SOX street lights, which areas still have them?

[trencheel303]

The M61 just off the Kearsley roundabout heading south (where the A666 comes off and carrying straight on it becomes M61) still has a healthy amount of 135 and 180 Philips MAs although some of them are now being switched off for example on the A580 road to Salford. Lots in other areas have already gone; Farnworth, Clifton and Kearsley in the last couple of years have lost a lot of their 135W stock.

East Bolton (approximate area of Ainsworth) still has some gems including Alpha 9s/beta 8s and some older 135W lanterns (Revo Hyperion or the GEC equivalent I can't remember what its called)

As already mentioned in the thread Glasgow seems to be holding onto its SOX, but as I no longer live in Scotland I am unable to regularly check up on it - until very recently GCC were still replacing failed SOX lamps/lanterns with new (old) SOX stock. When I last went in 2015, Herries Road, St Andrews Drive and the areas around Maxwell park were a diamond in the rough featuring concrete stock which must date right back to the war. Strathaven in East Kilbride had housing estates with similarly vintage S&L Steel columns with beta 2s on (will have originally been mercury or incandescent lanterns)

A lot of the old tramline poles with their distinctive long arm brackets up in Glasgow once held incandescent "upside down dust bin lid" lanterns, all of which were long since replaced by SOX but you can still find the old abandoned examples tucked away in some places. Tradeston, near the motorway is an example, I'd have to look up the exact area but I can post it if anyone's interested.

[Divine]

The M61 just off the Kearsley roundabout heading south (where the A666 comes off and carrying straight on it becomes M61) still has a healthy amount of 135 and 180 Philips MAs although some of them are now being switched off for example on the A580 road to Salford. Lots in other areas have already gone; Farnworth, Clifton and Kearsley in the last couple of years have lost a lot of their 135W stock.

East Bolton (approximate area of Ainsworth) still has some gems including Alpha 9s/beta 8s and some older 135W lanterns (Revo Hyperion or the GEC equivalent I can't remember what its called)

As already mentioned in the thread Glasgow seems to be holding onto its SOX, but as I no longer live in Scotland I am unable to regularly check up on it - until very recently GCC were still replacing failed SOX lamps/lanterns with new (old) SOX stock. When I last went in 2015, Herries Road, St Andrews Drive and the areas around Maxwell park were a diamond in the rough featuring concrete stock which must date right back to the war. Strathaven in East Kilbride had housing estates with similarly vintage S&L Steel columns with beta 2s on (will have originally been mercury or incandescent lanterns)

A lot of the old tramline poles with their distinctive long arm brackets up in Glasgow once held incandescent "upside down dust bin lid" lanterns, all of which were long since replaced by SOX but you can still find the old abandoned examples tucked away in some places. Tradeston, near the motorway is an example, I'd have to look up the exact area but I can post it if anyone's interested.

Shame that a lot of the MA's are being switched off and swapped. Pleased that Glasgow are continuing to use SOX. When I drove up to Glasgow, I saw some really old concrete posts, probably the first few models made. Some older posts were probably fitted prior to the war. They contained a range of Alpha 4's, MA90's and Alpha 9's.

[scott125]

The M61 just off the Kearsley roundabout heading south (where the A666 comes off and carrying straight on it becomes M61) still has a healthy amount of 135 and 180 Philips MAs although some of them are now being switched off for example on the A580 road to Salford. Lots in other areas have already gone; Farnworth, Clifton and Kearsley in the last couple of years have lost a lot of their 135W stock.

East Bolton (approximate area of Ainsworth) still has some gems including Alpha 9s/beta 8s and some older 135W lanterns (Revo Hyperion or the GEC equivalent I can't remember what its called)

As already mentioned in the thread Glasgow seems to be holding onto its SOX, but as I no longer live in Scotland I am unable to regularly check up on it - until very recently GCC were still replacing failed SOX lamps/lanterns with new (old) SOX stock. When I last went in 2015, Herries Road, St Andrews Drive and the areas around Maxwell park were a diamond in the rough featuring concrete stock which must date right back to the war. Strathaven in East Kilbride had housing estates with similarly vintage S&L Steel columns with beta 2s on (will have originally been mercury or incandescent lanterns)

A lot of the old tramline poles with their distinctive long arm brackets up in Glasgow once held incandescent "upside down dust bin lid" lanterns, all of which were long since replaced by SOX but you can still find the old abandoned examples tucked away in some places. Tradeston, near the motorway is an example, I'd have to look up the exact area but I can post it if anyone's interested.

