This lantern turned up at a recent Historic Lighting Club meeeting. My first thought was that here was the elusive LDR that has never been seen. It is certainly a large lantern with double reflector but I have some reservations because it does not seem to exactly match the parts we know were used in the LDR. Til LDR parts From Guide for Spare Parts 1954 Vapouriser 169 Cock 2563 Self locating Cycle Pump 241 Burner 218 Burner and hood 2566 Hood & Enamelled cap only 124 Enamelled cap only 106 Gallery only 105 Upper reflector only 99 Glass Cylinder 96 Mantle 164 Filler cap 240 (Cycle Pump) This lamp is fitted with the GF cock 777 and not the self locating type listed with LDR. As the fitting for these cocks is built into the tanks the 777 GF cock will not fit a tank made to use the 2563 self locating cock. It therefore follows that this lamp is not the LDR as in the parts list. It is however a large lantern with double reflector and all the other parts are consistent with the LDR parts list. It may therefore be an early LDR made before the self locating cock was fitted to the model. ::Neil::
Yes the tank is the same as the FL6 and R55. It is a big heavy beast. I don't know of this is in fact an LDR but from the parts listed I suspect not. However it may well be a protptype for the model. Possibly made before the self locating cock was designed which would have been around 1946 to be used on the new X246 Lantern. The parts list only shows one globe and this lamp has two. The list also mentions an enamelled cap which this lantern lacks. It may therefore be a one off but perhaps it was a small batch made for some military purpose. It is designed to be portable but not to be carried in the way you might a lantern for general use. Perhaps it was used as an airfield beacon or fixed harbour light. The double globe does perhaps indicate it was expected to be capable of serious bad weather use. ::Neil::
Thanks Neil. It's one of the aspects of our hobby I love that such rarities can be thrown up from the most common manufacturers.
Well maybe but model LDR is not listed in any of the main galleries so there was no "correct" place for the model. ::Neil::
Fair point, Neil... Well, it's definitely not 'Other Tilley product' which is heaters, irons, leak testers and such. Not 'Indoor' which are the slightly more decorative lamps and similar and not 'Storm lanterns, which tend to be PL53-ish/X246/A/B etc. So that leaves 'Outdoor, suspension and industrial'. That was my line of thought, anyway, and I reckon this lamp is 'right' there.
Yes, that's what I figured too when firstly seing this earlier today. But as I understand it, it isn't absolutely sure it is an LDR, so creating a new subforum for that one didn't feel right at the moment. And we never made any "Other" under each, so Neil did as good as he could here. Neil, if you say for certain that it is an LDR, we can make a subforum for that, otherwise we might need to create an "Other models" subforum under one of the other.
Ah, if we knew the answer to that, we'd understand the meaning of life, grasshopper... Best guesses so far seem to be Small Diameter Reflector and Large Diameter Reflector. I agree, where to put this is a dilemma - but not 'Mystery Lamps' because it's almost certainly Tilley. Maybe it's 'LT4' or something. With hindsight, maybe 'Other Tilley Product' wasn't that wrong, although for me, it sticks out like a sore thumb in there. On further reflection ( ), I'd still go for 'Outdoor, suspension and industrial', although I'll leave it to higher minds than mine to decide exactly how that might be accomplished. I can't wait until someone discovers the other missing Tilley stuff - the aerodrome beacon, road traffic marker, STOIC etc...
I'd go for a new section called "Other models" under Outdoor, Suspension & Industrial . Just as we do with some of the other brands in here. That is, as long as we don't know for absolutely sure what model it is. Could also be a "franken lamp", couldn't it?
If it is a Frankie, someone's gone to a hell of a lot of bother and deserves full marks - 10/10... Is it likely to appear in your collection any time soon, Neil?
As soon as I read that my mind went back to something the collector I visited yesterday said. He was talking to my daughter, I was browsing, but I overheard him mention that they were used for lighting runways or something similar. I'll ask him if he knows anything on this subject.
even if this was a prototype by tilley I think it would have been thought out better with less work in it put it in the frankies section pete
I think Outdoor industrial is right and as Christer suggests in a section for Other Models. You can't really call this a Frankie because it was almost certainly made by Tilley. I suspect it is a prototye or first batch LDR made during WW2 for some military purpose. One problem with Tilley is that they would make a one off short run of a special for anyone. EX 93 is an example of this and I am sure there were others. In other words Tilley made their own Frankies for anyone who could pay. This lamp may be another such short contract lamp which perhaps gave them the idea for LDR and SDR types after 1945. ::Neil::
I know what your saying Neil and you could well be right just only the whole top end don't look tilley to me, top hood looks like its come from a vapalux, all the rivets bars\rods just so much work. Big tank and twisted flat bars yeh LDR lookalike for sure guess its another oddball one here seen a few things over the years so tilley but not for sure Maybe some more will turn up cheers pete
Hi ! This is a first batch LDR or a prototype ! Is this the only one in existence ? I was offered a bodge job lamp looking just like this one up in Warwickshire , yonks ago !! I was not convinced its first generation Tilley then or now. mick
The only one I know of. Could be the same lamp you saw. This turned up at the HLC meeting in Wythall which is Warwickshire. It looks factory made and has design features that look like the Excellent. It cannot be the regular run LDR because the valve is not correct and I doubt Tilley would have used a second glass in a production lamp. I think it should be categorised somewhere so for now we can call it LDR type 1 but I would like to see another or some paper before I am totally convinced. Right now I think an interesting item but only maybe LDR. ::Neil::
OK. I created a new section "Other models" under industrial as we said above, and have moved this topic there. If anything changes, e.g. you decide to definately class this as the ellusive LDR, just shout.
