Stations lit other than by electricity

[Rescars]

It would seem that none of the stations on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint ever had electric lighting. They were all lit by either gas or, in more remote locations, oil right up until the Port Road succumbed to Beeching. Which other lines/stations came to electric light late in the day I wonder? Did any of these survive the Beeching era closures? Does anyone know which were the last stations and signal boxes on the network to be lit by gas or by oil?

 

[hexagon789]

It would seem that none of the stations on the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint ever had electric lighting. They were all lit by either gas or, in more remote locations, oil right up until the Port Road succumbed to Beeching. Which other lines/stations came to electric light late in the day I wonder? Did any of these survive the Beeching era closures? Does anyone know which were the last stations and signal boxes on the network to be lit by gas or by oil?

I believe Ilkley was the last station with gas lighting, retaining a lamplighter even after the station had otherwise become unstaffed.

Conversion wasn't until 1988.

 

[Magdalia]

Which other lines/stations came to electric light late in the day I wonder? Did any of these survive the Beeching era closures?

The old Stevenage station was gas lit right up to closure in 1973. Nearby Knebworth only got electric lights as part of the station improvements associated with electrification.

 

[The exile]

Think Dalmeny was either the last or second last gas lit station in Scotland (till mid 1970s?)

 

[AY1975]

Selsdon station on the Woodside to Sanderstead line was gas lit until closure in 1983. Apparently it was the last station in Greater London to be lit entirely by gas.

I believe that the booking hall at Tunbridge Wells West retained gas lighting until closure in 1985.

 

[xotGD]

Gas lights on the KWVR.

 

[Taunton]

Some remote stations on Taunton to Barnstaple had oil lamps until it closed in 1966. Yeo Mill was certainly one. I believe some signalboxes were also oil lit. They were remote from any electricity or gas supply.

Time was supposedly allowed for the guard of the last train to extinguish them at such unstaffed points (though I can't see any such allowance in the timetable), but being good country folk a reliable regular passenger on the last train might be asked to do so instead on their way out.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Wigan Wallgate had gas lighting until the late '70s (when the platform buildings were replaced).

 

[AY1975]

Gas lights on the KWVR.

And on quite a lot of other heritage railways, for example at Rothley on the Great Central. I think this thread may have been meant to be mainly about stations on BR with gas lighting or other forms of non-electric lighting, though.

 

[CPG]

These days, Pilning is lit by moonlight!

 

[Western 52]

Oil lamps would have survived for semaphore signals and crossing gate lamps at many stations where main lighting was electric. Any left on NR?

 

[D6130]

Helensburgh Upper had gas lighting until 1973.

 

[Llanigraham]

Wasn't Malvern Town station gas lit until just before the turn of the century?

 

[GatwickDepress]

Pangbourne and Hanwell survived with gas lighting until 1973 and 1975 respectively and there was a lovely picture in the Reading Evening Post of railwayman Jack King lighting the last gas lamp in front of a DMU. A transcription of the article follows:

An era ended at Pangbourne station last night when Jack King lit the old gas lamps.


For it was the last time Jack, a senior railman of Railway Cottages, Goring, would have to do the chore. From now on a flick of a switch will flood the platforms with light. The gas lamps have seen good service for about 50 years since they replaced the oil burning kind, but time marches on and electricity is easier and cleaner.

Pangbourne hasn't been quick to catch up with progress—only one other station in British Rail's Western Region, Hanwell, still has gas lighting.

But the lamps and their mantles are not entirely unloved—they've all been bought by collectors.

 

[WesternLancer]

Wasn’t Heathfield (Sussex) gas lit until closure in the 60s using its own supply of natural gas, discovered when building the cuckoo line.

 

[Rescars]

Many thanks for your replies, one and all. Amazing how much survived. Presumably the death knell came for much, though perhaps not all,
with the conversion from town to natural gas.

Oil lamps would have survived for semaphore signals and crossing gate lamps at many stations where main lighting was electric. Any left on NR?

I guess signal lighting is a bit of a different story. Granted the power requirements are rather different, but it seemed surprising that oil lamps were in use for so long, given that many signals were wired with electric sensors to provide a "lamp out" warning. Presumably oil signal lamps outlived the use of oil tail lamps. It seems unlikely there are any left, heritage lines excluded, given the price and difficulty in obtaining paraffin even for a greenhouse heater these days!

