SOX street lights, which areas still have them?

[AndyB]

Unfortunately very few Alpha 8s are left - maybe the odd isolated one, and I knew where to find an Alpha 3 until about four years ago.

[Jonathan24]

Unfortunately very few Alpha 8s are left - maybe the odd isolated one, and I knew where to find an Alpha 3 until about four years ago.

A couple of Alpha 3's (at least, I think that's what they were) here, until just a few months ago. But I can't think of any on public land now either in NI.

[dansgas1000]

There are still some working examples on the A1066 through Diss, Norfolk (Victoria Rd). It is worth noting that some have been converted to LED but are still in their original housing.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.3719258 ... ?entry=ttu

There are also some near the Hotel Chocolat site on the edge of St Neots, Bedfordshire. I was here a few days ago and watched them heat up which was nice to see.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2094154 ... ?entry=ttu

[Worcestershire Wolf]

Just returned from a holiday in Pembrokeshire, the only SOX I saw when travelling around are some on the A477 Kilgetty and Stepaside by-pass. Many of these would be from when the by-pass opened in the mid 1980's:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.73518 ... ?entry=ttu

[Truvelo]

Just returned from a holiday in Pembrokeshire, the only SOX I saw when travelling around are some on the A477 Kilgetty and Stepaside by-pass. Many of these would be from when the by-pass opened in the mid 1980's:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.73518 ... ?entry=ttu

Those look like GEC's

[swissferry]

Don't know much about types of street lights but there is an orange one here that seems to be always on.

[scott125]

Edinburgh is one place I haven't seen any SOX for a while. It used to have some interesting installations.

[Bjhl6969]

National Highways have just replaced the SOX lamps with SOX on the A5 between Muckley Corner and Rising Sun Brownhills

[MatthewF49]

Ours have just been replaced with LED in Rayleigh Essex, still on concrete columns for the most part though. Do miss the gentle warmup from red to orange though.

[norfolker]

I'm new here and have been reading through this thread, I don't know any names of street light-types or anything technical about them really, but for some reason when I was about 4-5 years old I remember being obsessed with street lights it went away but in the last 10 years or so I've been paying attention to them more again simply because it's sad to me that a lot of the types of street light that were around when I was interested in them as a kid are now gone, or going. As others have said above, that pink glow when they used to come on, there is something so nostalgic about that! And also they had so much more character - now with these dull LED lamps, they all look the same, and so lifeless - not only the look of them, but the light that emits from them too. They barely give off any light and everything still looks dark even with them on.

Which brings me onto some of the lights I've seen that still remain around Norwich/Norfolk:

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.6453147 ... ?entry=ttu

These are in the grounds of a chemical plant just outside the city and I like the concrete columns, these must be quite old I'm guessing? I hadn't seen these for a few years but in passing the other night, I notice they have been retrofitted with LED bulbs, which just looks wrong coming from these type of lamps.

A question also, why is it you'll occasionally see areas where all new lamps have been fitted, but there will be one odd old-style street light still there? Like this one in Aylsham:

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.783733, ... ?entry=ttu
(note the Google Street View is from 2021, but all the others have been replaced with new LED lamps, but this one still stands, and has also been fitted with an LED bulb, which again looks wrong and also, it doesn't seem to give off any light at all!)

There is also this one in Cromer:

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.9251493 ... ?entry=ttu

It's the only one amongst many new ones, and it also doesn't even work, but why do they sometimes just leave the odd one rather than do a complete set of replacements? It is something that has intrigued me. There are also a few old ones out at Longwater outside Norwich, amongst new modern installations.

Well at least I've found somewhere to get this off my chest haha.

[OliverH]

I wonder How Many of these retrofit lamps are present in the UK: (it seems I can't find the page anymore)

I haven't seen any of them yet.