Yeah in Glasgow ive seen new MA50s being installed .In East Kilbride the Beta 2s go replaced by LED . There is one ofthem ld lanterns just off the railway in Tradeston next to Batleys warehouse .

Old Lantern in Shawlands https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.82720 ... 6656?hl=en

Good run of Thorn Alpha 4s along Pollokshaws Road . I seen a photograph from 1981 ofthis road and they present then , surprised how old they are .
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.82242 ... 6656?hl=en

[Divine]

The M61 just off the Kearsley roundabout heading south (where the A666 comes off and carrying straight on it becomes M61) still has a healthy amount of 135 and 180 Philips MAs although some of them are now being switched off for example on the A580 road to Salford. Lots in other areas have already gone; Farnworth, Clifton and Kearsley in the last couple of years have lost a lot of their 135W stock.

East Bolton (approximate area of Ainsworth) still has some gems including Alpha 9s/beta 8s and some older 135W lanterns (Revo Hyperion or the GEC equivalent I can't remember what its called)

As already mentioned in the thread Glasgow seems to be holding onto its SOX, but as I no longer live in Scotland I am unable to regularly check up on it - until very recently GCC were still replacing failed SOX lamps/lanterns with new (old) SOX stock. When I last went in 2015, Herries Road, St Andrews Drive and the areas around Maxwell park were a diamond in the rough featuring concrete stock which must date right back to the war. Strathaven in East Kilbride had housing estates with similarly vintage S&L Steel columns with beta 2s on (will have originally been mercury or incandescent lanterns)

A lot of the old tramline poles with their distinctive long arm brackets up in Glasgow once held incandescent "upside down dust bin lid" lanterns, all of which were long since replaced by SOX but you can still find the old abandoned examples tucked away in some places. Tradeston, near the motorway is an example, I'd have to look up the exact area but I can post it if anyone's interested.

Yeah in Glasgow ive seen new MA50s being installed .In East Kilbride the Beta 2s go replaced by LED . There is one ofthem ld lanterns just off the railway in Tradeston next to Batleys warehouse .

Old Lantern in Shawlands https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.82720 ... 6656?hl=en

Good run of Thorn Alpha 4s along Pollokshaws Road . I seen a photograph from 1981 ofthis road and they present then , surprised how old they are .
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.82242 ... 6656?hl=en

Interesting. Alpha 9's are still common up in Glasgow. They're common in Barnsley as well.

[trencheel303]

Shame that a lot of the MA's are being switched off and swapped. Pleased that Glasgow are continuing to use SOX. When I drove up to Glasgow, I saw some really old concrete posts, probably the first few models made. Some older posts were probably fitted prior to the war. They contained a range of Alpha 4's, MA90's and Alpha 9's.

Glasgow has an interesting history in street lighting. While some parts seem to have gone to electricity (incandescent) very early on, the last gas lamp wasn't put out until the early 1970s. I'm not sure if it was an actual street lamp or one of the lamps lighting a tenement close, but both come under council jurisdiction.

Yes, some of Glasgow's concrete lighting stock is unbelievably old, and judging by the lighting columns' position towards the edge of the kerb, lots are original to post war "new town" estates. I'm not sure what the word was on using concrete pre-war, as a contributing reason for its use was metal shortage after the war.

I don't know if you caught it in my post before, but if you look up Herries Road, St Andrews Drive, and Maxwell Park on Google Street view you will see what I mean about the abundance of concrete stock still in use there.