 

[Taunton]

Presumably the death knell came for much, though perhaps not all, with the conversion from town to natural gas.

Actually no. For those of us who remember the conversion (often spectacular, with the residual town gas being flared off from temporary chimneys in the street!), the complete costs were borne by the gas industry, then nationalised. They met all the labour and component costs, which for some oddball installations, like gas lighting, led to some custom manufacturing. This occurred in all those places which still had gas street lighting as well (London, and I believe Nottingham, still had extensive networks then). I don't think any gas was abandoned to electric because it was too expensive to convert. There were some even more oddball gas usages that were handled; if any gas device could not be converted then new equivalent gas appliances were supplied for free, leading to some people with very old gas cookers which did not have substitute parts available being given new cookers for free, and I seem to recall something similar for gas lights.

 

[Llanigraham]

Many thanks for your replies, one and all. Amazing how much survived. Presumably the death knell came for much, though perhaps not all,
with the conversion from town to natural gas.


I guess signal lighting is a bit of a different story. Granted the power requirements are rather different, but it seemed surprising that oil lamps were in use for so long, given that many signals were wired with electric sensors to provide a "lamp out" warning. Presumably oil signal lamps outlived the use of oil tail lamps. It seems unlikely there are any left, heritage lines excluded, given the price and difficulty in obtaining paraffin even for a greenhouse heater these days!

The signalling for Caersws and Llanidloes Rd level crossings was oil lit certainly up to around 2000 as I can recall seeing one of the local S & T men taking the lamps down and refilling them in the corrugated iron lamp shed that is still standing opposite the platform at Caersws Station.

 

[The exile]

Actually no. For those of us who remember the conversion (often spectacular, with the residual town gas being flared off from temporary chimneys in the street!), the complete costs were borne by the gas industry, then nationalised. They met all the labour and component costs, which for some oddball installations, like gas lighting, led to some custom manufacturing. This occurred in all those places which still had gas street lighting as well (London, and I believe Nottingham, still had extensive networks then). I don't think any gas was abandoned to electric because it was too expensive to convert. There were some even more oddball gas usages that were handled; if any gas device could not be converted then new equivalent gas appliances were supplied for free, leading to some people with very old gas cookers which did not have substitute parts available being given new cookers for free, and I seem to recall something similar for gas lights.

I've got a feeling that with the railway it was different and that quite a few of the last conversions did happen at the time of conversion to North Sea gas in an area - presumably because, unlike the situation with domestic gas cookers and gas fires, BR were wanting to modernise. The question of who paid for the conversion would have been different as well - with domestic users it was in the Gas Boards' long term interest to retain customers, rather than have them switch to electricity (and of course there was a safety element as well - it would be interesting to know how many elderly and potentially lethal gas appliances were condemned as part of the exercise ). Whether one nationalised industry paid for another to update its few remaining gas lights to the "new" gas or the money was put towards converting them to being customers of a third nationalised undertaking (the CEGB) was really rather moot.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Isn't there a station in Scotland that is exclusively lit by nuclear fusion (the Sun), and is only open during the summer (and adjacent) months? Or am I mis-remembering something?

 

[D6130]

Isn't there a station in Scotland that is exclusively lit by nuclear fusion (the Sun), and is only open during the summer (and adjacent) months? Or am I mis-remembering something?

Is that Falls of Cruachan?

 

[Gwr12345]

Isn't there a station in Scotland that is exclusively lit by nuclear fusion (the Sun), and is only open during the summer (and adjacent) months? Or am I mis-remembering something?

Dunrobin Castle perhaps? I think there are quite a few rural stations in Scotland lit solely by nuclear fusion.

 

[Rescars]

Is that Falls of Cruachan?

Strange really, seeing how close it is to a power station!

 

[stuving]

Think Dalmeny was either the last or second last gas lit station in Scotland (till mid 1970s?)

I found a news report about "Steam Special No. 1", which ran on 5th May 1973 - the first after a period when no steam engines were allowed by BR. After leaving Union of South Africa in Fife, there was a stop en route to Edinburgh to "peer at the gas lamps at Dalmeny Station".