Due to all of the street lighting replacements in the uk, the number of sox lanterns is decreasing. I will be moving back to the uk from America in 5 years and wondering if there will still be some sox and older lanterns or will I be greeted to a bunch of LED junk?

Due to all of the street lighting replacements in the uk, the number of sox lanterns is decreasing. I will be moving back to the uk from America in 5 years and wondering if there will still be some sox and older lanterns or will I be greeted to a bunch of LED junk?

You better watch out, The LEDs are coming...

Guessing - Probably a great mix of lamp-types right now, just like in many affluent N. American towns. You should find however a great deal more SOX than in N. America. But in 5 years?..

In 5 years I think the only SOX that will remain will be "forgotten" side streets that have escaped PFIs and casual replacements. Five years ago SOX was in some cases still relamped or regularly installed - which is rare nowadays as lots of things are being directly replaced with Cosmo or LED. If what's happened in the last five years is indicative of the next, SOX will disappear rather quickly.

Motorway SOX is already about dead and main road SOX is starting to go in larger quantities. In 5-10 years I suspect SOX will go down the route of being like Mercury is now - very rare to find anything more than a single abandoned installation.

In Belgium, SOX lamps are the sole lighting on the highways, And almost all standard street lighting (That I can remember  ) is also SOX. Shows no sign of leaving. In Orlando, Almost all street lights (Except highways, Which is mostly HPS.) use the ugly High-Glare-And-Cool-White combo, With HPS being a rare survivor. At a local church, The street beside it (Which is not church property) has a lonely Coated MV lamp that buzzes really loudly. Near my neighborhood, There is also another abandoned lamp, But I don't know what it is, Because I have not been there at night.

Bumping this (saved) thread as I need to get an update on SOX in the UK.

Are they gone or still hanging on? Which cities/towns or what areas/sectors are still lit with SOX?

Well as an example, our town was 100% SOX in November 2017, then in just 3 months we went from that to 100% LED with even the original concrete columns going with them, along with all HPS installations too, I don’t ever remember Cheshire Highways doing street lighting changeovers so fast!!
Neighbouring towns run by Weaver Vale, (previously Vale Royal), however, are still HPS lit, with SOX mixed in, but the side roads are now being converted from Beta 5s to Lena Lightings LED based ‘Rubycon’.

None around here, unfortunately. There are a couple of Philips MI80 55W ones on the side of an office building about 200 yards away from here, but they appear to be defunct, I've never seen them lit in the 4 years I've been here, anyway. Perhaps I should make enquiries about acquiring them  

There were also some Thorn Alpha 9 remote ballasted 90W ones on an industrial estate a few miles away, but we've not been that way for a couple of years, so they may not be there any more, we'll have to go and have a look.

None anywhere else in the area that I'm aware of

Stunning.  I'd have thought there would be much more left.

The fact also that Philips have decided to stop making them next month speaks for itself in a way, I don’t know about the rest of the UK, but they must be disappearing from service at such a rate this decision has had to be made??

The fact also that Philips have decided to stop making them next month speaks for itself in a way, I don’t know about the rest of the UK, but they must be disappearing from service at such a rate this decision has had to be made??

From the notice they issued at the time of announcement of closure (which was going to be 2020, I suppose the orders fell off earlier than anticipated) it seems to me that they're encouraging everybody to move over to LED's   

We were hoping to arrange a site visit before the dreaded date, but it's unlikely that will happen now 

Whatever happens out in the 'wild' as it were, SOX will always have a place in our hearts, and in the corner of the living room. 

SOX now very rare. Almost a surprise to come across it.
My own village ostracised it on the main road about 3 years ago. There is only 1 left that I know of (a 35W in a side street).
Some knackered 180W left on bits of the A46 around Coventry... poorly maintained (can't get lamps?) and bound to be next for LED.
Museum pieces now - and I have many 

Nice to see you here Mike, there's not many of us from this side of the Pond.

SOX is becoming a rare beast, and it's up to us to preserve as much as possible.

They are still surviving as motorway lighting round London.  

We came down the M40 to join the M25 and there were miles of 180W fixtures.!!

They are still surviving as motorway lighting round London.  

We came down the M40 to join the M25 and there were miles of 180W fixtures.!!

That's awesome. If only I could go to London so I could see them.