Pylons .

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

19 hours ago, pharrc20 said:

Generally D90s were avoided as they costed a lot more plus needed stronger foundations and more steelwork so were only used unless really necessary. Some L6s I can think of - one near to the M56 near Ellesmere Port where theFrodsham to Capenhurst set turns to headnorthish towards Capenhurst substation

That is understandable as if there’s an alternative that’s cheaper they will go for it. As for L6s I have been very up close and personal with a BICC D90 and if that’s not a giant then I don’t know what is. I should be revisiting it again soon so if I do I will put pics up (I’ll put up a pic of the first time I went with a very bad camera). As for the other type of L6 D90, the Balfour Beatty version, I know of quite a few at various places, there’s one you mentioned, another near Newport in Wales, another near one of the many power stations in Yorkshire where the line goes from BICC to BB L6, and another 2 in oxford which pylon king told me about. I’m not aware of the other 2 L6 designs with D90 designs but feel free to correct me if there is. 

 

 

Best regards, Matthew 

 

(Edit) I just looked at the D90 by the Liverpool to Manchester railway and if you follow the line to the next substation, there’s another 2. That’s the most D90s I have seen on an L6 line!

Edited August 17, 2019 by LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004

[pharrc20]

Need to do more on the L6 range really but have seem some interesting ones on my travels. Do you know if they ever mixed the designs say using suspension towers from one design say BB but used BICC deviation towers? Plus there is L6M design too.

 

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

9 hours ago, pharrc20 said:

Need to do more on the L6 range really but have seem some interesting ones on my travels. Do you know if they ever mixed the designs say using suspension towers from one design say BB but used BICC deviation towers? Plus there is L6M design too.

 

Cheers Paul

From what I can remember the you do sometimes get mixtures if different L6 designs, the line that runs from the Hams Hall substation near the M6 toll has a couple of L6M pylons just as it nears the motorway. This was probably rerouted because the D30 it joins on to has the insulators running at a very awkward angle. Another case near me is at the M11, the line that comes from Pelham to Walpole starts as Balfour Beatty L6, then changes to BICC, and then goes to JL EVE before returning to Balfour Beatty. Those were done just because of rerouting as the motorways came after but a good example where 2 L6 lines really do combine is in Yorkshire. When leaving Eggsborough power station there’s 2 L6 lines, one BICC and the other Balfour Beatty. The BB line leads to a D90 tower which isn’t actually going at 90 degrees, more a D60, and the line then changes to BICC and stays that way. I’m pretty sure there’s more lines but these are the ones that come off the top of my head.

 

best regards, Matthew

[pharrc20]

7 hours ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

From what I can remember the you do sometimes get mixtures if different L6 designs, the line that runs from the Hams Hall substation near the M6 toll has a couple of L6M pylons just as it nears the motorway. This was probably rerouted because the D30 it joins on to has the insulators running at a very awkward angle. Another case near me is at the M11, the line that comes from Pelham to Walpole starts as Balfour Beatty L6, then changes to BICC, and then goes to JL EVE before returning to Balfour Beatty. Those were done just because of rerouting as the motorways came after but a good example where 2 L6 lines really do combine is in Yorkshire. When leaving Eggsborough power station there’s 2 L6 lines, one BICC and the other Balfour Beatty. The BB line leads to a D90 tower which isn’t actually going at 90 degrees, more a D60, and the line then changes to BICC and stays that way. I’m pretty sure there’s more lines but these are the ones that come off the top of my head.

 

best regards, Matthew

I think I know the one you mean - on the M62 between J33 and J34 for Eggborough there is an L6 line that comes in from the south but just before turns and crosses at a north-east angle. To the north in the fields is another L6 line that goes across to Ferrybridge. To me it looks like the line coming up from the south tee at North Emsall (with another L6 line) originally joined by a tee to the Ferrybridge-Eggborough L6 line hence the large DT90 in the field. But was later made into a separate line to Eggborough running parallel to the original line. Makes you realise how much the supergrid has been adapted over the years.

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

2 hours ago, pharrc20 said:

I think I know the one you mean - on the M62 between J33 and J34 for Eggborough there is an L6 line that comes in from the south but just before turns and crosses at a north-east angle. To the north in the fields is another L6 line that goes across to Ferrybridge. To me it looks like the line coming up from the south tee at North Emsall (with another L6 line) originally joined by a tee to the Ferrybridge-Eggborough L6 line hence the large DT90 in the field. But was later made into a separate line to Eggborough running parallel to the original line. Makes you realise how much the supergrid has been adapted over the years.

