Old Low Pressure Sodium Lights
Cragg Road, Cragg Vale, Yorkshire, UK
Taken Jan 2011
11 Jan 2011
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Mar 2021
Update October 2017: The latest GSV from May 2016 shows some of the Wardles have been replaced with what looks like salvaged Philips and other LPS fixtures, on the same
arms and wiring, however a surprising number of them look to have survived.
Update Jul 2024: All gone, replaced with LED by 2021.
Update Jul 2024: All gone, replaced with LED by 2021.
This is an unusual sight- a sizeable run- about 25 or 30- Wardle Aureoles on wooden poles, overhead wired. Almost all of them work and they are group switched- you can just about see the photocell in the lefthand pic.
11 Jan 2011
Hough Lane, Astley, Manchester, UK
Taken Feb 2002
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Dec 2002
This part of the world was full of these LPS fittings on concrete poles until quite recently when the council started a replacement programme to replace them with HPS & galvanised metal poles. The replacement has been quite piecemeal though and odd stretches of road still have one or two of these lighting them. The one pictured is part of a run of 7 or 8 on a steep hill that had not been replaced. These are Thorn Alpha 9 90W SOX luminaires, and I'm told the concrete brackets are GEC. The upward slope brackets are not seen in many other places.
Update Dec
2002: They were finally replaced by HPS by a private contractor working for the council. Most of the surrounding roads which were still LPS have now been changed out to
HPS as well.
Update Oct 2017: Around 2014 the HPS was replaced with Philips LED, as were most of the surrounding minor roads. To date there are odd pockets of side road LPS remaining, but they are few and far between.
Update Oct 2017: Around 2014 the HPS was replaced with Philips LED, as were most of the surrounding minor roads. To date there are odd pockets of side road LPS remaining, but they are few and far between.
Peel Lane, Salford, UK
Taken Feb 2002
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Jan 2003
Actually Peel Lane is not the main road here, it's the small road that runs the other side of the church there. As can be seen from the first two pictures, an HPS replacement programme is already underway, the poles having been installed but not connected yet. The SON fittings are, I am told, Urbis ZX1's. Although most of the run of about 15 lights are, I think, GEC Z9484 35W SOX, there's a solitary larger concrete pole by Stanton and Staveley, with a GEC Z9454 luminaire lighting the junction. Well, it was until a month or two ago when it stopped working- don't think it'll be fixed now though...
The second two pics are of one of the run of GEC Z9484 equipped concrete poles. They are still working, but as can be seen, the poles are in a very bad condition and the council has kept this one going by wrapping electrical tape around the loose pieces of concrete! I read a story in the paper about a concrete mast arm in poor condition that failed and fell on a car...that was in Malvern I think. So concrete poles are becoming more and more rare in the UK as councils, worried I presume about lawsuits from people who've had the things fall on them, change them out for metal ones.
Update Jan 2003- As expected, they've all been removed now.
Update June 2013- The HPS installation only lasted 10 years as oposed to 40 or so for the LPS- all the HPS fixtures have been replaced by LED Roadway Lighting SAT-26S fixtures.
Update June 2013- The HPS installation only lasted 10 years as oposed to 40 or so for the LPS- all the HPS fixtures have been replaced by LED Roadway Lighting SAT-26S fixtures.
Mort Lane, Astley, UK
Taken Feb 2002
Update Oct 2017: In a similar fashion to the other installations on this page, all the HPS which replaced these LPS fixtures was changed out around 2014 to Philips LED (Luma series).
This road is another one in the middle of a changeover to HPS but the odd thing is the way in which it is being done. Rather than starting at one end and working along, seemingly random poles have been changed, resulting in a curious mixture of HPS and LPS. The only reason I can think of, is they're just changing out the worst ones, rather than doing a wholesale replacement.
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Dec 2002
The first group of pics is of a GEC Z9454 luminaire on a CU post which lost its bowl about a year ago. Despite being exposed to the elements for all this time, it is still working. You can see from the last pic that the catch has failed.
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of Dec 2002
Update Dec 2002: It was removed. Unusually though it was replaced by a HPS luminaire & pole in the same spot even though it didn't
match the spacing of the newer poles either side of it.
This second group of pics is of an Eleco post (4th pic) with a GEC Z9454 luminaire on top. This one still works, too. You can see a newer Philips 135W SOX in the background- I suppose they will
both be changed eventually to HPS.
This group shows the mixture of lighting on this stretch of road. The first two show a Thorn Alpha 9 luminaire and GEC post which still work as can be seen from the 3rd pic. The next post
along has had the luminaire changed to HPS and opposite to these two on the other side of the road is another old concrete post which has had the luminaire changed for a modern Philips 90W SOX
(not shown here). Then further along there are 4 or 5 new poles with HPS heads.
The one on the left- an old CU post retrofitted with a newer Philips SOX (MA50-not working)- and on the right a newly installed HPS (SGS203).
Manchester Road, Astley, UK
Taken Dec 2000
RemovedChecked on "as of" date (either in person or via latest GSV available), removal happened as late as that date or before
as of late 2002
Update Oct 2017: As everywhere else locally, all main roads are now LED as of 2014.
Early 2000s, all this stretch of road has now been converted to HPS- these are GEC Z9554 135W SOX luminaires.
I include these two pics because dusk seems to be the best time to take pictures of artificial light sources- you get to see them working and something of what they look like as well. Arranging to be around to take the picures at the right time of day is somewhat more difficult!
