Unknown Light

If the light shows a green light, I'd be pretty confodent that it is a starboard light off a medium sized boat of some age.

cheers

Doug,
I don't believe it is a nav light of a boat as the angle of emitted light is too small for a port or starboard light.

Maybe a stern light but the blue lens throws that out the window.

Have a good one,
RA.

While the lense may appear blue it may infact show a "green" light.

As fas as the angle...note that there are no shutters so the angle of the mask will be considerably narrower than the pattern of light shown.

It may also be some sort of air field guide lamp.

Of course on a totally different tack it could be a blue working lamp........in theater we use blue working lamps behind curtain and in back stage areas because they do not show thru cranks and under the curtain, but still allow enough light to work.

this may have been used in military context, the blue showing on an work or access area and the mask stopping the direct light from being seen.

What voltage is the lamp?

cheers

It clearly looks old and the cotton insulation on the bit of wire does support it as an old instillation.

The blue lens light where commonly used as starboard running lights in the older days around WW2 but now it is more common to use green lens today. There where early blue lights used as convoy tail lights but usually a larger one was needed than the one shown here.

The blue light is the most visible light in water so that might be a reason for using this colour lens at sea.

Another use of blue light is for depression therapy as it has been documented that humans respond in a positive manner to the blue light of the sky. For people living in colder climates where in winter they may not see the sky for months at a time there is such thing as light box therapy using blue lights for 30mins in the morning to counter the effects of depression. I don't think this light would be for that.

It would be interesting to test the voltage of the lens as it might indicate where it was used. My assumption would be a marine installation as a starboard running light.

Cheers

Serendipity

Doug, from the appearance of the rugged waterproof housing I would expect it to be a maritime light. It also looks to be of brass or bronze which would support that theory.
Although the lens appears blue in the light viewed, the yellowish light of the incandescent lamp would produce a rather green light output.
The opening and the lamp position would create approximately 180 degree beam.
My guess is a ship's starboard navigation lamp. I would also guess that the lamp filament is 110 volts or thereabouts.

Here's and update on info I have .

They are 24 volt, one bulb is marked as VR with the government arrow between the v & the R . They are solid brass and the only writing is stamped on the bulb holder ?made in England.

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Hi Doug.
Here is another answer. Re Navigation Lights.

"Blue" navigation light ?

Blue light,particularly a dark blue light, was used to indicate when the owner was aboard his yacht.

Cheers Steve.B...

I think it is quite possible that it is from the railways...they did use this type of light to indicate go or stop on the side of the lines.or up on the posts..they also needed to be waterproof....The VR may refer to Victorian railways...which in the era that it seems to have come from the rail was wholly government run and they also used a different voltage...just my thought on it...either way I would like to have it and fix it up

I am pretty sure the arrow denotes military issue equipment in both UK and Aus. So, in a military context what would VR denote? Victoria Regina if its really old.... which makes it pre 1901 military. I am not so sure that's right but I am 95% it is a military item. If you can establish it is old military it is highly collectible.

The way the lens does not have any real water proofing makes me think it is probably more likely rail related than marine - are there scraps of paint anywhere on it? Railway workshops tend to paint everything.

Also, it appears by the large thread on its base that it screw mounts into a flat plate (roof or floor?). Would it be common to screw brass into steel in a marine situation? I suspect not and if it was it would show some corrosion. If a wooden boat I suppose there could have been a brass mounting set into the wood.

I am just thinking like a detective. I don't know. Wish it was mine though.

Does this ebay item show a similar stamp?

VR checkpiece

I also found a description of a 19th century naval service pistol that had VR and an arrow stamped on it (amongst other things).

looks like it could be from a shore based navigation lead light.
there are 2 of them on poles set one in front of the other so at night when they are in transit you are in the centre of the entrance to a harbour or channel. coloured blue so not to be confused with port or starboard beacons
regs. phil

Have you measured the arc of light and is it 112.5 deg

A lot of questions being asked , and that's good and I thank you all for your suggestions, I wish I knew the answers to your questions but please remember my original post, all I have is photo's sent by a person that's like the rest of us, he don't know either, it's not in my hands, just photo's .

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