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[21] Station lighting hours
 
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Great Western Coffee Shop > All across the Great Western territory > Across the West > Station lighting hours
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Author Topic: Station lighting hours  (Read 374 times)
Zoe
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« on: May 19, 2025, 14:57:49 »
About 20 years or so ago, when travelling on the Night Riviera most stations had their lights switched off when passing through in the early hours of the morning but recently I noticed that all stations now seen to be lit (although many towns now switch off street lights overnight).  Is everywhere now lit through the night or is lighting triggered by the approach of trains?
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Mark A
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« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2025, 16:28:10 »
Some are certainly motion activated. St Erth is one such. It's not a favourite feature of mine, though a couple of tweaks in the implementation would improve it i.e. a five second ramp when they switch on and a 30 second ramp when they go down.

Mark
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broadgage
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« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2025, 22:02:14 »
Quote from: Mark A on May 19, 2025, 16:28:10
Some are certainly motion activated. St Erth is one such. It's not a favourite feature of mine, though a couple of tweaks in the implementation would improve it i.e. a five second ramp when they switch on and a 30 second ramp when they go down.

Mark

This would only work with LED lighting, and then only if the lights are specified as being dimmable.
Sodium or metal halide lamps cant realistically be dimmed, fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps can only be dimmed at considerable cost and complication. Incandescent lamps are readily dimmable but little used on account of energy wasted.
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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« Reply #3 on: Yesterday at 06:52:12 »
Quote from: Zoe on May 19, 2025, 14:57:49
About 20 years or so ago, when travelling on the Night Riviera most stations had their lights switched off when passing through in the early hours of the morning but recently I noticed that all stations now seen to be lit (although many towns now switch off street lights overnight).  Is everywhere now lit through the night or is lighting triggered by the approach of trains?

For a TOC▸ (Train Operating Company) to switch all the platform lights off they need to close  the station with locked gates, the TOC has a legal responsibility regarding safety and security of station users (fare paying or not). 

The issue with dimmed platform lights which are motion activated is a passing train triggers the full power mode
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Zoe
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« Reply #4 on: Yesterday at 12:50:34 »
Quote from: Electric train on Yesterday at 06:52:12
For a TOC▸ (Train Operating Company) to switch all the platform lights off they need to close  the station with locked gates, the TOC has a legal responsibility regarding safety and security of station users (fare paying or not). 
Has this always been a requirement?  When I did an overnight trip in 2002, the FGW▸ (First Great Western) (only intercity back then) stations were lit, Wessex were dark and Thames were lit.  This was before councils started switching off street lights overnight though so although I could not see the Wessex stations we passed through, I was still able to work out where we were.
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Mark A
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« Reply #5 on: Today at 08:45:53 »
This thread reminded me of this photo of Avoncliff from 2022. Well lit, well directed light, could still perhaps have specified 3000 or 2500K, it'd be interesting to know if warmer light makes LED lighting less of a magnet for the insects we increasingly do not have. Perhaps a ramped dimming on a motion sensor for the many hours of darkness when no one is present on the platforms - or perhaps just rather less intensity overall as that light level is... generous.

Mark

https://i.postimg.cc/K8hH7Js7/avoncliff-august-22-1600.jpg
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