Restoration of a ELBA PVT street lighting lamp (Tronconica)

Hello again. Today I’m presenting a video about the restoration of a public lighting lamp that was widely used across Romania. The lamp presented in the video may contain components from different models and manufacturers, because it is quite difficult to find a complete unit nowadays. Many original parts have deteriorated due to the materials used or the manufacturing quality, and the maintenance company often replaced or reused components from other lamps whenever necessary. Since these lamps are large and I will likely restore additional variants in the future, I have to install them in my garden on poles, as I have no place to store them. I decided to equip them with LED bulbs so they can be used to illuminate a pathway. Below are some additional details about the history of these lamps: The PVT public lighting lamps were among the most widespread street lighting fixtures in Romania for several decades. Their production began in 1959 at the ELBA factory in Timișoara, and the models were known as PVT 125 and PVT 250, depending on the wattage of the installed equipment. The first variants, featuring six rods, appeared in 1961 and marked the beginning of the PVT series. However, until 1963 these models were designated CET 250. During the period before Electrofar completed its production line for mercury lamp assemblies, the lamps were equipped for two years with Hungarian Tungsram ballasts. After 1963, all units used Romanian Electrofar ballasts exclusively. Over time, PVT lamps were manufactured in numerous structural variants: 3, 5, or 6 rods, bases and components made of steel or aluminum, shades made of steel, aluminum, or fiberglass, diffusers made of glass (clear, blue, milky white, etc.), thick fiberglass, or thin fiberglass fabric, exterior colors typically green or gray. In addition to the original models, low‑quality copies were produced starting in 1971 by the Electrobobinaj cooperative in Bucharest. Around 1974–1975, after Romlux opened in Târgoviște, the lamps began to be equipped with BVF 250 non‑encapsulated indoor ballasts and BVP 250 encapsulated ballasts, both large units similar to those produced by Electrofar. Between 1980 and 1985, some fixtures left the factory equipped with 125‑ or 250‑watt gear. Electrofar supplied BVA 125 and BVA 250, while Romlux produced BVR 125, an encapsulated but slimmer model. The 250‑watt versions were also available with BVF 250 ballasts. ELBA continued production until 1991, marking the end of the original Romanian PVT series. Later, unusual variants appeared: the tronconic Jiul Drăgășani models, produced between 1997 and 2001 in what was essentially a workshop rather than a full factory. These fixtures were made from recycled scrap metal, using molds copied from lamps intended for melting, resulting in unconventional designs. They were available with 150/250‑watt sodium gear as well as 125/250‑watt mercury gear, with control equipment sourced from Romlux, Contactoare Buzău, or suppliers in Hungary. Thank you for watching and if you liked it, I invite you to watch my other videos. A share, like, comment or subscribe will help me improve the content in the future.