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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:46 pm 
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[b]Mazeteam[/b]

I know what you mean about the radio-switched lanterns, certainly quite unexpected, but very clever. I guess the radio-controller thing is inside the huge photocell that's located on an odd lantern, as the rest that have been done have little black antennas on them. The controller is often on the original lantern as well, meaning that you get an odd MRL6 with the controller, whilst the rest are Vectras with antennas. I wonder whether only newer lanterns can be adapted?


As for the earlier talk about Southport, the lighting's still pretty much as you describe Gramma6, there really are some great installations there  :D  The more modern lighting tends to be either Vectras or ZX2s on the main roads (usually on those nice red and cream-painted columns) and 2600s on the side streets. Still plenty of gems there that's for sure. The 'posh saucer' was still there a few weeks ago, and in fact the town has three of them! As I recall, a couple are on old Stanton and Staveley columns (as pictured on my site) and the other one is on a newer painted metal column, so will have been retrofitted, which is great, as they obviously were (and hopefully still are valued). In answer to your question Urbis Satern Land, I think they all run on SON, certainly one does, as it was dayburning.


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 6:56 pm 
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On the Blackpool front, I notice another one of these installations has been used as a casual replacement for an old concrete:

http://paulharris.fotopic.net/p63543528.html

Having never seen this combo before the PFI began, could this be how the new side-road columns are going to look? Or perhaps they're just using-up old stock? I like it anyway, I think NEDAL columns look great and much prefer the 2600 to be installed side-entry.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 3:16 pm 
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Gramma6,

Apparently Bedfordshire are also jumping on the WRTL Stela bandwagon as Lancashire, the fugly squares are now blighting the side roads of Dunstable...

WRTL really should wait until LED lighting gets more powerful to match the likes of fluoroscent and metal halide. Stelas may just be about OK for footpaths but not really for side roads - I guess it is like going back to the mercury vapour days!

If any authorities are thinking of replacing their mercury stock with Stelas then they would need not to bother at all unless they are obsessed with the current fad of "going green"! :lol:


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:49 pm 
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The Blackpool PFI continues apace. More and more columns are being labelled-up, but most excitingly, actual columns and lanterns have been installed down a few roads!

I'm pleased to say that Nedal aluminium columns are being used (I've always thought these look very smart and modern), and the lantern of choice, amazingly it's not 2600s, Vectras or Iridiums but, well I don't really know the ID  :lol:  I've seen this lantern before on an odd occasion, but can't find it online.

An example:

http://paulharris.fotopic.net/p64126341.html

I really like the look of them, very modern. Most columns aren't yet fitted with lanterns, however all of the ones that are, whether they be group A or Group B are fitted with the pictured lantern. All are radio-controlled, however sadly they run SON, I was really hoping for MH tbh, but other than that I'm very impressed so far. The roads where this work is going-on (almost all in the Foxhall area of town near the prom) even have little signs apologising about the ongoing work which is a nice touch I guess.

Areas where there are a number of defective columns, higher than average night-time crime-rates or night-time accident rates are being targetted first according to the website, which makes sence. I can see that the novelty will soon wear-off once the new installations are found all over the borough, but for now it's very exciting, as other than casual replacements here and there, the town's lighting's remained much the same since around 2001. Strange to think that before too long the likes of the currently countless Vectras, MRL6s, 2600s and SRL8s will be in the minority (perhaps even extinct in the borough). The surrounding areas of Fylde and Wyre at least will retain a healthy stock, which brings me onto my next point.

I notice that these are in the process of being replaced by that Lancashire favourite, Vectras on Stainton 'Bones' columns and that on a couple of Cleveleys side-streets these typical Wyre group B installations have had Vectras retrofitted onto them. Makes me wonder if all the boroughs SRL8s will suffer the same fate? So there we go, just as Blackpool 'falls-out' with the Vectra, Lancashire County Council fall even more in love with it  :lol:


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:00 pm 
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Harris87 wrote:
The Blackpool PFI continues apace. More and more columns are being labelled-up, but most excitingly, actual columns and lanterns have been installed down a few roads!