Cheers Paul

Yep that’s the one. I have just been taking shots of pylons on the way to Cornwall and noted a BICC D90, however by the looks of it it was only doing a D30. I’ll attach a couple of photos. Along with some other pics of the towers.

 

best regards, Matthew

[pharrc20]

3 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

Yep that’s the one. I have just been taking shots of pylons on the way to Cornwall and noted a BICC D90, however by the looks of it it was only doing a D30. I’ll attach a couple of photos. Along with some other pics of the towers.

 

best regards, Matthew

Where are the second and third photos taken roughly? Yep defifintaly a D90 but not in use as that anymore.

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

29 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

Where are the second and third photos taken roughly? Yep defifintaly a D90 but not in use as that anymore.

Cheers Paul

It’s Nursling substation just off the M27. This is where the shots were taken.

[pharrc20]

2 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

It’s Nursling substation just off the M27. This is where the shots were taken.

Ah right cheers nice one. One day I will resign a la Number 6 in The Prisoner and go off in a campervan around the UK in search of railways, model railways and pylons to track them all down... he says thinking wistfully..  be seeing you!

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

42 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

Ah right cheers nice one. One day I will resign a la Number 6 in The Prisoner and go off in a campervan around the UK in search of railways, model railways and pylons to track them all down... he says thinking wistfully..  be seeing you!

Cheers Paul

Funny enough I wish the same thing. There’s so many pylons I want to see but can’t because of the locations... I’ll get there eventually! I also noticed a very weird looking pylon on a PL1 line near Exeter. Never seen one before but look quite cool in their own weird way. Like I normally do I’ll attach a photo. I also noticed a BB L6 line with double conductors or whatever they are called. The insulator length looked much smaller than they normally are.

 

best regards, Matthew 

[pharrc20]

49 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

Funny enough I wish the same thing. There’s so many pylons I want to see but can’t because of the locations... I’ll get there eventually! I also noticed a very weird looking pylon on a PL1 line near Exeter. Never seen one before but look quite cool in their own weird way. Like I normally do I’ll attach a photo. I also noticed a BB L6 line with double conductors or whatever they are called. The insulator length looked much smaller than they normally are.

 

best regards, Matthew 

Yep the PL1 is called something like a D5S as those little extensions pointing down from the cross-arms allow a greater degree of angle change than the standard D2 suspension towers - I have seen one just like this near to Clifton substation just north of Salford on the Bolton line - you can see it in the distance behind HMP Forest Bank and I paid a visit to it a good few years ago and a chap on the PAS forum identified it as one of these D5 towers, although in this case it wasn't being used for its intended purpose. You sometimes see the PL1b single circuit design of S2 towers with identical downward extensions to permit an S5S configuration. 

The L6 is running with twin conductors with single insulator strings on the D2 t

owers as shown and twin insulator strings on the deviation towers. Sometimes they downrate the insulator and conductor package from the original quad conductor bundles if the power flow does not warrant this for example. This might be the Exeter to Abham (mid Devon) line I guess?

 

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

6 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

Yep the PL1 is called something like a D5S as those little extensions pointing down from the cross-arms allow a greater degree of angle change than the standard D2 suspension towers - I have seen one just like this near to Clifton substation just north of Salford on the Bolton line - you can see it in the distance behind HMP Forest Bank and I paid a visit to it a good few years ago and a chap on the PAS forum identified it as one of these D5 towers, although in this case it wasn't being used for its intended purpose. You sometimes see the PL1b single circuit design of S2 towers with identical downward extensions to permit an S5S configuration. 

The L6 is running with twin conductors with single insulator strings on the D2 t

owers as shown and twin insulator strings on the deviation towers. Sometimes they downrate the insulator and conductor package from the original quad conductor bundles if the power flow does not warrant this for example. This might be the Exeter to Abham (mid Devon) line I guess?

 

Cheers Paul

Thanks for the info on those PL1 towers, is there plans for those? And yes that is the L6 line I photographed. I have always wondered why they are smaller and the size difference really is proven when the original quad conductor insulators are replaced with a more modern version. That is proven quite well on the Pelham-Twinstead Tee- Bramford line.

 

best regards, Matthew

[pharrc20]

2 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

Thanks for the info on those PL1 towers, is there plans for those? And yes that is the L6 line I photographed. I have always wondered why they are smaller and the size difference really is proven when the original quad conductor insulators are replaced with a more modern version. That is proven quite well on the Pelham-Twinstead Tee- Bramford line.