[martinyoung91]

Just a quick graphic showing the distribution of the remaining SOX light sin Northern Ireland (according to the latest open data download of lighting assets). There's about 27000 left (out of a stock of approximately 290000), and are concentrated mostly in Belfast, Derry, the Lagan Valley and Co Down. There's an ambition to complete the LED rollout within 2 years, although whether this is achievable within the current budget impasse remains to be seen.

http://www.ith.org.uk/SOX-NI.jpg

[harrihealey02]

I’m also interested in the fascination of low pressure streetlight and I thoroughly miss them as when I was younger. I used to look out the window and see that orange glow and obviously back then I didn’t think too much of it except I appreciate it. However everything just looks nice and cosy, and then, as we start again LEDs with the strong white light, I’ve actually come to miss the orange hue and how easily visible things are under that orange light, and so with this, I made some videos of roads in my area in Essex that still have low pressure streetlights I will link some videos I’ve made and I will also tell you some of the roads that I know still have them. The first road is the A13 for about a mile or 2 miles. There’s a lot of low pressure sodium streetlights Between Lakeside shopping centre and towards all set I have made a YouTube video on this and I will link it. The other place is on the M60 Ring Road in Manchester on the south eastern part. Can’t remember the location but there’s a few there and I’ve also made a video which will be uploaded shortly. A lot of those are still working And then there’s also one near airport. I think it’s Manchester Airport there’s a couple along one of the roads along there which I have not yet films and obviously I won’t be able to because of the proximity to the airport but I know there’s some there . And I know there’s also some on the A1(M) just outside of the M25 north.

https://youtu.be/0aHKkRGn_ig?si=io6Y8ES3Wz6rBTLl

https://youtu.be/8r7P-6WLOQY?si=s2fAdiNfCObWPvjC

https://youtu.be/S2s-6addNok?si=w8QuNHAGPFGQQX-O

[M19]

One of my earliest memories were the white street lights on concrete columns in Redcar before moving close to Bierton, near Aylesbury in 1976 when the A418 was only lit with telegraph pole bracket mounted lanterns like this: http://www.streetlightonline.co.uk/44.htm

Just before we moved to Yorkshire in 1980, street light poles were stacked at the end of Bierton, ready to install, to light up the A418 - turned out to be angled brackets with SOX lighting. They changed Bierton’s character from village (albeit even then with a busy A418) to a suburban approach to the edge of Aylesbury.


I think the lanterns have just been replaced with LEDs.

[Truvelo]

M6 Junction 2 was full of SOX until very recently. Over the last couple of years it has gradually diminished to the point where the only ones left are on this slip road. Those on the opposite carriageway have been replaced since my last visit just before Christmas. I suspect those in the photo will be replaced as part of the current roadworks.

[OliverH]

Hopefully the rest on the M60 and M62 around Manchester are replaced soon. last time i was on the M60 I could see that they had replaced the lights on the newest part in which they must of done recently as the time before that the ZX's and trafficvissions were still there.

[Bryn666]

Hopefully the rest on the M60 and M62 around Manchester are replaced soon. last time i was on the M60 I could see that they had replaced the lights on the newest part in which they must of done recently as the time before that the ZX's and trafficvissions were still there.

The bulk of the 1989 vintage columns between 24 and 25 have now been cut down completely.

[StockburyRoundabout]

There is a solitary SOX lantern still in situ here on the A4010 Wycombe Road in Princes Risborough, and it remarkably still works (I can confirm this having travelled through Risborough in darkness recently)! It has somehow survived the Buckinghamshire Council LED scheme, despite lanterns on surrounding columns having been replaced by LEDs.

[Truvelo]

There is a solitary SOX lantern still in situ here on the A4010 Wycombe Road in Princes Risborough, and it remarkably still works (I can confirm this having travelled through Risborough in darkness recently)! It has somehow survived the Buckinghamshire Council LED scheme, despite lanterns on surrounding columns having been replaced by LEDs.

This is true in Staffordshire too. When a whole road has been up downgraded to LED they leave a single SOX or SON lantern in place.

[StockburyRoundabout]

There is a solitary SOX lantern still in situ here on the A4010 Wycombe Road in Princes Risborough, and it remarkably still works (I can confirm this having travelled through Risborough in darkness recently)! It has somehow survived the Buckinghamshire Council LED scheme, despite lanterns on surrounding columns having been replaced by LEDs.

This is true in Staffordshire too. When a whole road has been up downgraded to LED they leave a single SOX or SON lantern in place.

Is there a particular reason for this? The only occurrence of this I've seen in Bucks is that one in Risborough. I've not seen it elsewhere.