EDIT: links, since they're tricky to find:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.83524 ... 312!8i6656

Herries Road


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84498 ... 312!8i6656

Sherbrooke Drive (most of this street still has the concrete ones)


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84312 ... 312!8i6656

Maxwell Road - notice in the centre of the image one of the old incandescent lanterns? This is an abandoned estate where several of these - complete with smashed lamp still in holder - still stand. You go through the gate on the left and just walk down. I've wound it back to 2009 as the 2017 version seems to show the first two columns missing a lantern, but if you walk further down they should be there.


I'm rambling now, and risking going off topic - but the above is my "Glasgow's gems" shortlist. You can also find a video on YouTube about some of Glasgow's SOX called "Glasgow hidden gems" or something like that, it's my video.

I'll return eventually when I've found a good GSV link with the SOX on the M61.

..oh, and for those interested in Gas Lamps, go to Malvern in Worcestershire, they have an entire street of them ...

[Divine]

Shame that a lot of the MA's are being switched off and swapped. Pleased that Glasgow are continuing to use SOX. When I drove up to Glasgow, I saw some really old concrete posts, probably the first few models made. Some older posts were probably fitted prior to the war. They contained a range of Alpha 4's, MA90's and Alpha 9's.

Glasgow has an interesting history in street lighting. While some parts seem to have gone to electricity (incandescent) very early on, the last gas lamp wasn't put out until the early 1970s. I'm not sure if it was an actual street lamp or one of the lamps lighting a tenement close, but both come under council jurisdiction.

Yes, some of Glasgow's concrete lighting stock is unbelievably old, and judging by the lighting columns' position towards the edge of the kerb, lots are original to post war "new town" estates. I'm not sure what the word was on using concrete pre-war, as a contributing reason for its use was metal shortage after the war.

I don't know if you caught it in my post before, but if you look up Herries Road, St Andrews Drive, and Maxwell Park on Google Street view you will see what I mean about the abundance of concrete stock still in use there.

EDIT: links, since they're tricky to find:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.83524 ... 312!8i6656

Herries Road


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84498 ... 312!8i6656

Sherbrooke Drive (most of this street still has the concrete ones)


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84312 ... 312!8i6656

Maxwell Road - notice in the centre of the image one of the old incandescent lanterns? This is an abandoned estate where several of these - complete with smashed lamp still in holder - still stand. You go through the gate on the left and just walk down. I've wound it back to 2009 as the 2017 version seems to show the first two columns missing a lantern, but if you walk further down they should be there.


I'm rambling now, and risking going off topic - but the above is my "Glasgow's gems" shortlist. You can also find a video on YouTube about some of Glasgow's SOX called "Glasgow hidden gems" or something like that, it's my video.

I'll return eventually when I've found a good GSV link with the SOX on the M61.

..oh, and for those interested in Gas Lamps, go to Malvern in Worcestershire, they have an entire street of them ...

Interesting. I believe I've seen that video before.

[Robert Kilcoyne]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

[Divine]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

Yes, I am.

I saw a few Alpha 3's in Peterlee: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.75896 ... 312!8i6656

They're in good nick.

[trencheel303]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

Yes, Dalziel Drive I think it comes up as.

[trencheel303]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

Yes, I am.

I saw a few Alpha 3's in Peterlee: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.75896 ... 312!8i6656

They're in good nick.

Bet they’re HPS though, and no higher than 150W to boot. If you’re ever up near Tebay on the M6 going north, the car park is lit by several well maintained alpha threes running mercury in surely the 400W flavour. True dyed in the wool alpha threes they are. There’s also one nearly on the motorway itself just outside Burton-In-Kendal services, again northbound. It’s only a few metres behind the “end of motorway regulations” sign and appears to have been forgotten about. 400W again and it still lights - but quite dimly.

[DavidB]

Although Wokingham Council has been rapidly installing LED lights in recent months, one pocket of SOX lighting remains in Pound Lane, Sonning, between the A4 roundabout and Butts Hill railway bridge. The lanterns are something of a mishmash of types but they include some Thorn Alpha 1s. Here's an example:

https://goo.gl/maps/krLBqkmC4Tw

At the moment Streetview is showing images south of the bridge in Woodley from Sept 2016 which still shows SOX lights (including Alpha 1s) but they all disappeared last year.

