L3C near Newcastle

[Flash Bristow]

From a reader:
"Swallow Pond Country Park, near Newcastle - 2 1/2 miles of
these march across the fields from a substation at an industrial estate
near the A19 to Benton on the east side of Newcastle. They're rather old
and chunky looking for the normal pylons in these parts so I thought I'd
take a couple of pics to try and identify them... they turn out to be
slightly modified l3c's - on 132kv. There are some L3's on this piece of
transmission line too."

Obviously it's my duty to share things like this with you all so:
gorge.org/pylons/sent/l3c_P1180356.jpg
gorge.org/pylons/sent/l3c_P1180357.jpg
gorge.org/pylons/sent/l3c_P1180359.jpg

[rillington]

As the founder of the PAS I definately think it is your duty to share you rpylon pictures with your fellow PAS members!!

Must admit that i didn't know that the design in your pictures were also L3C towers. I thought that L3C towers were the ones you dispayed on your personal website of the towers running from York to Moor Monkton. However I note that you add that you describe these towers as slightly modified from the L3C towers used on the York to Moor Monkton route.

[Dr Fortran]

I'm fairly sure those are L7.

The third picture, having less extreme perspective is the most helpful for identification. Rationale runs thus:

1 The insulator strings are clearly 132kV (not enough elements for 275 or 400)

2 The conductors come about half way between the crossarms, which suggests that it's a 132kV tower design.

3 It has twin bundled conductors which virtually eliminates any other 132kV series apart from L7.

4 The ends of the crossarms stick out a surprisingly long way beyond the hangers for the insulators. This is a visual feature of many of JL Eve's designs, L7 included.

As a final check, I had a look at the L7c drawings I have here and the bracing matches the photos. (OK, I realise that's a check most folk can't do!)

Size is often incredibly difficult to judge, even when you're standing right next to the thing and L7 and L3c suspension towers do bear more than a passing resemblance, so they are very easy to consuse.

The clincher for these two series is to look at an angle tower. L3c has extended middle crossarms on the suspension towers only - they're virtually equal length on the angle towers just like the original L3 series (at least on the examples I've seen). L7 on the other hand has the wide middle crossarm on all towers in the series.

I hope that's helpful and doesn't come across as patronising - because it's not meant to be in any way patronising!

[rillington]

I must admit that I also thought they were L7s because the route from Wylfa to Valley across west Anglesey was identified as L7 and the pylons in Flash's picture were of the same tower design as that route.

[poyks]

I'd thought before that they looked like the L7 route that passes over the A46 between Nettleham and Lincoln. The arm overhang is indeed a characteristic of those towers.

[Flash Bristow]

I will tell him they are L7 then!

He's sent me some more:
gorge.org/pylons/sent/L3_P1200376.jpg
gorge.org/pylons/sent/L3c_P1200370.jpg
gorge.org/pylons/sent/L3c_P1200371.jpg
gorge.org/pylons/sent/L3c_P1200372.jpg

Hopefully he will be interested to know what they actually are

[Dr Fortran]

The first pic really is L3, but strung for 132kV. The terminal tower in the background of that pic is an L7 terminal. The other 3 pics are all L7.

[Flash Bristow]

Okey doke - will pass that on. He's new to pylons (!) but having fun trying to identify them. If he carries on much more I'll suggest he signs up!

Thanks.

[Joe o shea]

Jan 19, 2009 12:14:57 GMT -5 Dr Fortran said:

I'm fairly sure those are L7.

The third picture, having less extreme perspective is the most helpful for identification. Rationale runs thus:

1 The insulator strings are clearly 132kV (not enough elements for 275 or 400)

2 The conductors come about half way between the crossarms, which suggests that it's a 132kV tower design.

3 It has twin bundled conductors which virtually eliminates any other 132kV series apart from L7.

4 The ends of the crossarms stick out a surprisingly long way beyond the hangers for the insulators. This is a visual feature of many of JL Eve's designs, L7 included.

As a final check, I had a look at the L7c drawings I have here and the bracing matches the photos. (OK, I realise that's a check most folk can't do!)

Size is often incredibly difficult to judge, even when you're standing right next to the thing and L7 and L3c suspension towers do bear more than a passing resemblance, so they are very easy to consuse.

The clincher for these two series is to look at an angle tower. L3c has extended middle crossarms on the suspension towers only - they're virtually equal length on the angle towers just like the original L3 series (at least on the examples I've seen). L7 on the other hand has the wide middle crossarm on all towers in the series.

I hope that's helpful and doesn't come across as patronising - because it's not meant to be in any way patronising!

hi, sorry to bother you. but i am hoping you can help. I am looking for a drawing of an L7 C tower / pylon. One with demensions and all, so fairly professional. Need it for some survey work i am doing (a bit on the side to keep the cash coming in) -and trying to look a bit professional .

Would you be able to help? If so, please send me the detailed drawing to [e-mail].

It would be very much appreciated.

[lesc]

Dr. Fortran has some original L7CD drawings up somewhere in these fora... ping Flash / Fortran.

I'm the mystery person who stumbled across these L7C (and L3DS) and sent the pics to Flash. A revisit with much more knowledge was here: www.pylons.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=pix&action=display&thread=288

Les