I had forgotten about the GEC there, I've got pictures of the Alpha 3s though, it was a typically cloudy summer day though..

http://wessexstreetlighting.fotopic.net/p60806775.html

It may also be worth noting that one of these double Z9554s are dayburning. It might be the same ones, it might not but I know that they weren't dayburning last month.

Due to the strong winds, a few of the Z9554s have lost their bowls too.

This was seen in Melksham on the road that curves around, 2 in a row had lost their bowls, however mysteriously, only one is missing a bowl now.

Bet it is not long before they get replaced with Iridiums. On the A36 Southampton Road where the dual carriageway ends at Alderbury and all the way to the new park and ride junction approaching Salisbury, the existing columns have had the brackets removed and new stub brackets with Iridiums have been fitted. Previously there were a mix of SON lanterns on generally outreach brackets.

Going past the park and ride junction, the same thing was done with the brackets on those columns a couple of months ago, however there, the lanterns (mostly SGS203s) were reused.

Right, some replacements have occurred recently in my town! A Z9554M has been replaced with an SGS253 with deep bowl, but the column has been retained, as well as the bracket. I don't see why because this lantern has had no problems recently, unlike the part-red burning SOX lamp in the Z9554M opposite! This is near to the council offices, near the SOX Eleco GR100s and the MH Sapphires. Despite this, the Iridium is using SON.

An Eleco GR100 on long outreach bracket towards the Wingfield end of town. But the whole installation is being replaced with a bracketed SGS252. All the old columns along here are in poor condition, but the reason for why this one was replaced could be because the lower part of the door has rusted away.

There are also unsurprisingly a lot more new outages, including a deep bowled Alpha 9, Thorn Beta 5, Z9554M (the traffic light near got crashed into recently though, but has been repaired, the same 'head' was used! An SRS201(135w), an Albany and a Gamma 6. This were the ones I nticed just from today, and I'm quite certain these weren't out before!

The council probably got the wrong column number



This rusting was no doubt caused by decades of dog urine!

Some of you may remember this:

It is one of three identical installations that light a footpath between houses and a field. When this picture was taken, the lamp had burnt out but did receive a new lamp later.

Anyway, as I was walking the dog in the field opposite, I noticed a shiny white egg thing standing there, and I thought "OH NO! Not an Iridium here!"

This is the replacement:


Oddly, the other 2 Gamma 6s and Stanton concrete columns remain... The next one along had a burnt out lamp too at the same time too. I'm not sure why they replaced the Gamma 6 above as the council seem to be doing some random replacements at the moment! Meanwhile, a heavy 1950s concrete column that is cracked around the base and with a blackening lamp hasn't been touched...

I also took this: [You'll need to zoom in]



The SRS201 on the right was added in the late 90s/ early 2000s when a new street using SGS201s was opened. If it wasn't for that single single SGS203, this would be one of the longest stretch of SOX lanterns in my town, including types of MA90s, Alpha 9s, Z9454s, Z9554s, MA50s, Beta 2s and Z9536/8s. I think the SGS203 replaced a sleeved concrete column but I'm not certain. Also note the bracket on the MA90 on the left has come loose at the top of the column!

Indust, that Gamma 6 was probably replaced because the column is leaning. They should have replaced it with a CFL Pathfinder though not a (presumably SON) Iridium.

Today I noticed a very odd and unusual choice of casual replacement in a village in Dorset. The main street of the village is lit by both WRTL MRL6s and MkII Thorn Alpha 8s however one damaged Alpha 8 was recently removed leaving behind a lantern-less bracket for a few days.

As this is Dorset, I expected to see a SGS203 or god forbid an Iridium in place but I found a deep bowled Nordex Astra 3 instead - I thought what the hell?!


Update: Went back this way this morning, Found another Astra 3 having replaced another Alpha 8 few hundred metres away from the other one I saw yesterday. I forgot to mention this village is also lit by 10 year old CU P678s (which replaced some MRL6s and Alpha 8s at the time) which bowls are now murky brown and look much older than the MRL6s and Alpha 8s funnily enough!

Welcome back Dorset way..

I wonder why they didn't fit a new lantern straight away after removing the old one?

Is the Iridium normally used for casuals for lanterns not yet replaced under the PFI?

They have used both Iridiums and SGS203s for casual replacements.