[Patrick Harper]

There is a parish in Northamptonshire (along the old A45, I might add) that started to switch from MBF to SOX around a decade ago, with a mix of last-gen Beta 5's and XGS103's. I believe this is possible because the "footway lighting system" don't seem to be subject to the British Standards' requirements for decent colour rendering. This page seems to imply the decision being deliberate and that they might attempt to maintain the amber illumination for quite some time.

[trencheel303]

“It was the Council's policy to phase out the older 80w Mercury Blended Filament Units (MBFU)”

Oops.

[Divine]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84058 ... 312!8i6656

St Andrews Drive (GSV link is being an arse, one click ahead and turn into the street on the right; massive old concretes)

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

Yes, Dalziel Drive I think it comes up as.

Yeah, there's one Mercury Alpha 3 in Crow Edge by a building company. Its in good nick and works fine.

[trencheel303]

I think that you are referring to these concrete columns, which if I remember correctly, had also been seen in Gibraltar:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.84094 ... 312!8i6656

Yes, Dalziel Drive I think it comes up as.

Yeah, there's one Mercury Alpha 3 in Crow Edge by a building company. Its in good nick and works fine.

GSV link?

[Divine]

Yes, Dalziel Drive I think it comes up as.

Yeah, there's one Mercury Alpha 3 in Crow Edge by a building company. Its in good nick and works fine.

GSV link?

I have a video of it functioning whilst I was filming the snow falling as I was driving through Crow Edge: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.53948 ... 312!8i6656

There use to be a few Mercury lights, possible GEC Z8526, in Penistone where I live, but they have been gone 8 years or so: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.52633 ... 312!8i6656

There were probably more in the 70's. Barnsley are unlikely to remove the Mercury Alpha 3 at Crow Edge and it will most likely be left as its on the way to a brick/pipe factory.

[Divine]

Strange fittings in North Pembrokeshire

I visited North Pembs back in the Summer of 2017 and drove through Goodwick and found some interesting fittings:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00662 ... 312!8i6656
It appears an MI36 has been fitted on a higher than usual column, which aren't common. There are only two. The rest are on similar, but standard columns. This was interesting to see.

A classic SOX fitting on an usual bracket: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00343 ... 312!8i6656
It appears to be a GEC Z9464.

What appears to be an MA90 on a telegraph pole: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00230 ... 312!8i6656

Further down the road, a MA90 can be seen on an old, unusual bracket: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00173 ... 312!8i6656

Prior 2011, this road was full of MA60'S, if you look further down, and MA5C's: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00260 ... 312!8i6656

All been replaced by ugly SON lights.

Some roads, like this one, have Beta 5's: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00285 ... 312!8i6656
A lot of roads were lit by Beta 5's in this area.

Last but not least, a noticed some MA90's have survived going over the railway bridge: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.00424 ... 312!8i6656

[Divine]

Interesting fittings in Flintshire. An old Eleco can be seen on GSV in Carmel: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.28031 ... 312!8i6656

I've never been to this exact street, but my friend lives somewhere near and tells me that there are a lot of classic SOX fittings in Flintshire and Denbighshire.

[Colinrog]

I notice that the lamps certainly between Hemel Hempstead and the M25/old M10 on the M1have been replaced by LEDs now. Looks like they have gone further north too towards Luton although I don't go up that far normally. I don't know if they will continue on towards London and Watford, replacing the current SOX.

[Patrick Harper]

I notice that the lamps certainly between Hemel Hempstead and the M25/old M10 on the M1have been replaced by LEDs now. Looks like they have gone further north too towards Luton although I don't go up that far normally. I don't know if they will continue on towards London and Watford, replacing the current SOX.

The section to the south of the M25 is maintained by by Connect Plus (the suspended SOX lighting structure was undergoing maintenance last month, I believe), the stretch to the north is maintained by Amey Highways.

To clarify - the mainline through J7/J8 and the northbound C&D carriageway have been LEDfied. The SOX on the J7 overpass and the SON on the southbound C&D carriageway have survived for the time being.