Fibre Optic Mellors

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L.J.D
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by L.J.D »

Massively off topic but I've always been cuurious as to what this could display? Anyone got any ideas? I used to pass it alot and I never ever saw it on or in use there's one opposite too but it's black.
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traffic-light-man
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

L.J.D wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 16:41 Massively off topic but I've always been cuurious as to what this could display? Anyone got any ideas? I used to pass it alot and I never ever saw it on or in use there's one opposite too but it's black.
My gut says it'll be an exception for something, looking at their old Mellor placement. It doesn't seem quite so likely with that newer 4-in-line arrangement, though.

As a side note, the new Siemens secret sign attachments look awful. I also note they've upgraded to Helios with the old style secret sign, and then upgraded it again to the new secret signs. It actually looks like they've only upgraded the box sign to a Helios on the off-side primary, with the rest being Helios-Elites. Gives a good contrast between the new Siemens secret signs and the old style ones.

Edit: Many moves of the camera and roll-backs later, I can confirm that it appears to be an exception for buses.
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L.J.D
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by L.J.D »

Oh wow thanks it always bugged me. And yes the Siemens secret signs do look absolutely awful. It's very curious though because no London bus routes turn there as far as I know so I can't imagine why such an exemption would be there. I don't know if you noticed but the old Mellor set there before also had no PBUs I think I recall.

Edit: Maybe the exemption is for when the A10 is closed due to an accident or something else and buses need to go on diversion towards Seven Sisters Road then turn onto Lordship Road and turn onto Manor Road and back onto the A10 (seems like a reasonable bus diversion route) and its turned on when that happens.
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traffic-light-man
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

Knowing absolutely nothing about London bus routes, is there a chance that it's a legacy from a previous bus route? There's a few reasons why it could stay put after the requirement ceases, but that's a different discussion!

Regards the lack of PBUs, yes, I'd spotted that too. I can only think of one of these still left in operation, but I'm sure there'll be more. I had thought it was likely to hail from a time where the PBU served only the purpose of inputting a demand, so if the junction was intended to be forced around on a plan 24/7, then there would be no point in including PBUs. I'm not sure what it would do should it fall on to VA, though, unless the ped phases are always demanded and the VA just deals with extensions.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by k7magi »

That's an interesting place to put an exception sign.
I thought the "except ***" have to be under the prohibitory sign to show the focus of the exception.
I know 5-aspect inline isn't legal, but couldn't they put the NLT box sign on the left?
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

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k7magi wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 19:14 That's an interesting place to put an exception sign.
I thought the "except ***" have to be under the prohibitory sign to show the focus of the exception.
I know 5-aspect inline isn't legal, but couldn't they put the NLT box sign on the left?
Yes, it's all poor! Given they've already demonstrated that side-mounting on both sides isn't an issue, then a much better arrangement would be:

Screen Shot 2021-05-06 at 06.09.27.png
Screen Shot 2021-05-06 at 06.09.27.png (14.64 KiB) Viewed 4425 times

London have always been at the forefront of bad signal head arrangements, but I hate this growing insistence elsewhere for 4-in-line signal heads and then using side mounted boxes as well, when it's clearly demonstrable by the use of the side mounted boxes that it all could've been side mounted and look much neater in the first place.

These newer 'no right turn except in two stages' cycle signal heads are a prime example, where the standard seems to be for the exception box sign to be side mounted on an 4-in-line, rather than mounting both the NRT and exception box to the right, as is the 'correct' way to do it.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by OliverH »

on my way to college I spotted one here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.82385 ... 8192?hl=en

However, it seems that GSV var was going in the opposite direction and didn't catch the arrow on green. If you look carefully, you can just make out the fiber optic dots.
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traffic-light-man
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

OliverH wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 09:56 on my way to college I spotted one here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.82385 ... 8192?hl=en

However, it seems that GSV var was going in the opposite direction and didn't catch the arrow on green. If you look carefully, you can just make out the fiber optic dots.
Ah yes, I think I've posted that example before in a different thread, because it runs the ahead filter arrows but has no dedicated ahead lane(s), which considerably reduces the effectiveness of the filter! Nice to see them still going with a full compliment of fibre optic arrows, though.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by OliverH »

Some junctions here in Dewsbury before they were replaced by Peek Elites.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by OliverH »

RIP these Fibre Optic Mellor arrows as part of A61 improvements.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by OliverH »

how about these:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.74261 ... authuser=0 = this one has a sign saying new traffic signals ahead just before it so I could have been installed with Fibre Optics when the signals were added.

