It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:58 am

All times are UTC






Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1052 posts ] 


Author Message
PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 11:07 am 
Offline
Formerly Paspie
User avatar

Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:29 pm
Posts: 114
The SOX lights at the Park Street Roundabout end of the former M10 were out of action for many months, but appear to have been refreshed as of this week. There's a new MA60 with gear in shoe, and a MA with no shoe (could be MA50 or MA60). One other lantern was dayburning so these have power now.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 5:55 pm 
Offline
Site Administration
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:38 pm
Posts: 3402
Images: 27
Location: Salisbury
Back in the autumn of 2014, in the Surrey PFI thread I wrote:
In Bramley south of Guildford this GEC Z8896 that still runs mercury has lived a precarious existence for the last few years.

The property it is located outside has been having major building works and it could have been side swiped by delivery lorries - in fact the owners had added some coloured safety netting around its base to make it more visible as the GSV image shows. This was latter replaced with orange netting.

It did survive the assault by the lorries and the work finished earlier this year. But a few months back it was excavated with notice on the barriers stating "being replaced as part of the Surrey Streetlighting PFI."

Then this week the barriers have gone, and the hole filled in but the column is still there and was lit this morning.

I suspect it may be owned by the Parish of Bramley and not on Surrey's inventory. There are are however (PFI) Libras on the same road less than half a mile away. So for the time being it lives on.

Also likely to be "parish"  and nearby is this GEC 5670 also running 80W MBF but rather dim.  :(


During my last few weekly trips through Bramley, I thought, but wasn't sure if that column with the Z8896 had gone. Taking a proper look today, it has and I'm not sure what's happened to it. Being parish rather than council owned, the PFI left it alone in the end. Its well set back from the road, but there are a lot of deep tyre ruts in the grass. I wonder if it has succumbed to a collision with vehicles that were parked/manoeuvring on the verge? Or perhaps the parish had it removed given its obsolete lamp type and didn't think it was worth upgrading.

Luckily the '5670 is still there, and still running its worn MBF lamp. If there has been a reduction in parish assets, perhaps this one still survives as its at a junction - not that it casts much light!


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:08 am 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 540
Images: 11
Location: Colchester, Essex
All the last remaining SOX lighting on the M25 (to my knowledge), between Junction 30 and 31, was extinguished last week. This may be in connection with the ongoing works to relieve the bottleneck between the M25 and the A13.

The works involve widening the A13 to remove the existing lane drops where it intersects the M25 at Junction 30 and improving the slip roads on and off the motorway. The central reservation-mounted Philips MA60s between Junction 30 and 31 were once part of a once mightily long 33 mile stretch of unbroken SOX lighting on the M25 from Junction 23 to Junction 31.

As Junction 30 and 31 are only about half a mile apart, the alterations to the junction's slip roads will likely result in their permanent removal.

Image
Above image from this newspaper report from the Southend Echo


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 12:10 pm 
Offline
Formerly Paspie
User avatar

Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:29 pm
Posts: 114
As far as mainline SOX is concerned, yup it's gone. Sliproad SOX OTOH exists at J12, J21, J22, J23, J24, J25, J26, J28 and J29 (not sure about J30 at this point).


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 6:50 pm 
Offline
Founder
Random avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:17 pm
Posts: 1679
Images: 32
Thanks David.

Paianni wrote:
J24.


It is worthy to note that the SOX lanterns on the sliproads no longer work; or certainly this has been the case each time I've travelled past when dark!


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:27 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:20 pm
Posts: 433
Images: 101
Quote:
not sure about J30 at this point


There were still MA50s on the slip roads when I last drove past about a month ago (although some of them were replaced with Sapphires about three years ago following some work on the J30 roundabout).


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:04 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:20 pm
Posts: 433
Images: 101
Quote:
not sure about J30 at this point


I drove through J30 on Sunday and can confirm the MA60s are still there, but probably will be removed very soon as the junction is a mess with cones and roadworks signs. Some of the MA50s on the clockwise sliproad have also been removed, leaving just the column shafts behind. A sad end to over 30 years of SOX lighting at this junction!

In nearby London Borough of Havering, the LED scheme is progressing with no mercy! The lanterns look like Thorn R2L2s, although Urbis Amperas have also been used on a handful of roads. Pretty much everything on every main road (even new Airtraces installed over the last 5 years) in the borough is being retrofitted! The columns, however, are still being retained, although some have had their brackets shortened. So we have some peculiar combinations of LED lanterns on S&Ls (some of which are rather rusty), 1970s Fabrikats and sleeved concrete columns, with the occasional unsleeved concrete column! From driving through Havering recently, the Airtraces on Romford's ring road, lanterns on Western Road, and lanterns on Dagnam Park Drive are still standing, but probably not for very much longer! So it looks as if Havering may be going 100% LED!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:08 am 
Offline
Formerly Paspie
User avatar

Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:29 pm
Posts: 114
I hope not all the old equipment gets scrapped and recycled, do some of the newer/more common lanterns get refurbished and possibly re-installed elsewhere?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:32 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:20 pm
Posts: 433
Images: 101
Paianni wrote:
I hope not all the old equipment gets scrapped and recycled, do some of the newer/more common lanterns get refurbished and possibly re-installed elsewhere?


I would like to think so, but wouldn't bank on it! Most councils in London seem to have adopted a very throwaway attitude, particularly since the Olympics, often replacing lanterns which are no more than 2-5 years old! TfL are also just as bad!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 10:32 pm 
Offline
Formerly Paspie
User avatar

Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:29 pm
Posts: 114
Until not too long ago, A40 Western Avenue used to be lit with GEC Bricks (Z9565) from the A4180 to B467 Swakeleys Roundabout. Around 2012 most of the columns were retrofitted with Sapphires, except for a short section around RAF Northolt, just east of a stretch of short columns accommodating the runway.

The last Streetview image from this area is from November of last year, and it seems the Bricks and the Sapphires were quickly being swallowed up by new LED lanterns, so even though I haven't been down there lately I can safely say that SOX is gone from the A40.


Top
 Profile  
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by  


Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1052 posts ] 

All times are UTC



You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests



Search for:

cron