Tilley
industrial lamps & lanterns
This Tilley Model OL 49
is an outdoor lamp.
It was manufactured between
1928-30.
It is a 300 cp version
of a indoor model
that has been weatherized
with a close fitting top cowl.
One set of instructions
warned against using it indoors
which could overheat the
fount!
This lamp is in Neil McRae's
collection;
from the collection of
the late John Findlay.
This Tilley Model GL 1
is a general purpose floodlight
that was manufactured from
around 1933 to '40.
This 300 cp burner is no
bigger than the standard lantern
and only gives a good spread
of light because of the 12" reflector.
This was made for a tripod
as on the FL 6 below.
This model, in Neil McRae's
collection, lacks the globe
but has the correct ventilator
and glass cage.
The Model AL 11 dates from
1935 to 1937
and was designed as a rail
road inspection lamp.
They have a 250 cp burner
and give a reflected cp of 1500 or more.
This one was given to Neil
McRae by a gentleman
that had been using it
as a headlight on a canal narrow boat.

Front and back images of
a Tilley FL 5 floodlight, made in 1936-37.
These floodlights were
mounted on a tripod or stand (see image of an FL 6 below).
The plate on the back of
this light says "SIG & TELE WOKING"
which Neil McRae believes
identifies a southern railway that included Woking, England.
Neil left parts of this
lamp with polished metal
rather than returning it
all to the original black.
This Model PL 55 lantern
dates from the late 1930's
and was used by a rail
road company.
The red band on the fount
denoted a maintenance and emergency gang.
This is a larger fount
version of the PL 53
and was a predecessor to
the BR lanterns.
This lantern is in Neil
McRae's collection.
Neil McRae and Tilley book
author Jim Dick agree that this
lamp was probably built
by Tilley as Model EX93
originally for the Victorian
Railway in Australia in 1938
for station platform lighting.
Neil's version of this
lamp (above-UK) has theGF control cock
while Jim Dick's lamp in
Australia has the XN control cock.
The Tilley Model SL-1 searchlight
was manufactured from the
mid 1930's into WWII
This searchlight is capable
of 20,000 reflected cp,
according to Jim Dick in
his Tilley book.
This model is in Neil McRae's
collection;
from the collection of
the late John Findlay.
Model AL 10 hand inspection
lamp (left)
was designed for use by
the rail companies and was made around 1934,
according to Neil McRae
whose collection these are in.
The unknown inspection
lamp (right) may have been
made by Tilley in the late
30's or during WWII by an individual
who combined an old AL10
and a new steel welded fount.
Bo Ryman restored this
Tilley floodlight Model FL 6
including painting it and
recreating the transfer label.
It is marked for the Swedish
Civil Defense.
This model, seen here with
the Tilley tripod stand,
was manufactured between
the mid 1940's and early '50's.
Bo has owned if for about
30 years.
The Model OL51 is a 500
cp outdoor donut lamp.
Tilley made these from
the mid 1930's to around 1962.
As with all donut lamps,
this model was used mainly by the railways.
In Neil McRae's collection.
The Challow lamp is named
for the station in the UK on the Great Western RR line
where the model was first
used,
according to Jim Dick in
his book on the Tilley lamp.
The reflector directs the
lamp's light along the axis of the platform
and the lamp can be raised
and lowered for fueling and maintenance.
This lamp is in Kenny Connolly's
collection.
This Tilley AL21 inspection
lamp reflects 2000 cp.
This lamp dates to ca 1950
according to Stephan Kalkbrenner,
who restored it and whose
collection it is in.
The previous owner had
it for about 50 years
and worked at the Deutsch
Bundesbahn (German Federal Railway).
This version was painted
black but Stephan restored it in gray
as it was used at the Technisches
Hilfswerk (German Technical Help Works).
Four Model AL21 hand inspection
lamps in Neil McRae's collection:
(from left) 1941-46, 1946
to early 1950's, early 1950's to 1961, and 1961 to late 1960's.
The earlier two lamps have
three, rather than four, legs
among other differences.
The British Army calls
this Tilley "Hospital Lamp"
a "Lamp Paraffin Pressure
Hospital and Survey."
This model can be wall
mounted, suspended by the central hanging loop,
stood on a table, or carried.
This is an ex military
lamp ca. 1954
that Neil McRae obtained
from a shop keeper on Canvey Island.
It had been used for perhaps
5 hours for emergency light.
Tilley made the OH574 lamp
for specific needs,
such as inspecting overhead
cables from underground railroad tunnels,
according to Jim Dick,
who notes that the reflector
can be tilted from nearly
horizontal to nearly vertical.
The lamp reflects 4000
cp.
This lamp is in Jeff Johnson's
collection.
In the model No. BR 49,
BR stands for British Rail.
This model was sold to
the public but the vast majority were railroad lanterns.
They are a modified X246
with an extended cage
and a longer generator
which allowed them to use
a kero fed wick device
for pre-heating.
This lantern is in Neil
McRae's collection.
To see subsequent BR models
touch
here.

Model AL 15, left, and
Model AL 15A, right.
These railroad inspection
lamps were much lighter than the AL 11 (above)
and produced about 1000
reflected candlepower from a 250 cp burner.
AL 15A has a track work
stand.
AL 15 dates from the late
1950's; AL 15A dates from 1962 to ~1968.
Both of these lanterns
are in Neil McRae's collection.
This Model AL 8 was designed
in the 1930's
for use as track work lamps
for the rail companies.
This is a late one that
dates to 1961 and is
unusual with a black, rather
than brown, ventilator.
The 300 cp burner gives
about 1000 cp of reflected light.
This one is also in Neil
McRae's collection.
This AL 620 is another
inspection lamp
but with a standard conversion
head
and the same globe as the
table lamps use.
This one, in Neil McRae's
collection, dates to March, 1966.
By the 1970's and 80's
Tilley was no longer making inspection lamps
so London Transport made
their own from Tilley X246 parts.
This lamp was photographed
by Neil McRae,
who has designated it LT1.
The Tilley Lamp Company
has confirmed for Neil
that this one was made
by London Transport.
A second inspection lamp
by London Transport
from the same era as above.
Neil McRae, whose collection
this is in,
has seen one other like
it.
Neil has designated this
lamp LT2.
A third inspection lamp
by London Transport as above.
This one, in Neil McRae's
collection,
was given to him by a man
who used it
while working for London
Transport.
Neil has designated this
lamp LT3.