As always, excellent photography there David. Out of interest, how effective is the SOX-converted Gamma Two when it comes to optical performance?As much as I hate to decry such a rare installation, I can't imagine it being all that useful!

Pictures to follow in due course, however whilst driving along the M56 towards Lymm, I noticed the portion of the A556 which passes over the motorway here, seems to have lost its lighting columns. I am aware that the local authority is currently reviewing the provision of streetlighting, especially on the rural stretches between Cheshire's urban areas, with many lights having already been switched off. It would therefore be no surprise that the redundant assets would be removed from the highway in due course. Considering the amount of HGV traffic which uses this route to and from the M6, it did come as a bit of a surprise that this route would see a complete removal of its lighting.

A return trip down the road confirms the lighting has been removed from the A556 from its junction with the M56 / A56 roundabout. It is still in service beyond Bucklow Hill, towards the A50 crossroads at Mere, however lighting reductions are also planned for this and other areas too, according to the council's website. As is common with other areas of the country, the lighting which is to remain will be a mixture of dimmable and part-night control using both SON and LED sources.

What however was more of a surprise, was the short spur running alongside the A556 which leads to the "Nags Head" pub. This has been mentioned in Ukastle previously, due to the survival of the two steel bracketed CU columns which still retain their original Alpha 5s. At one time, the whole stretch of the A556 from here to Lostock Gralam was lit entirely using this combination of column and lantern. Although recent vandalism sadly finished off the bowls and lamps, their off road location ensured they both managed to survive the 1980s SLI purge and latterly the uprooting of their other concrete classmates in recent years.

Unfortunately, I suspect these two stalwarts have now themselves been removed.

I might be mistaken, however my usual customary glance towards the pub whilst passing along the M56 on 30.12.14, didn't seem to register these two aging columns as in previous times. One thing I did notice however, was that the roadway which has always been potholed, looks to have been resurfaced.  I will need to pop back and confirm, however it looks like a large scale improvement works is currently under way. The VOSA checkpoint area seems to be included too, with floodlighting and plenty of plant in evidence.

I'll update this report with pictures as time allows, however it will be a pity if the two Alpha 5s have indeed gone.

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"I can't think what you want to go to London for, you won't find any better lampposts there..."
L.S. Lowry. 1887-1976.

The A556 is a trunk road owned by the Highways Agency. Lighting has probably been removed as part of the upgrade works happening to this road.

It certainly looks that way. There is an interesting document on the Highways Agency website with regards to the huge scheme now in progress. Following the construction of the "new" A556 which will effectively bypass the existing route, the old highway will be "de-trunked" and dropped down to single lane status. As part of this work, the lighting on the southern and northern links would not be reinstated. The lighting at junctions and the residential portion between Bucklow Hill and Mere would be retained, although this will probably be under the auspices of the local authority in future.

On a separate section, the document discusses the issue of site waste management. The amount of metal scrap destined for recycling from the de-trunking operation ie railings, lighting columns, signs and the like, was estimated to be in the order of 50 tonnes!  
With the large quantity of ZX lanterns with their plastic canopies also to get rid of, the amount of waste to be disposed of really mounts up. When you consider the number of PFI schemes happening around the country and the amount of redundant equipment to be dealt with, the disposal / recycling of it all becomes a real issue - and an expensive one too.

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"I can't think what you want to go to London for, you won't find any better lampposts there..."
L.S. Lowry. 1887-1976.

According to Highways Magazine, central government has announced funding for street lighting improvements in Lancashire:

Here's some more lights being replaced in Bolton this time it two SRL35s but this replacement is not being done by Bolton Council but by Jones Lighting so I don't know what lanterns are being installed on the new columns

Jones appear to be the contractor of choice for Bolton. They are terrible for leaving abandoned columns and missing out the odd column. I suspect you will get the new LED lanterns they are installing. IIRC SRL8s are no longer available and any casual fittings will be recycled stock removed in the recent LED fit scheme. I have seen a couple of LED casual replacements.

Here's one of those casual replacements, this replaced a SRL35 which had it's bowl taped up for a few months.

Picture Location (Poulton Ave , Darcy Lever , Bolton)

I think the new Holophane Factor Small lantern suits the concrete column very nicely.

Those are some nice photos from Kendal. As I've found myself with a bit more time on my hands than in recent months I may be able to haul myself up there...

If some of those lanterns are still there, I may try an approach to Amey similar to the one I used in Liverpool.



Going by previous experience, sometimes these disconnected ones can stand around for months before being removed. For anybody interested they can contact Enterprise as they deal with these. My acquisition was a little different as it was still in service, so I became the 'client' and paid for the full cost of removing the Highfield and having a Beta 5 fitted instead.... but being the very last one with (a) a bowl and (b) an MBFU lamp, it was an expenditure I could just about merit.

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In Carlisle unfortunately due to the mass replacement scheme all the interesting stuff is going. We have one Alpha 5, three Alpha 3s and a handfull of MA50s and Alpha 4s left. At the end of this year all 90W SOX and anything greater than 100W (others) will have been replaced. The Beta 5s and GEC Z9491s are safe for now. Although there is a purge on to get rid of concrete columns!

Regards,

Andrew.