O.T Gas lighting in early lifts

[Graham.]

Old lifts had iron lattice shafts and car doors.

Is anyone sure the lamps were inside the car?

[Murmansk]

I heard a programme on Radio 4 today about the history of the lift

It mentioned that early lifts had gas lighting and I can't for the life of my work out how they'd get gas to a lift in the early late 1800s - it'd probably be hard to do it today!?

[Andy Burns]

rubber tube draped into the shaft?

[Brian Reay]

I?ve not listened to the programme but could it be Acetylene Gas? If so, than is made inside the lamp by dripping water onto calcium carbide.

[charles]

Rubber tubing - just like laboratory bunsen burners, but a bit longer

[williamwright]

The late 1800s were roughly from 1807 to 1819.

Bill

[harry]

The same as the trains back then. They had a cylinder of compressed gas. If there was an accident it led to some spectacular fires.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Probably used a bag type device that was topped up when the lift was at ground level. I do remember being shown a London bus that had a big bag on the roof full of town gas as it was described, so it ran off that rather than oil products.

Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

That sounds a little dangerous, but it has been done for emergency lighting before. Brian

[Brian Reay]

Why dangerous?

They were common in the days before (cheap) batteries.

Certainly no more dangerous than piping gas to a lift.

[Brian Reay]

I used to use a small one when night fishing but replaced it with a Tilley Lamp- more fiddly to light but worth the hassle.

[alan_m]

No Elfin Safety in those days.

[Brian Reay]

I remember staying in a caravan with gas lights 40 + years ago. The light they gave was actually quite nice.

Eldest looked at a house which, while it had electric lights etc, still had the original gas light fittings. No idea how complete they were and I doubt they were connected.

We rented a Gite in France back in the 80s it had gas lights which worked as well as electric lights. The owner said he?d installed them. They ran off bottled gas- running domestic things off bottled gas is common in France, especially in country areas.

[Bob Eager]

Notably this one:

[S Viemeister]

My parents bought a house around 1959/1960, which had dual-fuel wall lights. The top of the fitting was gas, and the bottom was electric.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Still had the remnants of some in this house too when I bought it. Iron barrel gas pipes poking out of walls. And some still live.

One of the first jobs was a total re-wire, so removed all that iron barrel at the same time. Once done, could be used for cable runs where suitable.

[Brian Reay]

I've seen that done, it looks really effective in an old house. This was pre the dreaded Part P and heaven knows if it would be legal these days ;-

I quite like gas light for relaxing etc, not great for reading/working by etc but for listening to music, dining, just generally chillaxing, it is very pleasant.

I was recently reminded that one of my elderly relatives (who died when I was very young) only ever had gas lighting. I remember him so it must have been the late 50s early 60s. I don't recall the gas lights.

[Dave Liquorice]

Quite a good idea these days when you have no lecy due to a power cut.

Have a couple of campinggaz lanterns, loads of omni-directional pleasant light, long run times, almost indefinate shelf life.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I can remember the tram journey to school as a kid in the 50s. On the tram route - so a major rather than side street and at a point close to the centre of town was a terrace of houses still lit by gas. I assume all owned by the same landlord.

[Tricky Dicky]

First house my parents owned after the war had some evidence of gas lighting and the street was still lit with gas lamps right up to the end of the 50?s and probably beyond but we had moved out by then. Apparently when my parents first moved in the street lamps were still ignited manually but by the time I was more aware of them they had clockwork mechanisms but still required a ? winder upper? every so often. Although the main part of the pillar was cast iron they were fitted with a projecting bar just below the shade for the ladder to be propped on. I guess this must have been steel as inevitably most of the street lights acquired a rope or even a swing.

Richard