A458 Mucklow Hill lighting replacement
This is the top of Mucklow Hill and most of the original columns containing SOX are still in situ. The original SOX lanterns were slim bowl Z9554's but most have been replaced by MA's. On the left hand side is a post top Vectra which is a casual replacement for the SOX. All these columns are now being replaced by a totally new installation of post top Arcs. It's not only the lighting that's changing - the speed limit here used to be 40mph and the carriageway heading up the hill was two lanes. A year or so ago the speed limit was cut to 30 and the 40mph limit now starts in the distance. The speed limit reduction is bad enough but the worst thing is the lane drop before the summit of the hill. This is really annoying if you're stuck behind something slow.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Mar 13, 2008 by Truvelo Vectras
A312 approaching from A316
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Mar 22, 2008 by RoadKill More Vectras being installed in Sandwell
Vectras going up on Brandon Way, West Bromwich.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Apr 11, 2007 by Truvelo Arches
Vectras on columns on this approach to Woolwich Ferry.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Jan 11, 2008 by RoadKill More Vectras going up
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Jan 16, 2008 by Truvelo
More Vectras going up
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Jan 16, 2008 by Truvelo
WRTL Vectras on seriously curvy colums on Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge
The Sir Steve Redgrave Bridge is instantly recognisable by these WRTL Vectras mounted on these seriously curvy columns. These have featured on SABRE before, but they just look so European in my view and really dwarf the Vectra into something beautiful, I just couldn't resist taking a picture of them myself!
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Oct 25, 2008 by Rojojnr Saturn and Vectra X
Now this is most peculiar! Wherever there is a zebra crossing, Newham install an Urbis Saturn on an ordinary steel column instead of the usual MRL6. Why this is done I don't know - the lanterns probably run metal halide, as the Vectra Xs which are used on the crossing already run SON, as evidenced by the dayburning lantern on the right. But if they are SON, what's wrong with the MRL6s? Weird!
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Oct 12, 2008 by Rojojnr WRTL Vectras on seriously curvy columns
These have featured before on SABRE, but I just couldn't resist photographing them! In the foreground, there are two Urbis DZ15s installed on chunky black columns, while in the background, is the Steve Redgrave Bridge spanning the King George V Dock on the River Thames, lit by these WRTL Vectras on extremely curvy blue columns! Vectra haters will love the way the Vectras are dwarfed by those columns!
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 14, 2008 by Rojojnr Non-ugly Vectras
The Vectras here, on the A683, seem to work far better than many examples cited. The brackets are of a decent size, and the curved nature resembles more 'continental' installations. Also thankfully these models are flat-glass so don't even look ugly.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Feb 05, 2007 by Bryn666 Crewe town centre. A Vectra lantern.
This was a photo I took back in the Summer of 2017. Vectra lanterns on North Queensferry station and the Forth Rail Bridge in the background.
Vectra lantern hidden away in an alleyway. City of Edinburgh.
SGS204 lighting along the A454 in Willenhall.
Underpass junction of the Keyway at dusk, West Midlands.
Coming on to the Keyway at dusk, West Midlands.
Coming on to the Keyway in the day, West Midlands.
Underpass junction of the Keyway in the day, West Midlands.
Back in Tamworth. WRTL Vectra along a bridge pathway. This is just over the canal between the park and the centre bypass road.
For some reason the 8 metre street light column was never painted, where as the rest of the town centre lamp-posts are painted black. The lantern in front for pedestrian zebra crossing is an Industria Vectra. Cannock, Staffordshire.
A mix of different lanterns seen here. Thorn Riviera, WRTL Vectra, and Urbis ZX3. This is around Short Heath and Lane Head, near Willenhall, Staffordshire.
Digistreet casual replacement, along with Vectras in background.
Thorn Alpha 2000s, WRTL Vectras, and Urbis Evolos light the tramway along the sea front in Blackpool. These posts all had Alpha 2000 lanterns on them at one time, installed in 1995. In around 2002 they changed some of the Alpha 2000s for Vectras, and around 2010/2011 they then changed some more for the Evolos. As of 2018/2019, they've since started installing Philips Iridiums too, where the tram extension to Blackpool North railway station is happening.
A41 and A51 junction outside Chester. A few GEC Turtle lanterns left at this junction, but theres a lot of Urbis Sapphires and WRTL Vectras now.
A51 and A41 junction outside Chester. Lanterns seen here are GEC Turtles, Urbis Sapphires, WRTL Vectras, and a Philips SGS204. All of these lanterns are HPS/SON types.
