Just as with pylon hunt 14, pylon hunt 15 also resulted from seeing a pylon from a car window; this time it was a J L Eve 0.4 “L16” DT90 in Stevenage. Eve 0.4 is commonplace, but the DT90 towers are rare. DT90 towers allow the power line to terminate entirely to one side of the tower; the maximum incoming line angle of the regular terminal tower (DT) is 45°.
Setting off for the railway station:
Tree walks are the bestSo much detail in the photos from this cameraLooking backA closer look; this shot is redundant but I just like it for some reasonSurrounded by farmlandA view across the fieldsClose-up on distant placesQuaint pink houseA car driver’s house, though, unless you want to take your shopping home in a wheelbarrowQuiet out here
This particular station is quite some distance away, something like an hour and forty minutes walk. Finally there:
Not my train; I rarely get chance to photograph the Class 717Crossing over the magnificent Digswell Viaduct; too bad about the reflections from the windowAfter alighting at StevenageFirst close-up with a Lumo train
As is often the case on pylon hunts, I was a bit short on time, so there were no photos up until reaching the pylon in question.
DT90 tower in Stevenage substation; note the auxiliary crossarms (on the left in the photo) that carry one of the circuits around the towerStevenage substation
This was all that I needed, but I had a walk planned out to get views of it from the other side, so it’s back to walking.
The next tower along is a D10.Seeing what there is to seeMore tree-lined passagesThe pylon stands beyond the corner of a sports fieldClose-upThe DT90 seen in silhouette; you can see that the downleads are all to one side
Pylons are built from steel bars, typically L section, that are bolted together. I took the opportunity to take some detailed photographs for this site.
Multiple bars joining on a gusset plateLap joint and gusset plates
Off walking again:
The Tranquil Turtle pub; looks nice, but no time to visitThe D30 tower seen behind itSide view of the D30; look closely and you can see the splice box for the optical attached cable (OPAC) wrapped around the earthwire and the fibre optic cables running down the inside of the tower
Pylon lines cross both countryside and built-up areas. Here it passes alongside a residential estate:
Funny old taxiThis is a D2 E20: a 20-foot height extension for extra ground clearanceThe obligatory looking-up shotLife under the wires
While I was here I made sure to get some decent photos of the 33 kV line. I already had plenty of 33 kV line photos but they were all taken on my old camera, and the quality is terrible.
Section pole, where the line changes directionThe intermediate poles lack bracing and are prone to leaning when the foundations degradeOut in the fields; the public footpaths around here were difficult to followTwo terminal poles amidst the treesApproaching the DT90 from the other side; the sun has gone behind the clouds again!It would be nice to just walk for hours out hereDT90 again, this time with some sunlight
Stevenage is due east of London Luton Airport and is clearly on the flight path. These planes are coming into land:
Ryanair jetEasyJet jet
Time’s up: time to head back to the station.
Tunnel under the A1(M); never complete without graffitiD10 framed by foliage and fencingThe DT90 in the context of the industrial estateClose-upTree-lined road through the industrial estateSome building … again, I didn’t photograph most of the walk in StevenageBack at the station, and a shot of my favourite locomotive type, the Class 91.Stevenage railway station; the express trains stop here, which is niceThameslink have a lot of trouble with graffiti, as can be seen with this departing service.100 years’ anniversary for LNER, supposedly, ignoring the fact that the current government-owned LNER (London North Eastern Railway, created 2018) is not the same as the historical LNER (London and North Eastern Railway, 1923–1948) and that there has not been 100 continuous years of the LNER name
For unclear operational reasons (said to be a medical emergency), the return train was announced to not be stopping at my station. Instead, passengers were instructed to alight one station earlier; there, we were able (after a wait) to take a different train. If the first train couldn’t stop at that station, how was the second train able to do so? Who knows … made it back OK though. After that, it was onto the walk home.
Quaint little churchRun-down building with a St John’s Ambulance sign11 kV lineDistant peacockDoes someone really have the job of putting labels on fly-tipped litter? This was just at the side of the road along a country lane.
