nice brass bits on it...

It LOOKS like the last paint job was mostly black, with red on the lower portion of the lamp's body....

is that correct? if so... anyone know what exact red?

or is that BR colour and GWR was something else? tis quite hard to find out!

cheers

 

The usual colour for GWR loco lamps was Indian red, if it is a 3 aspect that may not apply.

 

hi thank you, I don't think it's a loco lamp the shop thought it to be a guard's lamp I'm not very up on this side of railwayana I admit

 

If I remember correctly a guard's lamp has just the three coloured filters; a shunter's lamp has the three filters and a clear opening, so the shunter could use it as a hand lamp to see between vehicles when coupling or uncoupling at night, or for reading the wagon 'ticket'.

 

then it'll be the latter John. Thanks... nice one. I'd still like to find out the right colour scheme though! I can't see anything other than badly flaked off black on the majority of the body, with a red stripe just before the flange at the base.
Nice brass though! Very shiny

 

Not just for use as illumination; a white light has a specific meaning in shunting (move towards or move away from the signal, according to how it is waved). At least that is the case in our rule book, which is based on the BR (1950) rule book and no doubt traces its genesis to earlier than that.

Tom

 

Yes - I'd forgotten the use of a white light for shunting signals. Dates back to at least 1904 as they are quoted in a GWR Rule Book of that date. (Ian Allan reprint pre 1971)

 

If the lamp has a yellow aspect it is more likely to have been for use by a signalman. Locomen, Guards & shunters have no use for a yellow; only white, green & red.

 

If your lamp looks like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Railway-l...Collectables_Railwayana_RL&hash=item20da6d634
then it is a handlamp. If the drum has four aspects (red, peacock blue, orange and clear or no glass fitted) then it is a fogman's lamp and should have an orange band around the body between the front door and the base. The problem is that many lamps may now be a marriage of a good body and drum from two damaged lamps. So, the body could well have previously have been used by a fogman and then been re-used to create a 3 aspect lamp, or vice-versa. As for the orange band, I have seen them from almost straw yellow through orange to almost red and the reason for that we may never know!

 

This is my GWR 3 Aspect Lamp:


4 Aspect ones as mentioned above had a Orange band on the plain portion above the base and below the Door

Matt

 

yes, both the ebay lamp and the above are pretty much what I have. I had no doubt it was a hand lamp though because there's obviously no fixing for putting on rolling stock.

and yes, definitely four aspect, with an orange/red band in the place mentioned.

if you mean that "peacock blue" is a kind of greeny-blue when lit... then that's it. I've no element on the clear aspect. The orange element has a minor but noticeable fracture in it, and the lamp's somewhat unrestored (read - flaked paint) body gives me a sense of confidence in its provenance.

I'm undecided still whether to restore it. I wouldn't really know what paint type to use. Not the most practically minded of chaps to be honest.

Kind of nice to have something genuinely GWR though. I'd love to see where it was used, but who wouldn't love to have a time machine...

Anyway, many thanks all. Much appreciated.

Cheers,
Rob

 

I agree with Tom. Guards and shunters use the same lamps with a minimum of Red, Blue which looks green when illuminated by a yellow flame and white/clear. Guards are required to shunt from time to time and a three colour lamp is mandatory in the Black BR rule book. White is also used for the folowing by guards and station staff

• to give 147 at night ( train complete but lamp has not passed the box)
• to indicate to a signalman when a train is clear of points when it is required to set back
• by station staff to indicate to the guard that station work is complete, may be given by more than one member of platform staff.

There are others but cant be bothered to get the book out. Incidentally many BR Bardics are 4 colour, mine is but never use the yellow

Lobby question - what does a green light waved vertically to a driver at the arrival end of a platform mean?

 

To answer the above question.

It indicates that there is nothing to pick up and if he has nothing to set down then there is no need to stop

Only applicable to freights

 

Mattie - I did not expect such a promt correct reply. Most people I have asked needed to look it up. The question was put to me many years ago by a BR driver in one of those rule book discussions in the lobby over tea and it stuck in the mind since.

 

I have an unhealthy interest in freight operations, from a Guards and Shunters perspective

I'm one of the GCRs freight Guards and have done a few shunting demos at Didcot.
I'm only truly happy on a Goods Brake watching the rake of wagons negotiate the rail joints.

 

I have two spells as guard 20 years ago at KESR pass and freight and I recently got back into railways at SVR but pass only. On KESR I enjoyed succeeding keeping the couplings taught as the gradient changed from up to down at Hexden Bridge as we ran from Rolvenden to Wittersham. Not so fleet of foot as I was so probably best not to go waggon chassing - see "Shunter Blacks Night Off" shot at Feltham hump

 

The 'official' handlamp terms are 'guards lamp' for three aspect and 'fogging lamp' for four aspect.

 

Makes sense. A guard or shunter in the course of their normal duties would only have cause to show red, green or white aspects. A fogman or other person stationed to relay the aspects of a defective signal may additionally need to show a yellow aspect.

Tom

 

HI
The colour is right should be black its a GWR one with brass . some LT ones painted red and some were black and BR ones some in black and some black with yellow tops. FISH 7373 81C

 

Only fogging lamps had yellow tops (BR type) or the orange stripe (GWR / BR(W) type). This was an immediate visual reference that the lamp had the additional yellow aspect, without having to open up an unlit lamp to check, but I think it was only applied in BR days. But it wasn't universally applied and several varieties of fogging lamp never had it.