C534 is a 132 kV UK electricity pylon (steel lattice transmission tower) series, designed by J L Eve Construction. Confusion over its identity has led it to accumulate various names, including L16, L132, L55 and J.L.Eve PL16.
Found widely in England, it has also been used in Scotland and Wales, but seemingly not Northern Ireland.
There is no definitive designation for this tower series. The primary drawings (not including contract-specific customisation) all appear to be in the C534 range, so this is being taken to be its identity.
C534
Used by UK Power Networks; this is the only known J L Eve drawing series for the core tower suite.
L16
The “J.L EVE.” types in the Tower Bible have been hand annotated as “[illegible]/L16”. This designation appears in [Hinkley Point C], which contains side view diagrams of L16 towers that broadly correspond to C534 (allowing for simplifications). The D2 STD and D60 STD heights in [Hinkley Point C] match those in the Tower Bible when converted to metric. Ian McAulay has examined the route described in [Hinkley Point C] and the towers in use are primarily those of a design matching L16 in the Tower Bible. [Hinkley Point C] only names a small portion of the BW route towers: BW2R, BW3, BW28R, BW29A and BW36R are given as L7(c), while BW27, BW29, BW34 and BW35 are given as L16. Spans BW1–BW9 are listed as having Rubus (500 mm² AAAC) while spans BW9–BW39 use Zebra (400 mm² ACSR). Some of the Eve drawings are labelled “S.E.E. - L16”, which is strange as this is a non-standard contract name format; the location of this line is not given; this may also be an indication of where the name “L16” came from, although it is not the same region of the UK as the line to Hinkley Point (which is SWE).
L132
As an CEB L132-compliant type, some organisations refer to the type as simply “L132”. It would appear that “L132” can also refer to the lighter weight Eve C670. The BR route between Dumfries and Chapelcross in Scotland uses L132 towers strung with Zebra (400 mm² ACSR) conductors, indicating C534 and not a Lynx L132 type [SWS Forum 08/06/2017]. Examination of this line shows this to be the case. [Uprating of Overhead Lines] also mentions L132 as a Zebra configuration with Lynx earthwire. The C route that passes Pwll in Wales also has towers matching the C534 design. The only formal information on this route is the following note in [Brechfa Forest Connection]: “The preferred solution is to add a further extension to tower C17. This is a type D10 E10’ tower constructed to specification CEB L132 (0.4 sq in conductors) …”
J.L.EVE
[Standard Tower Types] as well as Brechfa Forest Connection Existing Line Survey
J L Eve (0.4 design)
Alternative term found in Brechfa Forest Connection Existing Line Survey (same tower, C8, as designated “J.L.EVE”)
Said to be an SSE designation; this stems from a misinterpretation of the marking “GEN. O.H.L. 132/L.55” as a suite identifier when in reality it is a drawing number for the general arrangement drawing of the D2 tower.
J.L.Eve PL16
An incorrect term used by some enthusiasts as well as SSEN (in [Elmwood-Glenagnes]); this is illogical as, while Eve C534 is a CEB-L132 type, C534 takes Zebra (400 mm² ASCR) conductor while PL16 takes Lynx (175 mm² ACSR).
Various Milliken 33 and 66 kV series (angle towers only)
Tower forms
The following diagrams are shown to scale at 12 pixels per metre:
J L Eve C534 D2J L Eve C534 D10J L Eve C534 D30J L Eve C534 D60J L Eve C534 D90J L Eve C534 DT/DT90J L Eve universal crossunder gantry
A single DT (terminal) type appears in the Tower Bible, as shown above. In reality, the DT crossarm design varies between examples. The prototypical type in the Tower Bible can be seen at Essex Wharf Substation (51.514° N 0.003° W) on a short line comprising an L16 DT, L16 D90 and L7 DT. The DT90 form is not depicted specifically. All towers observed thus far in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire differ from the official drawing; these variants so far appear to share the same tower body as the prototypical type and differ only in crossarm design. Some towers are fitted with top crossarm extensions, also not included in the Tower Bible. Known variants include:
J L Eve C534 DT variant 2J L Eve C534 DT variant 2/+1J L Eve C534 DT variant 2/+2J L Eve C534 DT variant 3J L Eve C534 DT variant 4J L Eve C534 DT variant 5/+1
Variant 2 can be seen in St Albans. Variant 3 can be found in Luton and Sundon. Variant 4 can be found in Sundon and Westoning. There are also lateral crossarm bracing variations within the variants. Variant 2 with dual top crossarm extensions can be found at Lea Marston substation, Faraday Avenue, Birmingham. L16 DT towers with only one crossarm extension can also be found, such as in north-east Oswestry (only the right-hand extension fitted).
Variant 5 notionally represents a through-line tower: no extensions to any crossarms. Variant 5/+1, fully extended on one side only, can be found at Lye Green Grid.
