My Collection: WRTL 2600 (5)
| Manufacturer | WRTL |
| Catalogue Number (model) | 2600 |
| Wattage | 70W |
| Lamp-Type | SON-T |
| Gear | Original |
| Ballast | Parmar HSZ 572 |
| Ignitor | Parmar PXE070 |
| Capacitor | DNA CA/250 (10μF) |
| Photocell | Zodion SS6 |
| Date Of Manufacture | ~~/10/1992 |
| Date On Photocell | ~~/08/2009 |
| Date Acquired | 23/04/2024 |
| Restoration Status | Cleaned |
| Collection Number | #35 |
This is the 6th documented WRTL 2600 in the collection and was an eBay purchase. This one is a fairly unique example. I've been informed that it was mounted at 3m, and took being sawn down with an angle grinder to remove. Despite previously being mounted at 3m, the lantern runs 70W SON-T.
Evidently, an engineer has had issues opening this lantern before. The clips on this one are incredibly tough, even with all of the mud and lichen removed from underneath. Putting too much force into them results in this:
The other clip is intact.
Upon opening the bowl, the 70W SON-T lamp is exposed.
The lantern was inspected for date codes, when I discovered the reason the bowl looked so new. The entire lantern had date codes referring to 1992.
The photocell itself was dated 2009, meaning it was replaced at some-point after then.
An October 1992 installation date is located on a sticker just adjacent to the capacitor.
These date codes differ greatly from the bowl's. It has a 2003 date code, which implies that this was a replacement bowl after the low mounting height caught up with it! This bowl is still 21 years old, so I'm shocked there's not a crack in it and yellowing is minimal.
The Parmar HSZ572 ballast is starting to show it's age...
A Parmar PXE070 ignitor is installed. It moves about freely in the canopy as the plastic nut holder has broken off. It was not anywhere to be found in the lantern so this must have happened a while ago.
Shortly after, the lantern was wired up and fired up!
