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PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 1:06 am 
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Much work is currently going on in Trafford borough at the moment. LED seems to be getting a major grip on the area's SOX and SON installations.
Interestingly, the council whilst adopting a phased approach, has not gone in for the wholesale replacement of columns as was exercised in other Manchester schemes. The majority of columns certainly around Urmston & Flixton survive with only a few replacements. On many roads, all that has been necessary has been to prune some of the longer bracket arms to cater for the different optics of LED. It looks like the Luma is to be used in the majority of refits.

Side road lighting has latterly been in the hands of side entry Beta 5s on 5m steel and concrete (CU) columns. In earlier times, the area was a rich confection of AEI/BTH Ambers, Wardle Aeroles and Eleco Goldenrays. A relighting programme in the mid 80-90s saw the introduction of SON, however this made only a moderate impact on what was still a SOX stronghold.

Whilst the Beta 5s are taking the brunt of the changeover, I am however pleased to see the dominance of SON also being challenged. Urbis ZX1 and 2s are now an endangered species in this part of the world. Lurking in a few side streets are some  WRTL Stellas, presumably installed as a trial. Whether these will be replaced remains to be seen.

Below are a couple of snaps showing two of the LED installations at night. The first was previously lit at 6m with ZX1s.  The steel columns have been retained but the Lumas are now on shortened brackets. The second scheme which previously used Beta 5s, is now LED but retains the 5m CU concrete columns.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:35 pm 
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Fairly unusual to see LED on concrete columns - although it has happened in other areas such as Yorkshire.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 5:41 pm 
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Phosco152 wrote:
Fairly unusual to see LED on concrete columns...


I agree, especially if the spacing / mounting heights may not suit the lantern optics. Although my camera gives an artificially bright aspect to the street, light distribution is probably no worse (or better) than with the Beta 5s.  Actually, the CU columns although having been up for a long time (they replaced the original gas columns) do seem to be in good condition with no spalling evident.

It might simply be that the budget for the works, was designed to achieve energy savings and an improvement in light quality within a reasonable payback period. In practice, galv' steel columns will cost more to maintain than concrete, especially in Trafford where every column gets its coat of black gloss paint.

In some respects, an LED lantern on a concrete column is the pinnacle of what any local authority would want to achieve - maintenance free streetlighting!

Perhaps a rebirth for the Crompton Concept could be on the cards soon.

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:12 pm 
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Hi All.

Carlisle's LED replacement scheme is depressing me as it's seeing off all the SOX lanterns :-( and anyone who knows me will know how much I love SOX lighting. I assume it's happening all over the country, although I did see a lovely display of MA50s on a motorway near Manchester and another near east Midlands airport which was nice.

However, I did find this little gem still working down a dark lane, it is a top entry GEC Z9491 with, I assume, the original open wound ballast.

Sadly how much longer these will have is anyone's guess.

Regards,

Andrew.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 3:35 pm 
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Hi All,

Here are some lanterns that have slipped through the net in Kendal. Kendal still has quite a few Eleco HW727 lanterns but they were converted to 55W SOX in the 80s.

Kendal Alpha 3, not sure if this is SON or Mercury.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.33077 ... 312!8i6656

Kendal HW727s, these are all 55W SOX
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.33231 ... 312!8i6656

Regards,

Andrew.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:08 pm 
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Hi All.

I hope everyone is well.

Carlisle now have contractors doing the column and LED replacement scheme. They move at such a speed it's hard to keep up. Sad news is most of the 35W SOX lanterns have gone, there are very few left.

I was having a look at some of my old pictures and thought I would show you what we used to have about 14 years ago.

Regards,

Andrew.


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File comment: Atlas Beta 5s were very popular. We had all variants from the 3 piece bowl of the 1960s to the ultra slim modern version of the 2000s.
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File comment: Revo C13721/T (baby Daleks) were very popular in Carlisle. I think they were the next choice after GEC Z9491s.
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File comment: A very strange and rare version of an Eleco GR501. This particular variant had internal gear which was never really popular.
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File comment: Revo Lucidor Bs with internal gear were very popular in the villages around Carlisle. I can only think of a handful of streets in Carlisle illuminated with these.
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File comment: Alpha 3s. In the town centre these replaced the Fluorescent lanterns in about 1974
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File comment: Philips Ma5s on Scotland Road. I assume these were put up sometime between the late 60s and early 70s. The original lanterns were GEC Dioptrions.
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 6:20 pm 
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Great pictures Andrew - thanks.


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 6:17 pm 
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Anyone happen to know of any SOX lanterns - any model - in the Fylde region and its surroundings? (Blackpool, Fleetwood, Preston, etc.)


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 1:28 pm 
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halowraith1 wrote:
Anyone happen to know of any SOX lanterns - any model - in the Fylde region and its surroundings? (Blackpool, Fleetwood, Preston, etc.)


It has been a little while since I was in the Lytham St Annes area, however I do recall there were quite a few pockets of SOX lighting, usually on the side streets. The majority were on surviving cast iron gas / 1920s electric columns, often retaining their top entry swan neck brackets. Beta 5s were the staple lantern here although I have noticed there did seem to be a programme a while ago to eradicate SOX with SON. Many of these columns went as a result. Not all bad news though, a quick look at the current GSV indicates that Lowther Terrace in St Annes still has cast iron columns in situ, with both side and top entry beta 5s. Whether this is still the case right now would need further confirmation.


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 11:37 pm 
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Re: Trafford MBC streetlighting - Update June 2017.

Since my last report on the lighting in the Trafford MBC area, I can confirm that huge advances have been made in the LED changeover. SOX has been mostly withdrawn from service, especially in the Urmston / Flixton areas. The programme has most recently moved into the areas of Carrington and Partington, with the A6144 Manchester Rd / Warburton Ln now substantially relit. The majority of this was lit by Eleco GR150s on sleeved concrete columns. The columns still remain but now sport Luma LED lanterns.

A more significant loss to the SOX system has been on Washway Rd in Sale. This is a long, major route into Altrincham, which has been lit for many years by GR150s on octagonal Petitjean columns, although MA50s and ZX2s were also used as casual replacements. These have also been replaced by Lumas, although as has been the practice elsewhere in Trafford, the ponderous bracket arms have been radically pruned.

The continuing use of the existing columns with the LED technology, may simply be down to economics or possibly that a more thorough investment of the borough's lighting is on the cards. As has been documented on my earlier report, some of the borough's oldest concrete columns are now supporting new technology.

From a historical perspective, it is something to be applauded, even if the finished result on some roads (especially those which are heavily tree lined) often prove to be surprisingly disappointing at "lighting up" time. The following pictures from GSV show the various roads, prior to the conversion work.


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