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The Museum
of Road Signs and Signals
and street lighting
Illuminated signage
Definition:
Illuminated signage is made up of all the luminous devices whose purpose is to regulate road traffic.
At MuSé, this department is structured around four main themes:
Backlit signals
Backlit signals
We have little documentation on this type of signage, which was very common on Belgian roads for half a century.
These rather unusual signs flooded the network probably during the 1960s. Our research indicates that internally illuminated signs existed as early as the Second World War. These signs were circular and in the shape of a half sphere; they must certainly have been illuminated by filament lamps (incandescent) placed at the back of the box.
Rue Neuvice
Liège
1953
Liège
1960
The fact that these signals were all certainly circular could have an explanation. This is probably a consequence of the materials used for the casing; it was not possible to envisage other shapes easily.
It wasn't until the advent of fibreglass and polyester resin that other shapes were considered. Polyester was invented in England in 1941 and arrived in France in 1954 (probably the same year for Belgium). Here are a few examples:
C1
F61
A21
Avant 1975
F31
Mastery of the technique has also enabled manufacturers to create very large panels:
RN 633 - Km 4,3
1977
Liège
RN 63 - Km 10,8
Neupré
Sign size and road size:
The same sign had different sizes depending on the gauge of the road on which it was installed. Signal D1 on the left measures 60 cm in diameter, designed for a normal road. The signal on the right measures 90 cm in diameter because it is designed for a motorway.
Light sources:
When this type of sign was introduced on national roads and motorways, it was decided to use fluorescent tubes as the light source. T12 fluorescent tubes (tube diameter 38 mm) of various wattages were used for all the signs. There was one exception: a B1 sign and a C31a sign of very small dimensions on a road (A503) at Marcinelle Sud were each lit with a filament bulb. The number of tubes depended on the sign to be lit. As T12 tubes were withdrawn from the market in 2012, thinner T8 tubes (26 mm in diameter) were used. Here, we have two, but there could be three on larger panels (motorways).
2 x 18 watts
(T8 tubes)
Signal B1 equipped with two T8
18 watts
Chênée, junction of RN 30 and RN 61
October 2020
Marcinelle South
Signs existing in August 2014, disappeared in 2017
F31 signal with two T8 tubes
36 watts
E25 motorway, exit 50 "Baraque de Fraiture", RN 89
September 2023
F23c signal with two T8 tubes
15 watts
E25 motorway, exit 50 "Baraque de Fraiture", RN 89
September 2023
If the lighting on a sign was comfortable for the user, let's ask ourselves the question for this user when the sign was switched off (fault, breakdown, tubes out of order, etc.).
In these examples, the unit on the left is complete and clearly visible. The one on the right is half lit and still visible. What happens when the entire signal is switched off?
E25 motorway, Werbomont, October 2023
The majority of localities are clearly visible,
Malmedy is almost invisible.
The "N66" cartridge is fitted with two 15-watt T8 tubes.
Each directional panel (F29 and F33b) is fitted with two 36-watt T8 tubes.
A total of 678 watts are required for the lighting.
Initially, these panels were fitted with T12 tubes.
To overcome this problem in the event of a fault, the road manager sometimes installed backlit signs with a transparent retro-reflective film on the front. These signs were quite fragile, the film came off easily and the whole thing did not stand up well to the ravages of time.
E25 motorway
Werbomont
October 2023
Identical degraded signal,
day view
In 2000, when a large illuminated panel was replaced, the fluorescent tubes were replaced by metal halide lamps. This not only made maintenance easier when the bulbs were replaced, but also helped to ensure the safety of the technicians. In fact, there have been reports of falls when the technician was inside the housing and the front of the panel came unstuck.
F25 sign, RN 89
Lighting provided by three 400-watt metal halide lamps.
Inside view of a housing.
The technician was replacing the tubes on the left-hand wall... The face of the panel on the right could come unstuck, causing it to fall.
Combined signs:
The backlit signs could be combined with other illuminated signs, as well as with illuminated traffic signals. The only constraint was access to the rear of the sign for maintenance operations.
Tilff-Cortil
Chênée
Trooz
We have also spotted backlit road signs with integrated light signals. This example comes from Martelange on the RN 4 (October 2023). The two flashing signals are LED; they were previously fitted with filament lamps.
Socal-Light
Backlit signs with dynamic messages are a common sight on the Charleroi network. The black rectangles visible in this photo represent a predefined message that can be switched on as required. They are built around fibre optics and halogen lamps. This pole was preceded by a notice board built on the same principle. The photo was taken in August 2022 (Hiernaux tunnel, Charleroi, RN 90). These panels were then dismantled.
Fix the ambient lighting sign to a mast:
There has also been an evolution over time in the way illuminated signs are fixed. From an exclusively lateral fixing system, we have moved on to a double fixing system: lateral and horizontal.
1973
1984
The manufacturing companies:
Here are the three main companies that manufactured these ambient-lit signs, equipped with fluorescent tubes.
Large backlit signs and accidents:
The RN 63, going up from Sclessin to Ougrée-Haut, has a long curve... the speed limit at this point is 120 km/hour. At km 2.5, a large backlit F25 sign was erected in the mid-1980s. It has never been protected by a guardrail. In October 2023, it was removed after another accident.
April 2009
May 2019
April 2021
June 2023
October 2023
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