Hello everyone,
I've been here for a week or so now but haven't really contributed much, so I thought it was about time I did my bit. What I'm about to post is a ton of information and images, so if a mod wants to split it into another thread, that's fine.
So it seems Glasgow and the suburbs surrounding it are, as has been suggested previously in the thread, a goldmine for old SOX lanterns as well as attractive looking concrete columns. There were various areas I've been to since getting into the hobby, mostly on the southside and also some areas in the west end.
Let's start off just south of the Clyde near the Maxwell Park area. Somewhere I've never been before now, with roads as wide as a motorway (well, nearly!) and every house a mansion. A very pretty place, and with SOX intact.
We start off on Sherbrooke Drive, just off Nithsdale Road near Dumbreck Station.
These lovely concrete columns stand intact and in good condition with a SOX lantern I don't recognise. I am going to go out on a limb here, and suggest these concrete columns may have originally held mercury lamps and were later "upgraded" to sodium.
The other direction. You can see Glasgow in the background.
Old meets new(er).
Google maps link to this spot: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84414 ... eXIG7A!2e0
Next we're off to St. Andrews Drive, undoubtedly one of the most upmarket areas in Glasgow. This is just one of the side streets off the main road that had more concrete columns with SOX. You can even see someone's personal driveway lamps in the foreground too. It's like something out of a fairy tale movie.
This road had larger concrete columns with again the same type of SOX lantern that I don't know how to identify yet.
The main road itself had a variety of large SOX lamps, like this clean Philips unit, which I'm guessing is an internally geared MA50 as although this road is big, I still can't see it needing an MA60.
And another tidy looking lamp pokes out from these trees, it is course Thorn's Alpha 4.
Street view to St. Andrews Drive - pan the camera left, right and up - SOX, SOX everywhere! https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84113 ... XwqSwA!2e0
The whole reason I was walking down St. Andrews Drive is because I was going to Herries Road, to see more of the concrete columns.
This is where I'd originally spied them on Google maps but when I plotted my route I had no idea I would see dozens of them on the way here. It's like this whole part of Glasgow is stuck in time where street furniture is concerned.
Herries Road, on the map: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/She ... d374904313
What's next then? Well, while I was in the area one of the places I wanted to go is North Pollok, which has a lot of double bracketed main road-ish SOX. Another few stops on the train and I got off and was almost directly onto Linthaugh Road. From there I could see over to Lyoncross Road and this set of lamps was already lit, possibly dayburners or just early switcher-onners:
Linthaugh Road's lamps came on very late so I was left awkwardly hanging around for a bit, so I made the most of it and took this.
Eventually the Alpha 4s decided to play ball and lit up, way after I'd have expected them to as it was really getting quite dark.
Here's a zoom shot, which makes a great iPhone background.
And another angle after the lamps had warmed up a bit:
I do feel awfully sorry for the people in the houses on the left, as one of the columns (possibly that one on the left) was making an unbelievable racket which sounded like a cross between a very large substation buzzing and stones being put in a blender.
Unfortunately I botched these photos a bit as I kind of forgot the camera had an ISO setting, so I struggled with exposure... still, one step at a time eh?
Maps link - Lyoncross road is on the left: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84026 ... qcY8kA!2e0
Well, that's most of the "interesting" stuff out of the way, but there are still a few gems from my visit earlier this month to the southside and west end.
West Prince's Street still has some older installations, like this one on the side of a tenement building.
A few yards up there is one of these that is broken and has long since lost its bowl and bulb. The council, instead of fitting a new lantern, just left it and stuck a new column right next to it with a newer Philips SOX lantern! I don't have a still, but my first video below opens with that as a scene setter.
And this newer ish Philips lantern.
Maps link: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/W+P ... e2b291648a
Next I got on a train and headed to the southside to see a friend and of course more lamps. The Newlands and Cathcart area is almost entirely SOX although Clarkston Road is slowly being invaded by SON. Here we can see an Alpha 4 and (I think) an MA50 on Newlands Road, the Alpha 4, like many here looking very tired and missing its bowl:
A little further back this trio of MA50s is on the warm up - apologies for mobile phone pic.
And here is Earlspark Avenue, a lovely looking road with closely set houses, chimney pots and TV aerials a-plenty as well as an unbroken line of SOX lamps with overhead wires. It's a typical "suburban street" scene:
As you can see some of the lamps lean rather precariously!
Turn around 180 degrees and there's Tankerland Road, a crescent with a few of these:
The same lamp lit and in its warm up stage:
And an identical one slightly further up the street that's been rather buggered up - it lights but is black in the middle and so didn't turn fully yellow the whole evening:
Street view link - tankerland road, Earlspark Avenue (ahead), Newlands Road left/right: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.81802 ... jkA3SQ!2e0
That's it for the photos, but I'll close with these two YouTube videos I put together from short clips I recorded and some photos of these areas as well. The intro music only lasts for a few seconds as I know how much a full video with music can bug people.
I'm not sure how to embed videos, so here are links:
http://youtu.be/lK0tb4puOYU
SOX lamps in the south and west of Glasgow
http://youtu.be/zxt48K1MgiA
Concrete columns and double bracketed sorta main road SOX
And that's it, I'm all posted out... from what I've observed I can definitely say this - many parts of Glasgow are still completely untouched by SON and (makes crucifix symbol) LED - and my guess is they will be for years to come. SOX even on main roads is not uncommon and this is well evidenced by travelling at night. Glasgow City certainly seems to have the right idea - if it isn't broke don't fix it, if it lights the road leave it alone. I wish more towns and cities were like this, frankly there's nothing wrong with SOX for most places and it annoys me how some councils will remove perfectly good installations in favour of something else double the wattage, while bleating on about the need to go green!
Long live SOX in Glasgow!
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- I know as a basic format, the enthusiast had the picture, with the manufacturer, lantern, lamp and type of switching control on one line underneath.