Lighting at Old Street

[rsdworker]

Oct 30, 2012 15:45:26 GMT superteacher said:

How about this:

www.ltmcollection.org/images/webmax/2z/i000022z.jpg

that's would be more nice with LED lights in

[londonboy]

The Lights at Old Street are Cool White fluorescent Lamps

The L.E.D Lamps at Belsize Park have been installed as you walk from the top of the Stairs to the Lifts and are very dull compared to the Lamps they replaced

[Deleted]

Wood Green seems to have similar lighting now as Old Street does, strange sight when passing through on a train.

[norbitonflyer]

Oct 28, 2012 21:06:00 GMT @routemaster said:

Oct 28, 2012 20:40:10 GMT rincew1nd said:

I fear the blesséd health & safety might have a hand in this somewhere.

"I fell over under the dull canopy because I couldn't see because the lights weren't turned on. I want ten million pounds."


btw, some of those pics could do with being a bit smaller.

And the sodium lights on the platforms where there are no canopies, where there are glass canopies and even when there are canopies there is more natural light than the electric lighting at night. The station lighting left on even when the sation is closed and there is nobody about, including the station signage. Lights left on trains in depots the list is end less.

The most ludicrous situtaion is the new Thameslink station at Blackfriars. Despite its elevated position, it needs artificial light even in the daytime. The problem is that the roof is made of solar panels which absorb all the sunlight falling on them – they would, after all, be little use as solar panels if they did not! So the sunlight falling on the roof is converted into electricity, which is used to generate light to illuminate the platforms underneath. You could achieve the same result much more simply and cheaply and more efficiently by using a glass roof!

[castlebar]

@ norbitonflyer

Isn't that like having heavy, energy grabbing, energy inefficient airconditioning units on trains that are needed because the windows don't open?? How much lighter would the trains be, and how much power could be saved just by having windows that could be opened??

[rincew1nd]

Isn't it a case though that the windows don't open so the AirCon can be more effective.

If you had opening windows the aircon would need to be more robust in order to work properly.

[slugabed]

Castlebar's point is (if I may be so bold) that,were a train to have opening windows,it ould not need A/C in the first place.
This would save money in manufacture,running costs both of the A/C itself and in terms of the power needed to propel the extra weight of the (heavier) airconditioned trains.These may,consequently necessitate upgrading the power supply (pace S Stock on the Metropolitan Line)
Our climate is such that A/C is only conceivably needed for a few weeks a year,yet the costs of running an A/C'd train will always be greater than one whose window simply open in order to let in fresh air.
It seems absurd in an era of perpetually increasing energy costs,to still be designing new stock which has greater energy consumption than that which it replaces.

[rincew1nd]

OK, I take that point. I suppose that's the point of the Electostars that SET run; hopper windows all round, no air con, and an admission of "cheap & cheerful".

[castlebar]

Slugabed is correct. As a consequence, even more energy is consumed having to "cool" the stations because of the heat chucked out by the a/c units etc., something that was never needed until recently.

It is madness and an ecological disgrace. We cannot waste global resources like this because somebody has made a decision to buy expensive air cond units rather than windows that open.

I am reminded of the famous "Cadbury's 'Smash' advert that has some aliens looking at us on T.V. stating "Truly, they are a very backward people"

[crusty54]

Blackfriars is still a building site with lots of hoardings and protective sheeting.

Think there will a considerable amount of natural light when everything is finished.

[superteacher]

Trains with opening windows can still be stiflingly hot in summer.

[Deleted]

Nov 14, 2012 21:41:57 GMT superteacher said:

Trains with opening windows can still be stiflingly hot in summer.

They can indeed, as anyone who's travelled on non-AC rolling stock can testify! There's a higher risk of insects getting in too, which could potentially damage electrical installations, not to mention annoy passengers.

Sometimes an opening window can provide a nice breeze, but it's much less predicable than AC, which is why so many offices have AC nowadays. I remember working in an office with opening windows; it was hard to get the breeze around the whole office, and we all regretted it when a neighbouring field was treated with fertiliser...

[rincew1nd]

Nov 22, 2012 22:28:06 GMT @ribbit said:

Nov 14, 2012 21:41:57 GMT superteacher said:

Trains with opening windows can still be stiflingly hot in summer.

They can indeed, as anyone who's travelled on non-AC rolling stock can testify! There's a higher risk of insects getting in too, which could potentially damage electrical installations, not to mention annoy passengers.

Hmmm, I don't seem to have that problem on the Talyllyn Railway: Drop-lights that allow plenty of air in and a nice fresh breeze with a slight hint of cylinder oil. Mind you, the most complex electrical installation is four wires, four lamps and twelve volts! The water tends to be more problematic; there was sufficient water pooling in the glass lamp-surround that I was tempted to drop a plastic fish into it!

[Chris M]

Does the railway supply you with plastic fish for this purpose?

[rincew1nd]

Now mrfs42 has stopped making the sandwiches, yes occassionally!

[mrfs42]

and looking after the carriages..... More than 4 cores in use in some carriages, though I think 5 is now the standard.

Anyway - back to a comment upthread - is there anything online about the use of blue to prevent suicide? We're used to it to prevent people jacking up as it makes the veins difficult to find.

All of which is a long way from Old Street - is there a colour temperature specified for deep level stations: thinking of simulating near-daylight. I know all too well the pitfalls of colour rendering and matching paint on rolling stock.

[Chris M]

I can find no mention of colour temperature in the design guidelines for TfL/LU published on the internet, however this is mostly concerned with graphic design and maintenence of listed buildings, etc, of which Old Street is not an example.
It might be worth an FOI request if nobody can find anything else.

[Deleted]

Wood Green also appears to be fitted similarly with these new lights, a more greeny hue though it appears.
At Belsize Park S/B platform, if you look at the two overbridges to the lifts you can see the difference between the current standard and the new LED jobbies side by side.

I hope its just another trial...

[fleetline]

Oct 27, 2012 17:29:02 GMT @routemaster said:

Oct 25, 2012 8:17:37 GMT @bronzeonion said:

Sounds a little too blue to be LED, in Japan there is a station where they are trialling blue lighting as an anti suicide measure

Moody blue will have the opposite effect to their desires there in Japan. The warm feel of orange would be the colour to have.

Actually 'blue' light is what's used now to treat SAD, cant remember the science reason but it's better for improving moods.

[Chris M]

I went through Stockwell southbound on the Northern the other day and it seems to have had the same lighting treatment as Old Street. Even from the train it made the station feel clinical and unfriendly compared to the stations either side.

[crusty54]

Think you'll find that a programme has started to use lower energy lighting.

Different types are being uses at a few stations at the moment.