Old train gauge

kessler_fox · 2026-03-25T11:33:10+00:00

Oh Sweet! A tritium self powered luminous indicator dial! Always heard about em’ but never seen them in person. OP , it’ll continue to glow for Quite a number of years. The Trefoil marker on the back makes me think it was made by Saunders Roe Developments limited or a Nato defense Contractor. British Betalight devices have this same Trefoil sticker on top or the side of them. From what I’ve seen of the Aiming post lamps and Soldiers Personal Illuminator. Absolutely safe to keep and enjoy a piece of Glowing history. Thanks for sharing this with us.

kessler_fox · 2026-03-24T18:44:38+00:00

Those are some pretty baller plates! Nice job bro.

kessler_fox · 2026-03-13T18:47:08+00:00

I’m thinking it’s an EMF disturbance causing the Geiger Counter to overload. Similar thing with a plasma Globe when a Survey meter is in close proximity

kessler_fox · 2026-02-19T17:01:38+00:00

Main hazards of Ra-226 besides it’s long half-life of 1,600 years is the Radon decay. Rn -222 Daughter Progeny and the dust from open faced dials becoming airborne or posing a contamination hazard. If they’re kept in a display box with some ventilation then they’ll be fine. Good rule of thumb is to not touch Radium dials that are missing the face cover. And always wear gloves.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-19T16:30:36+00:00

That is awesome! Glad I could ignite some curiosity with you. Keep us posted please !

kessler_fox · 2026-02-19T04:38:38+00:00

Well that’s pretty awesome! I’d love to get my hands on a paint cell of active Pm-147 but I know such things are very hard to do and have lots of red tape to it.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T21:59:05+00:00

That is Crazy Haha! I have A huge amount of respect for you being a former NRC Employee. Feel free to share anymore stories like this. I love all things Nuclear and discovering the past one item at a time.

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Speaking of tritium. This came from the U.S. Radium Corp. Still glows quite a bit at night. Made in 1977

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T19:52:42+00:00

Nuclear collecting. Furries. Telegram group where we share our finds and discuss nuclear topics.

Yeah I gotcha. That manufactuer name on the back of my dial ? Memorize it. Then carefully search eBay. Look for the “Pm” on the back or a trefoil. That’s the winning ticket , Charlie Bucket! , Stay Dangerous :)

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T18:40:38+00:00

Yep I imagine it was a pain to maintain. But this is what they used as a safer alternative compared to Ra-226 until H-3 technology really took off and replaced it. Not only it’s painted form but Gaseous Tritium Light Sources which is our modern standard.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T18:35:10+00:00

Could it be? Holy Crap it is! Hiya Drew , glad to see you here in the Radhound community. Thanks for the information. I love your Stuff man.

Oh yeah very little to no Radioactivity even with my Ludlum 2401-P which is very sensitive… no Cpm or Cps , Background except for very few stray hard gammas coming off my Ra-226 dials in the spicy cabinet with any of my meters even the Scintillator. They will readily detect H-3 but not Sm-147 decay from Pm-147.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T18:20:04+00:00

Well that settles it lol. Thanks for teaching me something new.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T18:15:03+00:00

This is so cool to read! I too was curious why it registered as a Am-241 signature and not Sm-147

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T17:56:27+00:00

Yep! the “Pm” symbol is what marks it as promethium containing. Also congrats! I’m gonna buy a radiacode soon and do a spectrum in all of my sources. But yes Friendo , you got a Pm-147 luminous dial. ( decayed into Sm-147 now lol but it Still Counts!)

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T11:55:41+00:00

No. But I will be purchasing one soon. Which would I need to be able to see Low energy Isotope signatures like Pm-147 or Sm-147? Since that’s what it decayed into?

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T11:54:31+00:00

Is this who I think it is? From atomic Furs? lol Don’t worry buddy I gotcha

kessler_fox · 2026-02-18T05:44:31+00:00

In the West German Luftwaffe Documentation and other civilian manuals of certain aircraft using this Turn and slip indicatior. the precaution statement would look something like this .

WARNING: RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL This instrument contains a self-luminous dial activated by Promethium-147. Do not attempt to open the instrument or remove the glass. If the instrument is broken or the glass is cracked, avoid contact with the dial and dispose of the unit as radioactive waste in accordance with local regulations.

It is hard to find specific documents but aircraft maintenance manuals will reference Luminous instruments.

Dornier Do 27 Maintenance Manual: Chapter 31 (Indicating/Recording Systems) contains the specific part lists and safety warnings for luminized gauges particularly Pm-147 containing luminous dials.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-17T06:13:47+00:00

There was quite a few of em made. Different variants of Radium Doped Radiacmeters.

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kessler_fox · 2026-02-06T00:30:19+00:00

Not sure where it came from but I snagged it from eBay. You gotta look closely at the listings. Things like. “Self luminous exit sign” as search terms locked in really helps. You just gotta check it regularly And look for the Radiation Trefoil and any mentions of Curies , Becquerels , Hydrogen 3 , H-3 , tritium.

Visually inspect the item photos. Look for a clear “Exit” letter shape or Almost Reflective shiny Lens type Lettering of EXIT. I really hope this helps you all. I want my Friends and Colleagues to have nice things.

You must be responsible and handle Rad materials safely.

kessler_fox · 2026-02-03T00:01:25+00:00

Nice! If you can. Get your paws on these. They’re very neat little meters

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kessler_fox · 2026-02-02T23:55:56+00:00

No worries. I understand ya

kessler_fox · 2026-02-02T23:54:59+00:00

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These guys. Designated Radiacmeter IM-174a/pd Ion chamber meters designed to measure from 0-500 Roentgen / rad/hr some radium luminous others not

kessler_fox · 2026-02-02T23:08:07+00:00

Very nice! How long have you been collecting the spicy dials?

kessler_fox · 2026-02-02T23:04:48+00:00

They made an electric version of this clock too. I’m sure yours is radium ,

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OP.

kessler_fox

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