Derby's Street Lighting PFI Contract - Brierfield Way, Mickleover

The majority of the outgoing columns still retained their original GEC Z9538 55 Watt SOX lanterns, although some lanterns had been replaced over the years. Notably, the column immediately opposite the entrance to Springdale Court had been replaced in its entirety in the early 2000s. The replacement column (made by Fabrikat) was 8 m in height (as opposed to the 6 m column it replaced) and a Thorn Alpha 4 90 Watt SOX lantern was fitted.

The columns installed under the PFI are either 9 m or 10 m in height.

The following photographs were taken on Sunday, 18th July 2010.

The majority of the SOX lanterns were still working on Friday, 6th August 2010, when the picture below was taken:

This view shows the different methods of optical control between the Z9538 and Iridium.

As already seen on the previous page, some of the new columns are fitted with outreach brackets in order for their lanterns to be positioned away from overhanging tree branches:

The following photograph, again taken on the 6th August, shows more Z9538s in what would be one of their final nights of operation.

One Z9538 was missing in its entirety. This only disappeared when a replacement column was installed alongside, so the two events are likely to be connected.

As the base of one of the new columns is seen in detail, the lighting continues around the next bend.

A similar view to that pictured above, but at night and once again taken on the 6th August, when the SOX lighting still guided motorists around the gentle bend at the Kipling Drive junction in much the same way that it had done for thirty years.

Looking back at the above column now. The outgoing column in the foreground supported a Philips MI 36 (XGS 104) lantern from the early-mid 1990s; this would have replaced a failed Z9538. Incidentally, the inventory location for this column describes it as being "opposite reservoir". The eponymous reservoir is the artificial crater that is designed to act as an overflow for nearby drains, should the need ever arise. As mentioned on the Blencathra Drive page, I have never known this overflow facility to be required, even during exceptionally rainy weather.

Another Z9538 casualty followed; the replacement lantern here is a Thorn Beta 2, although another Philips MI 36 was installed here until at least 2008. This itself must have developed a fault; necessitating the installation of the Beta 2. This is probably a second-hand lantern that had previously been installed elsewhere, as new SOX lanterns were not installed in Derby since about 2005, as far as I know.

I believe that the lighting installed on the following section of Brierfield Way (between Kipling Drive and Hedingham Way) was slightly older than the lighting already documented was. The evidence for this is a slightly different style of column and bracket, and use of Simplex Aries lanterns instead of GEC Z9538s. The Aries lanterns are group-switched from column 98938 further up the road; hence the lack of photocells on the 'slave' lanterns. I first realised that these lanterns were group-switched (and not just fitted with two-part photocells) when the seven consecutive lanterns on this section of road were all dayburning in 2002/3.

Today's Astrology prediction for people born under the astrological sign of Aries: a dove may land on you.

The next column did support an Aries until April 2010, when the lantern was removed for a local collector, whoever that may be. A second-hand Beta 2 was used as the replacement lantern.

The next column still supported an Aries, however. The column was leaning at a slight angle when these pictures were taken.

Another Aries replacement followed - this Z9538 must have been an early replacement. A NEMA socket is fitted to this lantern, although it is wired out and probably capped off in order to prevent dirt and moisture ingress to the lantern.

Two further Aries' complete Brierfield Way. The installation pictured below is the first 'slave' lantern on the circuit.

The final installation was the control point. A Zodion SS55 group-switched this, and all of the other lanterns on the circuit. The detector is fitted to the canopy of this lantern, although it is not visible in these photographs.

Opening this column's door reveals a tightly-packed array of components. The control gear for this lantern is at the top (the ballast was fitted in June 2002), with the two-part cell relay (fitted in January 2010) beneath. This not only controlled the operation of this lantern; it also energised the coil in the 'ENBRAY' contactor (the black box below the relay) during the hours of darkness, which caused the rest of the lights on the circuit to activate. Incidentally, the contactor was marked as being designed for heating systems, though the load of the lighting circuit would not have been particularly high. Beneath the contractor is the incoming Electricity Company's supply (white cut-out), and the small fuse protecting the outgoing switched cable.

By Wednesday, 11th August 2010, only three of the road's original columns still remained. Owing to the replacement control point column not being used to group-switch the rest of the lanterns on this stretch (the supply cable being made permanently live), the two remaining Aries' dayburned. The three outgoing columns were removed the following day.

The Beta 2 that was fitted in place of my own Aries did not dayburn during this time, as it was, of course, fitted with its own photocell.

The existing supply cable was largely re-used, although new lengths of cable were jointed on to the existing lengths in order for them to reach the bases of the new columns. The photograph below shows such an occurrence. The outgoing column had already been removed from this location; hence the presence of a discarded fuse carrier in the excavation.

The relighting of Brierfield Way also saw a reduction in the lengths of the private cable circuit runs; with more of the new columns serving as control points for fewer columns. In order for these columns to become control points, new Electricity Company supplies were required, and these were only available on the cul-de-sacs leading off Brierfield Way, meaning that several excavations across the carriageway were required. One such excavation is shown below; this is at the junction of Skiddaw Drive.