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

[Jamesabout29]

M25 J29-30 was removed a while ago. Are there any propasals to replace the M1 catenary?

[sotonsteve]

MA50s and MA60s survive on the M25/A282 between J30 and 31. There are also GEC "Bricks" at the M3/M25 interchange.

[trencheel303]

My trip to Manchester has so far revealed the following:-

There's a small amount of SOX in what looked like ma50s on the m74 motorway as it becomes the m6, just after the services and just before the England border. It's the first motorway SOX I have seen in Scotland and even at that it's really only slip road SOX.

There's still plenty in and around certain areas of Bolton and side streets in Manchester, as well as a really nice form of white light which is like a very pale peach colour. Seen it before but haven't a clue what it is yet.

The m60 still has a _LOT_ of SOX, junction 17/18 has at least a mile, central double bracket and verge, all working the centre are ma60s and I think the verge are ma50s - certainly me and the person with me agreed the verge ones looked smaller. For j17 I stood on bury old road on the overpass underneath the railway bridge, you get a cracking view both ways of the lights converging all the way into the distance. J18 I stood on sandgate road, again on an overpass. both sections are in very fine fettle and are doing a stellar job.

junction 24 is a pretty interesting one, i'd earmarked it through google maps as it has central double bracket SOX and verge trafficvisions, so the contrast between SON and SOX is something i wanted to photograph. however when we got there I found that on one side of the motorway the trafficvisions had been replaced with some white light source, so from left to right there was white, deep orange and pinky orange in one image! The SOX in this section is also in pretty poor condition with many not working at all.

As we moved on towards J25 the state of the SOX got even worse although we did not stop, in some places the condition of the lighting was atrocious with the entire stretch bar a handful of lamps all being unlit.

I didn't even bother J9 and 10 as planned and there was more that we didn't even plan. The state of the SOX certainly seems to be that it's still very much present but there are sections that are clearly on their last breaths. Photos to follow in 24-48 hours when I return from my travels!

[sevenman96]

My trip to Manchester has so far revealed the following:-

There's a small amount of SOX in what looked like ma50s on the m74 motorway as it becomes the m6, just after the services and just before the England border. It's the first motorway SOX I have seen in Scotland and even at that it's really only slip road SOX.

There's still plenty in and around certain areas of Bolton and side streets in Manchester, as well as a really nice form of white light which is like a very pale peach colour. Seen it before but haven't a clue what it is yet.

The m60 still has a _LOT_ of SOX, junction 17/18 has at least a mile, central double bracket and verge, all working the centre are ma60s and I think the verge are ma50s - certainly me and the person with me agreed the verge ones looked smaller. For j17 I stood on bury old road on the overpass underneath the railway bridge, you get a cracking view both ways of the lights converging all the way into the distance. J18 I stood on sandgate road, again on an overpass. both sections are in very fine fettle and are doing a stellar job.

junction 24 is a pretty interesting one, i'd earmarked it through google maps as it has central double bracket SOX and verge trafficvisions, so the contrast between SON and SOX is something i wanted to photograph. however when we got there I found that on one side of the motorway the trafficvisions had been replaced with some white light source, so from left to right there was white, deep orange and pinky orange in one image! The SOX in this section is also in pretty poor condition with many not working at all.

As we moved on towards J25 the state of the SOX got even worse although we did not stop, in some places the condition of the lighting was atrocious with the entire stretch bar a handful of lamps all being unlit.

I didn't even bother J9 and 10 as planned and there was more that we didn't even plan. The state of the SOX certainly seems to be that it's still very much present but there are sections that are clearly on their last breaths. Photos to follow in 24-48 hours when I return from my travels!

The peachy coloured lamps in Manchester may be Cosmopolis.

[Patrick Harper]

M1 Junction 10a can be crossed off the list now, all the columns with SOX heads have been removed as the entire area has seemingly been carved out for the new GSJ.

About five years ago the column brackets with GEC Bricks on Airport Way were chopped off and replaced by Urbis ZX3s. Some of these columns have now fallen to the J10 rehash.

[trencheel303]

The peachy coloured lamps in Manchester may be Cosmopolis.

I did some reading and I think you are right. I'd always assumed Cosmopolis was a lantern. It's hands down one of the prettiest types of light I've seen and I'd happily see every street lamp in the UK become a Cosmo (apart from motorway of course). I think Manchester might have a white light policy as even some of the side streets were sporting fluorescents in those gray Philips MA lookalikes. Not a Thorn Celest.

[sevenman96]

The peachy coloured lamps in Manchester may be Cosmopolis.

I did some reading and I think you are right. I'd always assumed Cosmopolis was a lantern. It's hands down one of the prettiest types of light I've seen and I'd happily see every street lamp in the UK become a Cosmo (apart from motorway of course). I think Manchester might have a white light policy as even some of the side streets were sporting fluorescents in those gray Philips MA lookalikes. Not a Thorn Celest.

They are like a whiter form of SON, A compromise between SON and MH perhaps.

