A Fieldtrip to Beauly

[lesc]

This isn't going to be my usual trip from location to location as I've got the same pylon type in several of them. Not to mention worms, large can of. ;D

Around 12 miles south of Inverness this string of L66C / 275KV - ED51- - - (he showed me the drawing but wouldn't let me photograph it and it deffo said L66!) march through the countryside from Beauly substation to here. According to the manager at the Balblair facility - 'it's a bit wild oot there'. He insisted that they were put up at the start of 275kv - 1953 Blaw Knox L1 modified to stop the conductors from clashing and wouldn't hear of L66 as 'most linesmen called them L1'. So L2x could be L66x, if the arm bracing is skewed. It's easier identifying ships, believe me
These rarities terminate at Kintore substation and were up before the Dounreay link.

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If you take the extensions and the middle crossarms off they are indeed like some L2/3/L66 hybrid with elements of all of these earlier tower types. Or L1C as the substation gaffer suggested, where's Dr. Fortran when you need him Comparing the shorter crossarms with some L66 shots from around here in the NE shows them to be very similar to the Lx /xx family of Blaw Knox towers. Note the skewed bracing.
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Crossarm Detail.
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Conductor Spacer Detail showing antigallop spacers in this example:
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I pulled off into a police layby and got some arty shots.
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Other Extreme Shooting For L66 Lovers:
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Top Arm Detail - identical with L66.
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L66D30 or very like one near Dalblair:
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Moving on to Dalblair substation. Starting with some 132KV goodness - a Blaw Knox PL16D60 and DD60. There were tons of them around here.
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Not a PL16DDLD60 but was in the valley with the road above. Nice detail pic - with these attractive green glass insulators Scottish Hydro seemed to like.
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These L3CDS'ses go between here & Dounreay. These are identical to Dr. F's reference shots / Lynemouth and was confirmed by the area manager in the substation along with a few guys that had worked here since Faraday, or so it seemed. They all seemed rather bemused that some punter actually wanted to take pix of them but was made most welcome by these friendly Scots linesmen. Thanks guys.
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From L to R:

A Blaw Knox PL16DD2/ED51110 and a JLEve PL16DD2 in the same shot to show the differences.

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Not in the Tower Bible is this JLEve PL16DD2 it seems they do exist! Being something of a PL16 fan this is a nice catch
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Just a PL16DD2. But with tons in the background including an L66DT.
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Another one.
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An L3DJT or L3D90 ED51190, i'deed off the Flash website:
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Have 132kv, have PL16DT(90?)
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... or DDT
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...or both ;D
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L2DT and lots of transformer hardware.
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Kilmorack Power Station is a dinky little thing. No longer open to the public to see the fishpass though.
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... feeds this Blaw Knox PL1DT and PL1S, note suspension tower with deviation components. Poor light.
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An L3CD30 10-30 degrees CEGB reference# 17/9569 or similar.

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Pylons & Highland Scenery for Pylon & Highland Scenery Lovers! OP still double-takes at these pics thinking they're not nearer home PL16DD2 & L1CD2 marching their way to Dalblair.
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Go on the forum if you want a laugh. What UFO's or zero point energy have to do with a string of L12's is anybody's guess. Must be all that isolation up there does strange things to one's brain.
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I eventually trundled off down the Great Glen.
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This string of JLEve PL16 / ED51107 follows the road around and eventually terminates at Fort William. Stopping the car to let everybody behind me test their horns .
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Near the Commando Monument.
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[400kV]

Another set of excellent photographs, coupled with the beautiful Scottish countryside.


Paul

[Flash Bristow]

Aug 18, 2009 10:55:20 GMT -5 lesc said:

Go on the forum if you want a laugh. What UFO's or zero point energy have to do with a string of L12's is anybody's guess. Must be all that isolation up there does strange things to one's brain.

I've never come across "huge powerlines with mega-pylons" before, how do they compare to normal ones I wonder?

"They can seriously affect your health and particularly the health of children if you live nearby."
Hmm, I'd like to see their evidence for that. Picking and choosing their surveys and ignoring big ones like the Childhood Cancer Survey, perhaps?

Ah well, wonder what *they* would make of *us*!

[lesc]

The 132kv L3CDS circuit that runs between the remains of Blyth Power Station and Lynemouth got the Olympus treatment...

At Cambois.

You can see the extended arcing horns on 275kv insulators here on this particular L3CDS.
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Close up detail shot.
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... marching N. towards Lynemouth.
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Superimposing one on the other shows that these towers are identical types.

llandru.servehttp.com/BlythL3C/L3CExampleBeauly&Blyth.jpg
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www.pylonpressure.com/Protest-March-g.asp?page=30

Been Here. Except I wasn't handing in a petition, more like cadging data for PAS, watch out for all these nasty PL16DT's after all that's a frighteningly leukaemia inducing 132kv up there... betcha they weren't complaining in the '50s when this lot went up - when they didn't have to worry about having enough candles any more.

Elsewhere in the blurb they're showing L6 alongside the PL1a going up Drumochter, S&S would use L12LD here, right? I'm no fan of L6 or L12 but don't NIMBY's get on your nerves?

Wouldn't they love us lot?


Teeheehee. Must get back to my Tesla zero point cold fusion generator from Roswell

Les