WRTL Airtrace 2 Lantern Installations
WRTL's Airtrace 2 was the larger version in the Airtrace family. The canopy and/or base could come in blue or pyrite grey. It was intended for 50W-250W SON (HPS) or 50W-250W Ceramic metal halide lamps. Measuring 82.8cm long, it was quite a large lantern! The easiest way to identify the Airtrace 2 against the Airtrace 1 is to look at the size of the optic. A smaller optic points at an Airtrace 1.
Birmingham
An uncountable amount of WRTL Airtrace 2s exist on Birmingham's roads. This one is on the A38 through Birmingham City Centre. It runs 250W SON-T.
Phosco P220/4s would have been mounted here originally, but these have long-since been replaced. A Philips SGS203 occupies the other side of the bracket.
Column 14 of Penshore Street was a replacement for an old Philips SGS203 on an out-dated column.
This one runs a 150W Philips Master CityWhite CDO-TT lamp.
Column 2 of Dudely Street runs a 100W SON-T lamp. This Airtrace 2 is black, to fit it's column.
A radio node cell is fitted atop the lantern.
Another example was spotted damaged on Rupert Street in late 2024.
The column had been struck, causing the lantern to tumble to the ground.
The remains of the lantern were found in the bushes below.
I picked up and saved the driver, which was dead, but the gear tray was re-used to create an MBF/U tray for my GEC Z8896.
An odd installation of an Airtrace 2 is this one mounted at just 6m on Hilden Road. It looks huge from ground-level, being much longer than the hockey-stick's arm. It replaced an Urbis ZX1 within the past three years.
Some (more appropriately) mounted Airtrace 2s line the A5127. These are believed to run 150W SON-T.
Two post-top Airtrace 2s are located under the B4100, on Hockley Circus. The first column was flattened in 2023, and this crash is actually visible on street view. A new column went up shortly after, with another Airtrace 2 on top. Notice the top-entry bracket which would've held a lantern originally.
Column 19 of Nursery Road has a Airtrace lantern that's missing it's canopy.
This is likely the result of storm damage.
Continuing on the theme of storm damage, this Airtrace has decided to take up a career in being a flood light, it has spun about 45 degrees on it's bracket, projecting light onto a small pavement area. It's located on Birchfield Road.
It looks loose as well, and could potentially fall into the carriageway.
Some single-arm columns are installed in the centre of the junction to light the A34.
Two sets of twin-arm columns continue down Birchfield Road.
If you look closely, you can still see the rotated Airtrace, it actually looks a lot like an Arc from this angle!:
This column is located on the border of Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, on the crossroad between the A452, and the A5127 (Sutton Road). The lantern is missing, having come off after a vehicle impact. A Cree Energy Due is now installed.
Sutton Coldfield
Some grey Airtrace 2s are located along Holland Road, running 150W SON-T lamps. Column 1:
