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PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 5:12 pm 
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Looks like Havering Council are embarking on a replacement scheme on a couple of side roads in Romford, despite the council going LED 6-7 years ago, where the lanterns were replaced but the existing columns retained. I saw a lorry with new hockeystick columns on the back of it parked on Hainault Road from the bus to work last Monday, and today I saw that the columns had been installed next to the old columns with Thorn Isaro Pros fitted to them. Seeing as the lantern in the foreground is a Thorn Isaro, I think it's quite obvious why the lantern is being replaced (although rather too soon, as it was only installed 4/5 years ago, replacing another unknown LED lantern, which itself had only been installed for 3-4 years when it was replaced)! The other side of Hainault Road has also been included in the scheme, with a main road installation (whose column is leaning slightly) with Havering's staple main road lantern, the Thorn R2L2, being replaced too, despite only being installed around 6 years ago. How wasteful!

In other news from the same area, Angel Way is having building work done, which has meant the demise of its heritage lighting (the lanterns are Urbis St Giles, I believe) and new LED lanterns being installed post-top on new columns. I'm not sure whether this is a temporary measure, but as the Urbis St Giles run SON, it seems unlikely they will be re-installed.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 5:24 pm 
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Noticed from passing by on a bus today that these two MAs on a layby next to the A13 near Barking, which survived several replacement schemes by both Barking & Dagenham Council and TfL, have now been retrofitted with Evolos. SOX was wiped out en masse in Barking & Dagenham in the late 90s / early 2000s (although I still do know of a few SOX lanterns still surviving here and there), and the majority of the SOX on this stretch of the A13 was replaced by the Iridiums you see in the foreground in about 2005. A short stretch of SOX behind the camera did, however, remain until 2012, when it was replaced by a hotch-potch of Trafficvisions, ZX3s and Iridiums in a "limited upgrade", where they were rather crudely fitted to some of the existing columns. Ironically, the old 1970s octagonal steel ones with Y-shaped brackets were retained and repainted, while the newer columns were replaced, with some of the new columns being single bracket and a few others with twin lanterns on horsehoe-shaped brackets. I think the retrofitting of the two MAs has been done by Barking & Dagenham Council though, as the Evolo is now its staple lantern. Curiously, though, the SGS203 behind the camera, at the beginning of the layby, still survives. Indeed, it's perhaps even more curious that the Iridiums, Trafficvisions and ZX3s haven't all been upgraded to LED, as has happened on all other A roads I know of under TfL ownership. Probably the reason why the MAs lasted so long is that there has been a question over ownership, but it seems it's finally been decided, after nearly 20 years, that they are owned by the council!


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2022 7:04 pm 
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Noticed a couple more SOX lanterns in Barking & Dagenham today that I didn't know about: GEC Z9538s on octagonal steel columns around the back of the old May & Baker works in Dagenham East. Also saw a single flat-glass Trafficvision standing all by itself.

I also walked past this Eleco post-top today. Still standing and all in one piece, despite Storm Eunice a few weeks ago, and unlike another surviving Eleco post-top in the borough, which almost looks as if it's going to collapse any moment!


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2022 11:43 am 
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Charlie Brown's Roundabout (the junction of the A406 and M11 at Woodford, northeast London) has now finally gone to LED. The column brackets have been chopped back and the black ZX3s (and some Arc, Iridium and SGS203 casual replacements) have been swapped out for black Lumas. A short stretch of black ZX3s on the A1400 Woodford Avenue which were missed in the TfL mass replacement scheme with Urbis Amperas back in 2015 have also received the same treatment.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:46 am 
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At the same roundabout mentioned above, I saw the other day that a single Eleco GR550 is still clinging on in 2022, lighting the cul-de-sac at the end of Crescent Road, by the A406 off-slip.


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 10:34 am 
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Attention all; the final street, and ultimately the longest stretch of Main Road SOX lighting left in the whole of Greater London is in the London Borough of Bromley,  but unfortunately it looks like a TFL replacement scheme threat is looming, and the last stretch of 10 metre high SOX  (in London) days are numbered.

So briefly,  Bromley has held the title for the most amount of Main Road SOX lighting, and the longest stretch of SOX lighting within the M25, since around 2018. Prior to this, that honour went to the London Borough of Bexley, namely North Cray Road.

Afterwards, the honour went to the London Borough of Bromley, namely Sevenoaks Road, which had a long, beautiful stretch of 1970s GEC SOX lanterns on lovely, squared off brackets. Unfortunately however, TFL replacement scheme of the Bromley side of the  A21  started in early 2021, and by mid 2021, all these lovely survivors were all gone.

Since then, that honour still remains with Bromley, but this time, on the much shorter stretch further down the A21 on London Road. These date back to 1979, and still have some of the original GEC z9554s, with the exception of various casual replacements.  

However, TFL replacement scheme has managed to sweep through the majority of Bromleys section of the A21, and is now getting much closer to London Road, which is also the last section of the A21 in Bromley.

Therefore, I highly encourage everyone to visit this before it goes. I strongly believe that this is London last stretch of 10 metre main road SOX Lanterns, where the road is still predominantly SOX.

However, if and when this does go, TFL does have ONE FINAL stretch of predominantly SOX main road lighting (albeit these are 8 metres) but again, in Bromley, Croydon Road in Keston/Hayes on the A232.

Less than 10 years ago, there was still a decent amount of SOX Main Road Lighting to be found in Greater London, so i find it very sad that we are right at the end of it. Enjoy it whilst it lasts  :cry:


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:43 pm 
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Sad news to report, that the Thorn Gamma 4s at Channon Retail Park in Eastleigh (and casual replacements) have all been replaced with LED Roadway NXT lanterns on double-stub brackets. The fact these Gamma 4s survived into 2022 was quite something, but alas, no longer.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 8:55 pm 
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sotonsteve wrote:
Sad news to report, that the Thorn Gamma 4s at Channon Retail Park in Eastleigh (and casual replacements) have all been replaced with LED Roadway NXT lanterns on double-stub brackets. The fact these Gamma 4s survived into 2022 was quite something, but alas, no longer.


Sad to hear that Thorn Gamma 4s that have lasted so long have been replaced, but you've managed to identify the staple LED lantern that the London Borough of Newham now uses, so thank you for that! I've been pondering over the identity of the lanterns for quite some time!


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 7:04 am 
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Pictures of the Gamma 4s here and here.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:18 pm 
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Guys, TFLs A21 replacement scheme is now right at the doorstep of Londons FINAL stretch of SOX lanterns on 10 metre columns!!!

Once this road goes, Londons 10 metre, main road SOX lighting will be banished to the history books, forever :o  :(


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