[trencheel303]

The peachy coloured lamps in Manchester may be Cosmopolis.

I did some reading and I think you are right. I'd always assumed Cosmopolis was a lantern. It's hands down one of the prettiest types of light I've seen and I'd happily see every street lamp in the UK become a Cosmo (apart from motorway of course). I think Manchester might have a white light policy as even some of the side streets were sporting fluorescents in those gray Philips MA lookalikes. Not a Thorn Celest.

They are like a whiter form of SON, A compromise between SON and MH perhaps.

Yep, IMO the perfect balance. A lot of white light sources are too white for me, making the streets feel like a fridge. Cold and uninviting. Cosmos though are just the right temperature and give, as their name suggests, a very "cosmopolitan" feel.

[Ben302]

Hertfordshire still has lots of SOX and this relatively recent installation in Rye Road mystified me. I'd expect it to be judging by the lantern to have a white light CFL output but seeing this in operation last weekend, is a pure SOX orange

[Patrick Harper]

Your lucky; in my part of Herts like-for-like casual replacements were abandoned three years ago. The new CFL installations (on new columns) are nice but elsewhere we're just getting Iridiums, a real shame 'cause there's alot of SOX round here.

[trencheel303]

I think there are some places that still actively maintain their SOX installations and even install them fresh in places. Glasgow is a great place for SOX and if you know where to look there are plenty of concrete columns as well as metal ones with top entry brackets that have been around at least 45 years. (verified by a dated photograph) Some of the Alpha 4s and MA50s are particularly new looking and in good clean condition, so Glasgow City Council either cleans their lanterns or still does installation of SOX to SOX.

Over on Ukastle there's also information pertaining to a brand new SOX installation in Essex, new metal columns and brand new MA50s went up. SOX isn't dead yet by any means.

M60 photos as promised:

J17





J18



Looking towards J24, mishmash of lighting


towards J25 tons of MA60s not working



There are also concrete columns on the A666 with what look like Urbis ZX2s or 3s fitted to them, well its better than junking the concretes I suppose.

All this and more in my video, under 5 minutes long and the good bit (ie the SOX) is in the first half: https://youtu.be/hCfQ6Yu1UFA

[Bryn666]

The 43 year old concrete stock on the A666 was originally Thorn Alpha 5s, the replacement with ZX3s was done in the early 90s.

[Gareth]

Your lucky; in my part of Herts like-for-like casual replacements were abandoned three years ago. The new CFL installations (on new columns) are nice but elsewhere we're just getting Iridiums, a real shame 'cause there's alot of SOX round here.

Liverpool's only just stopped like-for-like casual replacements for SOX, at least in side roads. Not sure what the situation is for main roads yet. Right up until this years, side road casual replacements in SOX streets were Beta 5s, even though I believe they went out of production a few years ago now. Either they had a big stock of them to get through or they were reusing ones that had been uprooted in mass-replacement SOX-to-white-light schemes. The new ones are now LED, I think. The light looks very soft and off white which made me think they could be CFL, but the lantern is very flat. It looks like a Beta 5 without the bowl. Looks like we're going to get a mix of yellow and white in our side streets over the next few years, similar to the old days when we had SOX and mercury mixed streets.

[trencheel303]

It's a shame that more pre-SOX fluorescent lighting like the AEI fleetwood wasn't kept. They could have just given them a clean and put 'em back up!

[Patrick Harper]

Round here the side-road standard was MI26's on hockeysticks, again only up until a few years ago when one of the last ones was put outside my house.

I don't mind different light sources as long as they are done in bulk for long stretches, I can't stand mixtures and thought-less casual replacements. Consistency is key!

[Ben302]

Looks like this stretch of SOX will be biting the dust soon http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/press-r ... 5-in-kent/

[Patrick Harper]

Speaking of slip roads...a small stretch of SOX on the former M10 northbound slip is still being maintained thoroughly. HA recently replaced three columns with matching design and lanterns.

[Patrick Harper]

I was down to Thorpe two days ago to take some pics of the M3 there, unfortunately I came unprepared and my parents' Nikon was out of charge when I got there. Here's one of the temporary pics from my phone, which I'll hang onto until I can get a decent shot with long exposure and other coolness.

[trencheel303]

I'd like to take a trip down that way again before this year's out, perhaps we'll bump into each other Paspie. It'll be interesting, if I do go, to see how far the LED conversion has come at the bit near J25 on the M60. Perhaps the trafficvisions will have gone by then, but they really should be sorting out the centre first as the SOX on that stretch is totally shagged out.

[Patrick Harper]

Went through Thorpe last night, lights working fine of course but there were cones up on the hard shoulder and an 50mph limit on the mainline. There were also signs up about a closure on the 16th, presumably beyond Junction 2. It is possible that my pic from earlier may be the last one before the MM works, but I'm not sure if the above is part of it or not.

Meanwhile, that A1(M) Hatfield SOX and the M1 Thorn P415's remain in good order from trips in the last month. I believe those, and the SOX near Dartford Crossing, may be the last mainline units around here...