And what this one: I have seen quite a few like this, but only on GSV. Also, this Junction has been modified, as can clearly be seen with peek Elites.

Both of these have now gone. I think they look unique compared to non-optic Mellors.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by Dave908 »

Chesterfield is full of fibre optic Mellors.
On the A619 here and in the town centre here and here
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

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Dave908 wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 20:06 Chesterfield is full of fibre optic Mellors.
On the A619 here and in the town centre here and here
Good finds! Apart from one rogue replacement on that last site, they all look to be complete with Mellor heads as well.

The set in Aintree at A59/Aintree Racecourse Access have now been replaced like-for-like with Helios CLS, which means there's only the set at A59/Retail Park Access left on the A59 heading out of Liverpool now.

I spotted this one the other day, which I think is perhaps the only Fibre Mellor left in the Lancs CC area now, the others having been replaced with Elites some time ago. Presumably this one escaped due to it living up there on the mast arm.

Definitely becoming harder to find in this neck of the woods!
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

traffic-light-man wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 11:59The set in Aintree at A59/Aintree Racecourse Access have now been replaced like-for-like with Helios CLS, which means there's only the set at A59/Retail Park Access left on the A59 heading out of Liverpool now.
Unfortunately, the last remaining fibre optic Mellors have now been replaced at the A59/Retail Park Access in Aintree, replaced with CLS Helios like the neighbouring sites.
traffic-light-man wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 11:59I think is perhaps the only Fibre Mellor left in the Lancs CC area now
Though I was glad to find out that I was incorrect in this case, when I noticed two of the six indicative arrows at this site in Burnley are fibre optic and still going strong. Much brighter and clearer than other examples that are still out there, too. There's an added bonus that this site is still entirely Mellor, too, with a mix of early Plessey and later Page Signals heads and apart from the missing backing board on the head in the photograph, they're all in pretty good condition.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by AlexBr967 »

Other than a few replacements I believe (Could be wrong because not really sure what constitutes a mellor) this entire light set and this entire set are mellors and most have the fibre optic arrows. Interesting that the replacement here doesn't have an arrow.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

AlexBr967 wrote: Tue Feb 22, 2022 01:45 Other than a few replacements I believe (Could be wrong because not really sure what constitutes a mellor) this entire light set and this entire set are mellors and most have the fibre optic arrows. Interesting that the replacement here doesn't have an arrow.
They're the ones Dave908 has mentioned just upthread. The casual replacement is a Helios so the fibre optic arrows would never have been an option for that.

Edit: Sorry, I realise you're pointing out the lack of arrow on the whole, rather than the lack of fibre optic arrow!
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by AlexBr967 »

traffic-light-man wrote: Tue Feb 22, 2022 12:30 They're the ones Dave908 has mentioned just upthread.
So he has, sorry about that, should have scrolled up.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by traffic-light-man »

It's good to see that many in good condition in one area, though.

How many fibre optic pedestrian signals are still kicking around? They were briefly mentioned earlier in the thread but I think we only discussed now-removed examples.

I stumbled across these Pilkington ones last year completely unexpectedly, but wasn't in any position to stop and take any snaps. I feel like they'll probably be on the way out if they've not already gone.
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by ReissOmari »

I used to visit Derby quite a bit when I was younger, there were a few knocking about, not sure about now but this one springs to mind.

https://goo.gl/maps/15eV1bAxtFQedyxx5
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L.J.D
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Re: Fibre Optic Mellors

Post by L.J.D »

Speaking of fibre optics I wonder when they were first introduced and where the first trial site was.
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