 

best regards, Matthew

I haven't come across any so far and there are none shown in the 'tower bible' that I obtained many years ago online and this is incomplete anyway as a lot of the diagram sheets must have been missing from the original paper file I guess when the person on the forum obtained it through his work I believe. All of the PL1b single circuit towers are missing for example as are all of the L2 and L3 sheets and special towers and tantalisingly they are listed on the index sheet but missing boohoo!

 

Yes the L6s do look rather odd running on twin conds and single insulators. There are few now running with triple conds and single insulators - those that run near the M62 between Wakefield and Huddersfield are quite a recent change having been done the past couple of years or so.

 

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

2 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

I haven't come across any so far and there are none shown in the 'tower bible' that I obtained many years ago online and this is incomplete anyway as a lot of the diagram sheets must have been missing from the original paper file I guess when the person on the forum obtained it through his work I believe. All of the PL1b single circuit towers are missing for example as are all of the L2 and L3 sheets and special towers and tantalisingly they are listed on the index sheet but missing boohoo!

 

Yes the L6s do look rather odd running on twin conds and single insulators. There are few now running with triple conds and single insulators - those that run near the M62 between Wakefield and Huddersfield are quite a recent change having been done the past couple of years or so.

 

Cheers Paul

 

Ah that’s a shame, I’m sure some exist somewhere. Or you could modify the PL1 drawings to match what it looks like in real life. I do quite like them though so I’m going to go on google maps and see if I can find some more and get better shots.

 

Best regards, Matthew

[pharrc20]

2 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

 

Ah that’s a shame, I’m sure some exist somewhere. Or you could modify the PL1 drawings to match what it looks like in real life. I do quite like them though so I’m going to go on google maps and see if I can find some more and get better shots.

 

Best regards, Matthew

I am not at home just at moment so can't check the paper file I have but can look when home on Monday to be sure. You might be able to modify the Milliken PL1 drawings but you would need to alter a lot of the cross-bracing I think. Someone will have them somewhere there used to be several people on the PAS forum that might well have had access to info and more diagrams but seem to lost them along the way somewhere. If you PM me I can see what I can do for you.

 

Cheers Paul

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

9 hours ago, pharrc20 said:

I am not at home just at moment so can't check the paper file I have but can look when home on Monday to be sure. You might be able to modify the Milliken PL1 drawings but you would need to alter a lot of the cross-bracing I think. Someone will have them somewhere there used to be several people on the PAS forum that might well have had access to info and more diagrams but seem to lost them along the way somewhere. If you PM me I can see what I can do for you.

 

Cheers Paul

Ah thanks Paul I will do that. The only plans I have at the mo are the T-pylon, the BB L6 and the L6M drawings. I’m looking for the L2 D90 (or any of them as this forum has made me quite fond of them) too so do you have that?

 

 

 

best regards, Matthew

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

One more thing, I noticed some of the PL16 DD towers have a different top to the standard versions. Is there a reason for this? The first one is a standard DD60 and the next 3 are the other version I have seen.

[Pylon King]

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by Pylon King

[pharrc20]

11 hours ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

One more thing, I noticed some of the PL16 DD towers have a different top to the standard versions. Is there a reason for this? The first one is a standard DD60 and the next 3 are the other version I have seen.

Looks like the DD60 in the first photo, then what I guess might be an alternative version of needing twin earth wires with stub pointed end cross-arms affixed to the tower peak; but only used as twin earth wires in your third photo but not in the second or fourth photos. Not quite sure why that would be. Of top of me head I can't remember if this appears on the diagram sheets or not.

The first time I noticed these was when I was at Staffordshire University and there was a PL set running behind the halls to the substation nearby and I noticed the extra tower peak cross-arms. Again would have to look it up.

 

Yes the L2 D90s are big beasties alright - sadly two were taken out back in 1991/92 near where I live - one on my local YV line 275/400kV was removed entirely as was in the way of the then proposed A6(M) bypass that oh look has never been built. The line was shortened and rearranged to tee up to the ZZM L2 nearby in a different position reducing the YV line by three towers 2 x D2 and 1 x D90 and a new L8 D55 inserted after the last L2 D30 then connected to a new L8 DJT replacing the original L2 D60 tower in the same position. The second one used to be at Macclesfield and when the substation there was relocated and the 275/400 ZEA line shortened a new L8 DT tower was added acting as a D90 in this case linking up to a new L8 DT90 at the substation itself - you can see this alongside the Macclesfield 'Silk Road' bypass just to  the north of Macclesfield heading towards Hazel Grove.

[Pylon King]

“The Usual Suspects”.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Pylon King

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

1 hour ago, Pylon King said:

Another sunny late afternoon photo. 