Blackpool tramway street lights. Mix variety of Thorn Alpha 2000s, WRTL/Indal Vectras, and Philips Iridium lanterns. Near North Pier.
The ring-road of Stourbridge town centre. Apparently the street lights (both lanterns and columns) along here are to be replaced, if not done so already.
Bennett's Lane, Widnes. The road that heads on down to Fiddler's Ferry power station.
Junction 10 of the M6. This is a newer steel column and WRTL Vectra lantern, over the northern bridge. Due to the roundabout redevelopment work, this street light will eventually be getting removed again already.
New John Street West, Birmingham. Old 1960s S&L street lights with Industria Vectra lanterns, which would not of been the originals.
Philips Digistreets and old sleeved concrete street lights along the A458 in Halesowen. The previous lanterns were Philips MA50s. The Industria/WRTL Vectras on the zebra crossing are still yet to be replaced.
Industria/WRTL Vectra lanterns with blue columns and brackets in Tipton. Don't know whether these were the original lanterns or not.
Industria/WRTL Vectra lanterns with blue columns and brackets in Tipton. The one column with another lantern lower down is for the zebra crossing, which is rather unusual to see.
Concrete columns with sleeved steel brackets and Industria/WRTL Vectra lanterns, along Oldbury Road outside Smithwick Galton Bridge rail station. I believe the original concrete brackets were long outreach ones with SOX/LPS lights.
Concrete columns with sleeved steel brackets and Industria/WRTL Vectra lanterns, along the A457 between Oldbury and Smethwick. I believe the original concrete brackets were long outreach ones with SOX/LPS lights.
This is along Stourbridge town centre ring-road. The new post-top WRTL Vectra (HPS/SON) is just a temporary replacement. The column has been there since the late 1960s, and previously this used to have a bracket with a GEC Z9554 (LPS/SOX). Sadly the whole column will be removed eventually. They'll install a brand new 12m column with an LED lantern at some point, if not done so already. As for the old blue column in the background, thats from the same era as well, except the lantern is a more modern Holophane Estilo, which either runs on a sodium or cosmo lamp.
Along the A491 through Kingswinford. This is an odd sleeved concrete column still yet to be removed, where as the rest of the concretes on this stretch of road have been replaced. The lantern is a WRTL Vectra (HPS/SON), but wouldn't have been the original for this column. In the background you can see the new 12m post-top steel columns that replaced the old street lights, and the lanterns are Urbis Ampera Maxis (LED).
New street lights installed along Broad Lane in Springhill, part of Essington. New 8m post-top steel columns with 2-chevron Holophane V-Max (LED). The older lights seen here are post-mounted Urbis Altras (fluorescent) and another 8m steel post but with a bracket and an Industria Vectra (SON/HPS). Theres a lot more of these columns with Vectras along this road as well, further back in the village.
Urbis DZ15 in Aldridge, along with an Industria Vectra and Urbis ZX3 in the background as well. DZ15 lanterns are quite rare, used I think around the 1980s and 1990s.
Along the A491 in Kingswinford. All of the other street lights along this road are now LED, but this odd WRTL Vectra (HPS/SON) is still yet to be replaced. The 10m column might get replaced as well at some point, for a taller 12m one instead, if not done so already.
Aluminium columns with post-top Philips Lumas (LED) and a couple of surviving Industria Vectras (SON/HPS) on a twin-bracket in Oldbury. The post-top in the foreground originally used to have a Vectra as well until a few years ago, though the aluminium columns with Lumas on the M5 in the background are quite new, having nothing to do with Sandwell council.
Along Brookhouse Lane between Featherstone and Bushbury. 8m steel columns with Philips Iridiums, WRTL 2600s and a WRTL Vectra. The original lanterns were the Iridiums and are over 10 years old, but strangely many of them were replaced around 2018 for the older looking 2600s, and earlier this year a couple more Iridiums were replaced for Vectras. Why this happened I do not know.
Along Brookhouse Lane between Featherstone and Bushbury. 8m steel columns with Philips Iridiums and a WRTL Vectra. The original lanterns were the Iridiums and are over 10 years old, but strangely many of them were replaced around 2018 for the older looking 2600s, and earlier this year a couple more Iridiums were replaced for Vectras. Why this happened I do not know.
Old Industria Vectra lanterns along Finchfield Rd, just off the roundabout with Broad Ln. These are some of the only few Vectras in Wolverhampton, and I believe these are some of the earliest versions from the 1990s as well.
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