SOX lighting "dying" on motorways-multiple areas in network.

[Patrick Harper]

Okay, I'm mistaken; SOX-E and SOX PSG are still on. The only discontinued products are the 180W SOX and 36W SOX-E PSG. Technically that means the MA60s around the world remain serviceable with a 131W SOX-E lamp with the correct gear.

The site is here, btw: http://www.lighting.philips.co.uk/prof/ ... ure-sodium

The best way of finding out if a Philips product still exists is to do a Google search on it. If something is returned, it probably still exists, and if it doesn't then perhaps it doesn't. Google search is more reliable than going via the Philips website. I did a search on Philips 180W SOX the other day and found a web link to lamps on their website.

That page is on the international site. Philips may have SOX-producing facilities outside Europe that are still making the 180W lamp, but they aren't importing them into Europe, if their UK site is anything to go by.

[Brenley Corner]

I was surprised that the A1(M) between J2 and J4 is still exclusively SOX; I don't think there is such an extensive stretch elsewhere in the SE. Additionally there are still a few sporadic collections of original SOX and columns at J31 of the M25 - some has been replaced as part of the recently completed J30 widening programme but small patches remain untouched - very strange!!

Tony

[brummie_rob]

Whilst they replace the SOX with LED on the M54 junction with the M6, there is a weird mix at the moment. NB has LED on the left and SB has SOX and in the middle you have SON. All sorts of contrasting colours!

[Patrick Harper]

I was surprised that the A1(M) between J2 and J4 is still exclusively SOX; I don't think there is such an extensive stretch elsewhere in the SE. Additionally there are still a few sporadic collections of original SOX and columns at J31 of the M25 - some has been replaced as part of the recently completed J30 widening programme but small patches remain untouched - very strange!!

Tony

'Fraid not, there's SON through Hatfield tunnel (complemented with Sapphires on the immediate approaches), and there's Iridiums lurking in some places, including the mainline now.

[sotonsteve]

A DBFO contract covers the part of the Highways England network on and around the M25, and they still have a fair amount of SOX. However, maintenance of this lighting stock has been getting worse, and they are slowly phasing it out. Given the cost of lamps, it would be cheaper to replace the lanterns, but I think they're just prolonging the life of the SOX and letting some fail before they make the investment. The M1 catenary lighting will be quite a job to sort out.

[scott125]

M602 in Manchester still has SOX , must date from opening . Nice to see as didnt get them in Scotland

[Jamesabout29]

Passed through M3 J2/M25 J12 on Sunday for the first time since the works finished and was pleasantly surprised to see that all the GEC Bricks plus a few MA60s seem to have survived, despite the fact that those on the M3 haven't! I passed through during the day so can't be 100% sure if they still work but a couple were dayburning which seemed like a good sign. I only passed through from M3 NB to M25 ACW, but from what I could see, all other slip roads seemed to have their lighting intact as well.

[wrinkly]

M602 in Manchester still has SOX , must date from opening . Nice to see as didnt get them in Scotland

To be pedantic, the M602 doesn't touch Manchester. It's entirely in Salford - though its western half (west of J2) is in Eccles, which was not yet part of Salford when it was built.

I assume you're referring to the lighting on the eastern half, as Streetview suggests that the western half (which is about 11 years older) no longer has its original lanterns, and now has what to my inexpert eye looks like SON.

[Robert Kilcoyne]

M602 in Manchester still has SOX , must date from opening . Nice to see as didnt get them in Scotland

To be pedantic, the M602 doesn't touch Manchester. It's entirely in Salford - though its western half (west of J2) is in Eccles, which was not yet part of Salford when it was built.

I assume you're referring to the lighting on the eastern half, as Streetview suggests that the western half (which is about 11 years older) no longer has its original lanterns, and now has what to my inexpert eye looks like SON.

I seem to remember that the western end of the M602 approaching the M60 interchange was lit by Philips Trafficvisions.

