The double-circuit line between Lydney Substation, Lydney, Gloucestershire and the River Severn is primarily SWE PL1. Around the first two miles of the line out of Lydney uses an unidentifiable tower type. Based on its similarity to CE PL4 (more so the angle towers, and the terminal towers that resemble PL4 angle towers) the towers may have been designed by Blaw Knox. National Grid Electricity Distribution have the Lydney portion of the line listed as “PL5” (presumably SWE PL5), dated to 1938.
On the far side of the Severn, the line splits into two SWE PL1 single-circuit lines. One continues on to Castle Meads substation, Gloucester. The other goes around to the other side of the Severn to Cambridge Arms switching station, Cambridge, Gloucestershire.
All the Lydney towers are double earthwire, while the remainder of the double circuit line uses SWE PL1 which is single earthwire only. If these are indeed 1938 towers, and pre-date the CEB L132 specification, they may also pre-date the DD nomenclature, being simply D2, D30 etc. The tower type designations here follow later practice.
The small number of towers (thirteen in total) combined with the line’s passage through hilly woodland provides very limited photographic access which, combined with frustrating weather, has greatly limited the quality of the photographs.
Designer
?
Found
Height (straight line tower)
?
Voltage
132 kV
Conductors
Single
Circuit count
Double
Design conductor
? (0.175□″ SCA most likely)
Design earthwire
? (0.07□″ SCA most likely)
Normal span
?
Tower forms
The following diagrams are shown to scale at 12 pixels per metre based on assumptions about the tower sizes:
Lydney line tower (DD2 E20?)Lydney DDT
All line towers seem to be 20 feet taller than standard height; it is not known whether the standard height line tower was simply taller, or whether all line towers are E20. The line tower diagram is adapted from Blaw Knox K5735 to match photographs. The DDT diagram is based on a mixture of Google Street View and detailed in-person photographs; it was not possible in person to stand far enough away to get a perspective-free shot.
All the photographs on this page were taken on pylon hunt 30, 6th July 2024. The cloud cover interfered massively with dynamic range and there are limited vantage angles along this short line. Tower numbers are not independently verified. The presumption for the PBW/PRZ naming is that the two circuits head in different directions at Arlingham, presumably becoming the PBW and PRZ single-circuit lines.
DD2
The deleterious effect of cloud cover on dynamic range ruined any attempt to get a straight-on shot of a DD2 tower. There is a clear view on the public footpath off Allaston Road when the weather permits.
PBW/PRZ005, Allaston RoadPBW/PRZ005 bodyPBW/PRZ005 upper detailPBW/PRZ005 crossarm tip and insulator and vibration damper detailPBW/PRZ006
DD30
Tower PBW/PRZ003 just about visible through the trees
DD60
PBW/PRZ004PBW/PRZ004
DD90
PBW/PRZ002 is the only known 90° tower. There did not appear to be any way to get a straight-on view although this remains unconfirmed.
The stays on the bottom crossarm don’t appear to exist on towers PBW-PRZ011 and PBW-PRZ012 (back-to-back terminal towers outside Lydney) but it’s difficult to tell from Google Street View.
PBW/PRZ001PBW/PRZ001 crossarm detailPBW/PRZ001 phase plates; both circuits are in the order red-yellow-blue
Locations
Lydney substation
Lydney substation is located just outside Lydney in scenic woodland. The roughly four-hour journey each way was worth it just for the views, even if much of the journey down was in the rain.
