The title says it: We carried-on conduiting the locking room, and made it around to the bulkhead light on the south of the front wall.
It's worth mentioning the choice of light fittings. The originals were plain bayonet sockets screwed to a conduit box wherever convenient. This would have made them both dazzling and vulnerable to knocks from a carelessly-manoeuvred ladder. This was true in the battery room as well, where a cautious engineer might be concerned about sparks igniting hydrogen from old-fashioned batteries.
Modern batteries and chargers are much less prone to off-gassing, but the chances of accidentally knocking a light while working there are still substantial. For that reason, because we think it looks better, and because we happened to have some in store, the new lighting uses old Coughtrie bulkhead enclosures.
You may also have noticed two lengths of conduit running perpendicular to the back wall in some of last week's photos. What could that be for? Well, it isn't really conduit! One problem with the lever frame at Hotchley Hill is that it is supported by two steel C-channels. These are prone to twisting when you pull on a lever, which would weaken them over time.
The new floor adds lateral stability to the frame, but for extra restraint, we have added a pair of rods anchoring the top of the standards to the back wall, with plates to spread the load on the outside. It now feels much more solid.
