WRTL SRL 8 Lantern Installations
The WRTL SRL 8 is an extremely robust lantern, sold previously as the GEC Z8830. The canopy is made of glass-reinforced-plastic (fibreglass) with a polycarbonate, or flat-glass bowl; the vast lamp-compartment makes these fixtures look quite barren inside when they are fitted with 70W HID lamps, but they could run up to 100W SON. This lantern was used quite frequently in the UK.
Birmingham
Heading over to Birmingham, the SRL 8 can be seen everywhere! It most commonly occupies 5m swan-neck columns like this example on Newton Street. The column is a newer Fabrikat column, the bracket has been re-used from the older Birmingham City column.
Just opposite, is this WRTL SRL 8. It runs 70W SON.
On a footpath that runs alongside Bloomsbury Street is this Abacus base-hinged column, featuring a side-entry bracket and an SRL 8 lantern.
Inside appears to be a 50W SON lamp; the bowl hasn't succumbed to much yellowing during its service.
A slightly unusual SRL8 exists on Farm Street. At first, it appeared like a regular hockeystick, but I noticed it was a bit tipsy-looking.
The column is actually a 4m cast-iron, with a 2m hockey-stick extension bracket fitted on top for a total height of 6m.
Despite it's 6m mounting height, the SRL8 runs a 100W SON-T lamp. My best guess as to the reason for this is that previously there was likely a cranked-bracket with a diadem fitted. This would've extended the 4m column to 5m tall, and it would've been logged as-such. When the bracket was removed, the column went down to 4m, but being logged as a 5m (and with a 2m extension added) a 100W lantern was installed for a 7m column.
The ladder arms have been cut off.
The reason for it's wonky appearance soon became clear - someone's reversed into it!
Lichfield
These are WRTL SRL 8 Lanterns, located on a footbridge over Stowe Road, Lichfield. They're both badly vandalized: one supporting nothing more than a lamp-holder and a couple of rogue wires. The other is slightly better with it's gear compartment intact, but it has no bowl or lamp. Presumably, these were both running SON lamps before their demise. This is the first WRTL SRL 8.
What remains of the bowl's hinge mechanism, and the lantern's reflectors can be seen among the grime. The inside of the lamp-holder is completely rusted and nothing remains of the gear.
The second one is better, but not by much. This lantern would make an amazing restoration project!
Both lanterns have a post-top adapter.
Rugby
One of the optic options for these lanterns featured a flat-glass bowl. This variant was much, much rarer than the polycarbonate variant. These are located along Wood Street, Rugby.
Unlike my own flat-glass SRL 8, these have no paint finish left, but would have been white originally before the lichen growth.
These appear to be privately owned, and have some kind of LED retrofit lamp inside.
Whittington
Column 3 on Langton Crescent sports a 70W SON SRL 8.