I'm pleased to say that Nedal aluminium columns are being used (I've always thought these look very smart and modern), and the lantern of choice, amazingly it's not 2600s, Vectras or Iridiums but, well I don't really know the ID  :lol:  I've seen this lantern before on an odd occasion, but can't find it online.

An example:

http://paulharris.fotopic.net/p64126341.html

I really like the look of them, very modern.


That is an Urbis Evolo. They are becoming a favourite in the south west in Devon and Cornwall, and in about three years time the Evolo will be to Cornwall what the Iridium is to Portsmouth due to a mass lantern replacement programme (not PFI). The Evolos in the south west are CosmoPolis though. It is very short sighted for Blackpool's PFI to use SON, especially on side roads, because SON is really starting to fall out of favour in many parts of the country. Very short sighted. At least with Portsmouth their PFI started in 2005, and white light was less common back then, but for a PFI to start up now and use SON is madness.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:53 pm 
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Agreed... to start a long-term commitment to use SON is madness now.

Harris87 wrote:
these typical Wyre group B installations have had Vectras retrofitted onto them. Makes me wonder if all the boroughs SRL8s will suffer the same fate? So there we go, just as Blackpool 'falls-out' with the Vectra, Lancashire County Council fall even more in love with it  :lol:

As a side note to this, I've found a dayburning cycling lantern!
On this road you've linked to, face east towards the end of the road towards Crescent W. and zoom in - there's a dayburning post top lantern. double click to go to the end of the road, and that lantern is a globe but is now not lit... THEN double click across the green to go onto Crescent W. and face back towards the globe lantern, and it's now glowing a dim orange!
here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 00327&z=19

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 5:42 pm 
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Thank you for your ID sotonsteve. Am I right in thinking the Evolo has not been on the market all that long?

Totally agree about the choice of SON, can't really understand it myself. Who knows, perhaps other light sources might get used elsewhere, perhaps this is a test to see which light-source works best? Afterall there aren't all that many lanterns actually in-situ yet.

Yet more SRL8s have been replaced in Cleveleys. Whilst it's a shame to see them go, at least the new Vectra lanterns should ensure that the old Stantons will remain for a number of years now, as Vectras seem to be very long-lasting.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 6:01 pm 
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Harris87 wrote:
Thank you for your ID sotonsteve. Am I right in thinking the Evolo has not been on the market all that long?

Totally agree about the choice of SON, can't really understand it myself. Who knows, perhaps other light sources might get used elsewhere, perhaps this is a test to see which light-source works best? Afterall there aren't all that many lanterns actually in-situ yet.


The Evolo has been around for only a couple of years. The first of them appeared in late 2008 in Leicester.

Sorry to disappoint you, but PFI contractors buy their lanterns in bulk and there are often minimal differences between columns installed in year 1 and columns installed in year 5. That is not to say that changes do not happen. For example, in Dorset MiniIridiums have started appearing in place of small Iridiums. The PFI contractors in Blackpool may well make a switch over to white light at some stage, but they have started off bad by installing SON and missed a trick, and how long will it be before they see the light?

Of course, in the future it is likely that SON lanterns will be relamped with ceramic metal halide.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:27 am 
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However, it can go the other way... Metal Halide lanterns can be bought and installed, and if there's a screw cap lampholder in there then a failed MH lamp can be replaced with a cheaper SON lamp. I've seen it happen, and it's not great... and it's for this reason why I'd like to see more lanterns with G12 lampholders or PGZ lampholders (Cosmo amd MW) - simply because an improper lamp can't be fitted!

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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 5:29 pm 
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Those Nedal columns appear to be same ones as used in Sandwell, only ours all have Vectras mounted on the top :x


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