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The Museum
of Road Signs and Signals
and street lighting
Obstacle light signalling
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:
Beacon and warning lights
Beacon and warning lights
Beacon and warning lights", commonly known as "work lanterns", are classified as flashing and strobe signals. They also include directional arrows, for example. These signals draw the user's attention to an approaching obstacle or hazard. They can be temporary or permanent if they reinforce an existing vertical sign.
-Hydrocarbon lanterns:
These lanterns used petroleum or paraffin as a source of energy. There were various models of "signalling lanterns", but the MuSé is particularly interested in a Liège company, the S.A. d'éclairage des mines et d'outillage industriel (S.E.M.O.I) de Loncin, manufacturer of the Nicoln lantern (an anagram of Loncin).
The use of these lanterns required special maintenance: they had to be switched off in the morning and lit again in the evening, and the oil level in the tank had to be checked. An English lantern instruction manual contains a warning that the lantern should not be tilted by more than 15°.
The lantern is made of metal and topped by a chimney. The tank is removable and accessible through a small side door. It was fitted with glass lenses manufactured according to the Fresnel (or stepped) principle. The tank was fitted with a wick.
-The Nicoln Blitz flashing paraffin lantern:
The lanterns shown above have a relatively stable, slightly flickering flame. S.E.M.O.I. has also produced a paraffin lantern, but this time it flickers thanks to an ingenious oxygen management system. The instructions give a battery life of up to 70 hours. The lantern was used for signalling on building sites, but also by the police, the fire brigade, etc. We seem to be in the 50s and 60s.
The complete model in the MuSé's possession comes from the STIB (Société de Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles), and is complete and perfectly functional. There are small lugs on the side of the lantern that allow it to be closed with a padlock.
-Nicoln Blitz electric lanterns:
This Nicoln electric lamp uses the bimetal principle for flashing. The bimetallic strip is made from two blades of different metals (usually Invar and Nickel). These two metals expand differently depending on temperature variations. When electricity is passed through the lamp, the filament lights up because it heats up, which causes these variations in the expansion of the aforementioned metals. With an ingenious system for arranging the blades, these variations influence the contacts between the blades, and therefore the passage of the electric current (6-volt lead-acid battery). It flashes... Ingenious, isn't it?
-Illustration:
The MuSé has rediscovered this beautiful work lantern used on a building site in rue Louvrex in Liège in October 1962. We would like to thank GAR-Archives d'architecture, Fonds Tonelle, for permission to use this photograph.
-Electric lanterns (incandescent):
At the end of the 70s, we entered the era of plastic and electronic circuits. The new generations of work lanterns are exclusively electric (6-volt lead batteries), both the coloured lens and the casing are made of plastic and, finally, they are equipped with a small filament lamp (incandescent). Flashing (60 to 80 times a minute) is provided by a small electronic circuit built into the lantern.
Even though this new model of lantern is invading our country, we still find worksites where hydrocarbon lamps and electric lamps are used side by side: Place du 20 Août in Liège in August 1974 during repairs to a damaged water pipe, for example.
Some lanterns are flashing, others fixed; most lanterns offer both modes. They are also automatic, equipped with a twilight cell, they go out at daybreak and come back on once night has fallen. When it comes to maintenance, the job is simplified: you need to look after the batteries and the filament lamp (note that a filament lamp that flashes gets damaged more quickly than one that is fixed).
5-volt filament bulb with bayonet fitting
Two types of work lantern are found on our worksites: those with an orange or yellow lens and those with a red lens. In the two examples shown here, you'll see that the rim is fitted with a reflector whose function is to passively reflect the light from vehicle headlights. Clever when the lamp breaks down (empty batteries or faulty bulb).
Horizont
Germany
Sigli Signalight
Belgium
Here are two more models that have been seen on the roads around Liège. They are unique in that they flash 360°. The one on the left, found in 1994, has a Fresnel lens; the one on the right runs on a rather unusual battery, with a power of 3 volts.
Holly Boy
Finland
Horizont Hory Lamp
Germany
-Xenon flashing lanterns:
We are in the 80s. The flashing lantern is also known as a "flash light", and is characterised by its xenon flash tube (discharge lamp). This light source is particularly intense, and its very white luminosity is close to that of the sun. The light intensity is therefore higher, which is not the only advantage over a filament bulb (incandescent), since the life of this tube is much longer than that of a filament bulb (500 to 1500 hours). The lamp emits around 60 flashes per minute.
This lantern is mainly used during the day because of its high light output. It was often operated directly by a worker. The examples in the MuSé's possession have four 6-volt batteries, while the lamp is powered by 12 volts.
Xenon flash tube
Here are two fine examples of xenon flash lamps. They date from the 1980s. Note once again the reflector-shaped edge of the lens.
Primar
Nissen
Germany
Sigli4
Signalight
Belgium
-LED electric lanterns:
The LED light-emitting diode is a completely different way of emitting light. This is a completely different way of diffusing light, since the principle is to emit light by passing an electric current through a semi-conductor. The colour varies according to the composition of the material. LEDs already existed in the 60s. The extraordinary progress made in mastering this technology has enabled LEDs to be used much more widely. For construction lanterns, LEDs were introduced by Nissen (Germany) in 1998. The LED is replacing both the traditional filament bulb and the xenon flash tube. It is used for both night and day lanterns.
LED
Nissen 1998
The documentation gives a life of up to 100,000 hours. Equipped with LEDs, the work lantern can therefore be considered indestructible. What's more, power consumption is extremely low, which explains why contemporary lamps have seen the number of batteries required halved, both for night-time equipment and for that used during the day (high intensity).
In Belgium, the market for LED beacons and warning lights is shared between Germany and China.
StarLed
Horizont
Germany
EuroFlat 3
Nissen
Germany
Note once again the presence of the edge in the form of a retro-reflector.
In Belgium, the market for LED beacons and warning lights is shared between Germany and China.
Model L3 or model L6? Work lanterns are available in both models:
Modèle L3
Nissen
Germany
Modèle L6
Nissen
Germany
In Wallonia, worksites on regional roads must be marked using L6 lanterns. This choice is explained by the performance of this equipment. In addition to the larger illumination surface area, its performance is much better in terms of light output for a source identical to the L3 lamp. In terms of candelas ("cd" for "quantity of light produced in a precise direction"), the L3 lantern emits 2, compared with 10 for the L6 model.
We note the disappearance of the edge in the form of a retro-reflector, which makes the L6 lantern perhaps less visible in the event of a breakdown.
And what about the red beacon and warning lights?
Ministar 1000
China
Monolight 2000
Nissen
Germany
There was a time when these models were still used on our roads. The use of orange and red beacons was regulated, and a service provider could not do just anything with these red lanterns. They are still used in some countries, such as Germany and Italy. In France, they have been banned in favour of orange lanterns, although they are still used on the railways and in airports.
Finally, here are some "high-intensity" LED lanterns that can also be used in daylight mode.
Star Flash
Nissen
Germany
Starflash 2000
China
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