Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
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- traffic-light-man
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- Location: Liverpool, UK
Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
I've been pondering the purpose of these cabinets for some time now, and I thought I'd give it a shot and ask here.
These particular cabinets are probably around 5ft tall, 'toblerone' shaped, and usually with what look like two indicator lamps and a rectangular glass panel on the side facing upstream, and two indicator lamps on their own facing downstream. From what I've seen, they're always mounted with a flat side running parallel with the motorway boundary and a corner of the triangle pointing towards the carriageway, leaving the faces with the (presumed) indicator lamps and glass panel at around 45 degrees to the carriageway edge. They're also sometimes painted orange, and sometimes grey.
I'm not sure how widespread these are, but I've noticed them particularly on the western end of the M62, the eastern end of the M58 and at various points along the M6 through Lancashire. I'd put money on them being obsolete now judging by their apparent age, but I'd like to know what they would've been used for, just to satisfy my curiosity. Their design and features stop them fading in to the background as 'just another cabinet', for me anyway!
Here's one on the M62, one on the M6 and one on the M58, just to pick a few.
Anyone have any ideas?
These particular cabinets are probably around 5ft tall, 'toblerone' shaped, and usually with what look like two indicator lamps and a rectangular glass panel on the side facing upstream, and two indicator lamps on their own facing downstream. From what I've seen, they're always mounted with a flat side running parallel with the motorway boundary and a corner of the triangle pointing towards the carriageway, leaving the faces with the (presumed) indicator lamps and glass panel at around 45 degrees to the carriageway edge. They're also sometimes painted orange, and sometimes grey.
I'm not sure how widespread these are, but I've noticed them particularly on the western end of the M62, the eastern end of the M58 and at various points along the M6 through Lancashire. I'd put money on them being obsolete now judging by their apparent age, but I'd like to know what they would've been used for, just to satisfy my curiosity. Their design and features stop them fading in to the background as 'just another cabinet', for me anyway!
Here's one on the M62, one on the M6 and one on the M58, just to pick a few.
Anyone have any ideas?
Simon
- RichardA35
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Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
We seem to have debated these before - I think they were a police override on street lighting.
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=35484
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=35484
- traffic-light-man
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- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 18:45
- Location: Liverpool, UK
Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
Ah, so we did - I clearly didn't do my homework well enough! Thanks for the link.RichardA35 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 18:47 We seem to have debated these before - I think they were a police override on street lighting.
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=35484
Simon
Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
Looks like it's had a nasty surprise!
Make poetry history.
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Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
Since this thread i managed to notice one of these the other day by jct 22 M6 Winwick link road https://www.google.com/maps/@53.439466, ... 312!8i6656
- traffic-light-man
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Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
That's an interesting one on the basis that it's not on the mainline of the motorway. I'm not sure I've seen any at junctions off the mainline other than this one, though presumably there are more.
I think the street lighting theory has quite a bit of weight, all the ones I can think of are where there is street lighting or has been in the past. I'm not quite sure what purpose the various indicator lamps would serve, though I can see a use for an 'override active' lamp.
Simon
Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
I took some pictures (viewable here) of the one at Winwick so we can get a closer look. The side with the glass/ceramic rectangle window/plate was facing the slip road. What do you think?
I'm nobody special, just somebody who enjoys looking at and talking about infrastructure. Eager to learn as much as I can about the roads of the UK - please help me with this.
- traffic-light-man
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Re: Motorway 'toblerone' cabinets
Brilliant stuff, thanks very much for sharing those!
Looking through that window in the side, I'm wondering if it's some sort of radar receiver, similar to what the Motorwarn signals had fitted to allow the police the ability to switch them on using their speed guns. That would also tally up with the idea that they were a street lighting override system.
Simon