I see you added some phone thingys on the L6, looks good!

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

46 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

Looks like the DD60 in the first photo, then what I guess might be an alternative version of needing twin earth wires with stub pointed end cross-arms affixed to the tower peak; but only used as twin earth wires in your third photo but not in the second or fourth photos. Not quite sure why that would be. Of top of me head I can't remember if this appears on the diagram sheets or not.

The first time I noticed these was when I was at Staffordshire University and there was a PL set running behind the halls to the substation nearby and I noticed the extra tower peak cross-arms. Again would have to look it up.

 

Yes the L2 D90s are big beasties alright - sadly two were taken out back in 1991/92 near where I live - one on my local YV line 275/400kV was removed entirely as was in the way of the then proposed A6(M) bypass that oh look has never been built. The line was shortened and rearranged to tee up to the ZZM L2 nearby in a different position reducing the YV line by three towers 2 x D2 and 1 x D90 and a new L8 D55 inserted after the last L2 D30 then connected to a new L8 DJT replacing the original L2 D60 tower in the same position. The second one used to be at Macclesfield and when the substation there was relocated and the 275/400 ZEA line shortened a new L8 DT tower was added acting as a D90 in this case linking up to a new L8 DT90 at the substation itself - you can see this alongside the Macclesfield 'Silk Road' bypass just to  the north of Macclesfield heading towards Hazel Grove.

Cheers for the info Paul. I will have a look at that line soon. It is sad to hear to D90s disappear but I guess that’s “progress”, like how we are losing our 125s and 91s on key services and being downgraded to secondary routes. I recently read that apparently there’s an L13 line of pylons somewhere in the uk, that’s what someone on PPB said. Whether that’s true though I have no clue. I really want to see the plans for the new towers but I can’t fond any anywhere, I will keep looking though. 

 

best regards, Matthew

 

(edit) these are the only things I can find regarding L13s, it’s an L13 D and an L13 D30. It’s comparing them to the T pylons, which I have plans for the standard towers

Edited August 18, 2019 by LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004

[pharrc20]

2 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

Cheers for the info Paul. I will have a look at that line soon. It is sad to hear to D90s disappear but I guess that’s “progress”, like how we are losing our 125s and 91s on key services and being downgraded to secondary routes. I recently read that apparently there’s an L13 line of pylons somewhere in the uk, that’s what someone on PPB said. Whether that’s true though I have no clue. I really want to see the plans for the new towers but I can’t fond any anywhere, I will keep looking though.

 

best regards, Matthew

Yes progress of a sort I guess - I still wonder how much it cost National Grid to alter the YV route in two places to accommodate the non-existant A6(M) bypass, which us poor folk in Hazel Grove will probably never see.... three new L8 towers, one L2 D2 moved, and the aforementioned removed 2x L2 D2s and D90 not forgetting the alterations made to the original L2 DJT tower to make it a bypass tower.... 

 

I believe the proposed tee to the King's Lynn power station was supposed to be L13 but it never got built it was only a short line ten towers at most. There is a new line down in Kent being built to form another cross-Channel interconnector that will feed into the grid somewhere - that might be L13s but I could be wrong...

 

Cheers Paul

[Pylon King]

12 minutes ago, LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004 said:

I see you added some phone thingys on the L6, looks good!

There are several of these which clip to any tower and can be easily removed . Part of the changing landscape in 21st century Britain .

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

40 minutes ago, pharrc20 said:

Yes progress of a sort I guess - I still wonder how much it cost National Grid to alter the YV route in two places to accommodate the non-existant A6(M) bypass, which us poor folk in Hazel Grove will probably never see.... three new L8 towers, one L2 D2 moved, and the aforementioned removed 2x L2 D2s and D90 not forgetting the alterations made to the original L2 DJT tower to make it a bypass tower.... 

 

I believe the proposed tee to the King's Lynn power station was supposed to be L13 but it never got built it was only a short line ten towers at most. There is a new line down in Kent being built to form another cross-Channel interconnector that will feed into the grid somewhere - that might be L13s but I could be wrong...

 

Cheers Paul

From what I saw the tower of choice was the L8, that’s what exists currently..... It might change but that might never happen.

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

39 minutes ago, Pylon King said:

There are several of these which clip to any tower and can be easily removed . Part of the changing landscape in 21st century Britain .

Ah ok, it’s still very cool though, and yes they are quite common, I recently saw them on a BB L6 D60 on my way to Cornwall. It was full of them.

 

best regards, Matthew