My Collection: GEC Z8896
| Manufacturer | G.E.C |
| Catalogue Number (model) | Z8896 |
| Wattage | 80W |
| Lamp-Type | HPL-N |
| Gear | remote |
| Ballast | Philips BHL 80 L32 |
| Capacitor | GEC Z1674 8μF |
| Photocell | Zodion SS55 |
| Date Of Manufacture | ~1976 |
| Date On Photocell | ~~/11/2015 |
| Date On Capacitor | ~~/09/1976 |
| Date Acquired | 14/12/2024 |
| Restoration Status | Cleaned |
| Collection Number | #130 |
This GEC Z8896 was removed from service in the mid-2020s. This one features an acrylic bowl, and as such, saw no yellowing (or clouding)! It came with the gear it ran on up until it's removal, which provided an insight into roughly when the lantern was manufactured and installed. It's a very small lantern, designed for nothing more than the lamp and photocell controls.
The lantern is elliptical in shape, best-seen from underneath.
The canopy has been (poorly) drilled for a two-part cell, in this case, a Zodion SS55 CdSi detector.
The bowl's hinge is damaged, but is still holding on!
GEC's logo and the bowl's PAT No. "848115" are printed into the acrylic.
The lantern was cleaned, and a custom sticker was added, although this was updated during photographing as the lantern's collection number is technically actually #130.
A 3-pin lamp-holder is present at the street-end.
The gear that the lantern ran on in service was installed on an Indal Airtrace 2 gear-tray.
The photocell isn't original, being dated to November 2015.
The capacitor is the only original component, supporting a 1976 date-code.
The ballast also possesses a date-code, this time, hand-written (likely the date of installation for the ballast).
The lantern lit:
