M62 at Croft still has SOX on the bridges, looks like those columns will be reused. It looks tatty if they are.

*NEWSFLASH*

The columns at the western end of the M45 have had their SOX lanterns chopped off and replaced with SON lanterns. I would have thought they would have replaced the ancient rustic rotten columns but anyway. This means that the only motorway left standing with only SOX lighting it anything is the M181.

At least the M1/M45 SOX is still up and running...

Here's a little update...

I am not sure exactly if this qualifies as a SOX to SON replacement....

Drove down the M5 yesterday to Worcester. Was quite surprised to see SOX lanterns through J4 are completely gone.

The Urbis Vectras all through Frankley services have been replaced (with barrier renewal) with Urbis ZX3s

Further south you get more replacements with "droopy" grey iridiums and "droopy" grey Urbis Sapphires. All on brand spanking new columns. Look very tidy and up to date.

The lighting around here is abit of a mishmash now, but I have a feeling they are going to link up all these sections with a central concrete reservation and new lamps from j3-J4 and J4a to J7, maybe even J8???

Will look alot better when completed.

Fancy replacing Vectras with ZX3s! That's a backwards step imo

Not really, the ZX3 is a much nicer looking lantern. A real step forward would be replacing Vectras with Z5590s

Come on Guys, not all of us are highways engineers. SOX is what, for heavens sake ?

With the absolute dearth of work on new roads, I'm surprised there are any highways engineers with jobs !!

SOX is low pressure sodium lighting. The very orange ones.

The M5 used to have Trafficvisions at that point. Vectras were further south.

Non lampies can easily confuse Vectras with Trafficvisions. The easiest way to tell them apart is the Vectra has a black bit where the bracket joins although Bryn will already know that

Whereas SON is high pressure sodium, the more pinky-whitey ones (though they can look yellowy from a distance or when warming up).

Do the N and X actually stand for anything?

And LED are the more recent ones that are very white when used for street lighting, though they work on the same principle as little red warning lights.

Don't know about the X but I believe the N stood for 'New' at the time when it was developed.

SOX stands for Sodium OXide, and SON (pronounced sun) as the light output was thought of being like the colour of the Sun. GEC's SON lamps were labelled SolarColor.

I have put a posting on the 'awful state of M53 lighting also' but it seems that the M53 is getting some major SOX culling in the last week.

Lots of random 'mainline' columns south of junction 9 are/have been removed. It looks quite strange driving along approaching this stretch as the streetlights are now in clumps or are standing out on their own. I do not know (looking at what they have culled) if they are getting rid of all of them or just the ones that don't work.

I have had a look at the highways agency etc and cannot find anything specific. I am actually glad they are getting rid of these lanterns. They looked really crap to be honest, tired and tatty. If anyone knows any information about what is going on please let me know.

Incidentally, I am wondering with all the cutbacks if these lanterns will be replaced at all!!!

I suspect the columns that have been chopped-down were structurally unsafe and no money has been given to replace them so the old SOX lanterns will probably not be replaced anytime soon (that's my prediction anyway based on current trends in other locations).

SOX is very much alive and kicking here

Whilst on my way to Santa Pod yesterday I noticed that in the MM works on the M25 most of the SOX lighting approaching J23 and at J2 is been removed and some columns have been "sawn off" and capped with yellow tape I thought the SOX was to remain in place once the works ended