[Brenley Corner]

I was on my way back from Bournemouth on Monday evening and I passed by Rownhams Services after dark for the first time in a while. The Philips MA60 units in the car parks and service roads were all still there but they were lighting up LED white. As I was passing on the mainline M27 I did not get a close inspection but assume they have been fitted with LED retrofilt bulbs internally.

Tony

[sotonsteve]

That is correct. The changeover to LED lamps happened a couple of months ago. Road chef have also done this to the Philips MA90s at Sutton Scotney services on the A34, which happened a couple of months earlier.

[Bryn666]

M602 in Manchester still has SOX , must date from opening . Nice to see as didnt get them in Scotland

To be pedantic, the M602 doesn't touch Manchester. It's entirely in Salford - though its western half (west of J2) is in Eccles, which was not yet part of Salford when it was built.

I assume you're referring to the lighting on the eastern half, as Streetview suggests that the western half (which is about 11 years older) no longer has its original lanterns, and now has what to my inexpert eye looks like SON.

The columns west of J2 were replaced many years ago, they were originally holding up SOX and of the 'Cohen' type that had structural fatigue issues. The same type of column graced the Worsley Braided Interchange where catenary wasn't used (e.g. the M61 down to the A580).

[Stesee]

These areas are still Sox,
M6 near to J22 although these have failed.
M62 J6 to J5 these have recently been replaced with LED.
M61 where it merges with A666 and M60 some are still working but most have been switched off.
M60 are being replaced with LED doubling up with Smart Motorway Scheme.
M60 in the Stockport area.

[scott125]

Came across this Video on Youtube . Shows some lighting on M6 and M62 in 1979 . Looks like MA60s 0r 90s , didnt realise in 1979 they were installed , must of been new .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpZTRu4ZeVA

[Bryn666]

Came across this Video on Youtube . Shows some lighting on M6 and M62 in 1979 . Looks like MA60s 0r 90s , didnt realise in 1979 they were installed , must of been new .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpZTRu4ZeVA

These were Thorn Alpha 6 units at the time. The MA60s came much later.

[scott125]

Came across this Video on Youtube . Shows some lighting on M6 and M62 in 1979 . Looks like MA60s 0r 90s , didnt realise in 1979 they were installed , must of been new .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpZTRu4ZeVA

These were Thorn Alpha 6 units at the time. The MA60s came much later.

I see , the ones on the central reservation look very similar to MA60S

[Ben302]

Went down the A299 today and noticed that most of the MA60's on the Thanet Way have been replaced with P863 LED lanterns leaving small pockets of MA60/50 SOX goodness not sure why they've been left but the twin arm central reservation columns have had their brackets shortened for the LED lanterns (even the few that had extra long brackets on the wide reservations). Will be a sad day when the rest go

[Brenley Corner]

Went down the A299 today and noticed that most of the MA60's on the Thanet Way have been replaced with P863 LED lanterns leaving small pockets of MA60/50 SOX goodness not sure why they've been left but the twin arm central reservation columns have had their brackets shortened for the LED lanterns (even the few that had extra long brackets on the wide reservations). Will be a sad day when the rest go

Part of the Kent County Council LED Conversion programme; scheduled to be complete across the county by May next year.

Tony

[Jamesabout29]

Went down the A299 today and noticed that most of the MA60's on the Thanet Way have been replaced with P863 LED lanterns leaving small pockets of MA60/50 SOX goodness not sure why they've been left but the twin arm central reservation columns have had their brackets shortened for the LED lanterns (even the few that had
extra long brackets on the wide reservations). Will be a sad day when the rest go

That is a shame. When I drove down there in April I thought how amazing it was that such a long stretch of SOX had survived into 2018. I feared they didn’t have much longer left and it looks like I was right.

[scott125]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.81742 ... 6656?hl=en

It appears to be the end of these old poles in Glasgow as ive noticed shiny new colunms been planted next to them .These must be very old , dont think were tram poles though . Looks like the new ones are still going to be wired .