Photos of TP and PE (near Maidstone, Kent)

[danny1962]

I have been having a walk around the Boxley / Aylesford / Wouldham area today (it’s the gap between Medway and Maidstone, in Kent).

I started just off the A229 and walked up the North Downs Way footpath to get some views. TP66, at the top of the hill, is a pylon with a vertical deviation.

Then off to nearby Wouldham. There are some more TPs, and also PE (which is a local line).

Photos are here... plus.google.com/photos/110055669501444994025/albums/5877191054281785665

In some cases I've given OS refs so that you can orient yourself.

[lesc]

The good ol' Blaw Knox L2D running 0.4" (and the god YV47R's L2D10/30) is always a looker and is just as good here. Nice set.

Les

[caldridge]

So the L2 route is TP and the PL16 route is PE and I see the route changes from PL16 to L3.

Nice pictures

Christopher

[yv47r]

Hmm L2 TP route thats the first time i have seen a 275/400kV route with a Tx code apart from the L6 4Tx so that changes my theory of the route codes a bit..... (goes into dark room to think!). Is it definately running at 275 or 400kV I wonder or is is a local board line??

Cheers Paul

[danny1962]

Definitely a National Grid line... I've added another photo with nameplate and the NG phone number for TP62. It is the route shown on those OS overlays you helpfully pointed out to me a week or so ago, Paul. The TPs in my shots here are on the southern part of the blue loop, running between Gravesend and Sittingbourne. Numbers increase as you go east (ie Gravesend towards Sittingbourne).

If I were to make a guess... and that's all it is at this stage... I'd say the numbers for TP start at Littlebrook, near Dartford. That's roughly 20k (12 miles) from where I was and so would allow for about 60 or so towers at 3 per km. When I'm next round Dartford I'll have a closer look.

[zulumike]

Hi Paul and danny1962, Yes TP is an NGC designation for 275/400kv rating and is the only T to have been issued, late 50s I believe. zulumike.

[yv47r]

Looking at the GE maps and NGC info overlays the L6 4TP starts from the tee with YL and ZZT lines just south of Northfleet. 4TP runs to tower 4TP 17 and then goes L2 DT TP 18 and off towards Kemsley. Then running south from Northfleet (East) is the L2 YN line, which comes off the ZR line across the Thames from West Thurrock. This YN line runs south and for a time runs parallel to the 4TP towards YN 55 a L2 DT tower and then turns to become 4YN heading for Kingsnorth via the recent HS1 Singlewell substation.
So looking at the arrangement of the towers as they are now and from my memory of tracing these routes from OS Landranger maps all those years ago to me it would seem logical that the YN and TP L2 formed one route and were later joined by the 4TP and 4YN lines, which may have formed one line using L6 towers. I can recall the maps causing me lots of headscratching as I couldn't quite make the maps match the known 275/400kV lines in the area! So did the alterations occur at the same time the L6 line was built and the existing L2 severed and rejoined upto the two halves of the L6? Or was there a time where the L2 dived under via a diamond under the new L6 line??

And once the L2 TP line reaches Kemsley it is quite noticable that the other L2 line ZV seems to resume the same numbering sequence as the TP ends with 119 and ZV starts with 122. So maybe towers 120/121 were part of the original Kemsley substation before the 4TL line was added?

I find it quite interesting the way lines have been altered throughout the life of the line.

Cheers Paul