Two L16 DT90 towers are known; both are based on variant 3 and have (compared to other DT90 types) unusual auxiliary crossarms:
J L Eve C534 DT90 from DT variant 3
One such tower can be found in Stevenage, England; the other can be found at Charleston substation in Dundee, Scotland.
The diagram above also depicts the difference between the front and side bracing of the tower body.
Crossarm width is the total width across the widest crossarm.
Type
Source
Height
Base width
Crossarm width
J L Eve C534 D2
Tower Bible
88′–10″ (27.1 m)
14′–9″ (4.5 m)
30′–6″ (9.3 m)
J L Eve C534 D10
Tower Bible
86′–0″ (26.2 m)
18′–0″ (5.5 m)
28′–2″ (8.6 m)
J L Eve C534 D30
Tower Bible
86′–0″ (26.2 m)
18′–0″ (5.5 m)
28′–9″ (8.8 m)
J L Eve C534 D60
Tower Bible
86′–0″ (26.2 m)
21′–0″ (6.4 m)
30′–7″ (9.3 m)
J L Eve C534 D90
Tower Bible
86′–6″ (26.4 m)
23′–111⁄16″ (7.1 m)
37′–9″ (11.5 m)
J L Eve C534 DT/DT90
Tower Bible
86′–6″ (26.4 m)
23′–9″ (7.2 m)
52′–0″ (15.8 m)
Line entry limits
Type
Limits
C534 DT
Entry angle 0–45° (per CEB L132)
C534 DT90
Examples
The following examples represent opinion only. No tower types were obtained from any official material and thus all designations are speculative.
Elstree–Rye House
Tyttenhanger
This is a spur off the Elstree–Rye House 132 kV route, between the St Albans sealing end compound in Nightingale Lane (51.737° N 0.303° W) and the Coursers Farm Anaerobic Digestion Plant (51.728° N 0.261° W) on Coursers Road, passing through Tyttenhanger outside St Albans, Hertfordshire. The design of the terminal tower differs from that in the Tower Bible.
D2 E20 tower viewed from the North Orbital RoadSame tower viewed from Highfield LaneD2 E20 tower detailD60 towerD60 towerD60 tower detailDT tower, St Albans sealing end compoundSealing end compound with DTDT tower detail
Sundon–Luton North
UKPN Sundon–Luton North 132 kV carries power from Sundon Substation (51.933° N 0.500° W) to Luton North Substation (51.908° N 0.425° W. The overhead lines run between Eve DT towers at Sundon Substation and the sealing end compound between Marsh Farm and Bramingham in Luton (51.919° N 0.442° W); from the SEC the line passes underground to the substation. The line appears to have been reconfigured at some stage, because one tower along from the DT at Sundon Substation is another DT (51.931° N 0.497° W) serving as a D60.
This entire line appears to be Eve C534.
Sundon
National Grid Sundon–Wymondley 400 kV and UKPN Sundon–Luton North 132 kV pass eastwards from Sundon Substation between the village of Upper Sundon and the hamlet of Lower Sundon, north of Luton in Bedfordshire.
This is a short 12-tower line from Wymondley substation and Stevenage.
Stevenage
These photos were take on pylon hunt 15 on 19th August 2023 specifically to document the comparatively (for Eve) unusual DT90 terminal tower.
D2 E20: line tower with 20-foot height extensionLine tower detailFoot of the line tower, outside view; with no livestock present it appears that the cattle guards were omittedFoot, inside viewLine tower seen from belowInside the line tower looking skywardsD10 E20D30 detailD30 side viewApproaching the DT90DT90DT90 rear detailDT90 side detail; note the unusual design of the auxiliary crossarms90° termination of the downleadsAlternative view of the termination; sadly it was not possible to get a clearer view
Sundon–Westoning
The Sundon–Westoning 132 kV line runs between Eve DT towers at Sundon Substation (51.936° N 0.498° W) and Westoning Substation (51.985° N 0.491° W) and passes alongside Harlington. Alongside the Midland Mainline Railway, a number of the towers are L7 instead of Eve. Neither terminal tower matches either the design in the Tower Bible or the type found in St Albans.
Sundon
Eve D10 and L7 D towers, facing HarlingtonEve D10 (foreground) and L2 and L7 (background)Eve D10Eve D10 detailEve D10 inside viewL7 D and Eve D90 towers, alongside Sundon SubstationEve D90Eve D90 close-upEve D90 front viewEve D90 side viewEve DT variant 3 at Sundon Substation; variants 3 and 4 can both be found there
Harlington
Eve D10 adjacent to the Harlington Station car park. This appears to be standard height, as contrasted with the taller towers alongside the railway.
Eve D10 visible approaching the stationEve D10 side viewEve D10 close-up
Eve C670
Eve C670 (“3-X”) line towers look almost identical to those of C534 (“4-X”):
