Thorn/Atlas Alpha 3 Lantern Installations
The Thorn/Atlas Alpha 3 was a common lantern throughout the UK. Mercury-vapour and low-pressure sodium versions were available. Their large size and aluminium alloy reflector made for an excellent light-distribution, utilized by an acrylic bowl. The lantern was side-entry only.
Birmingham
This solitary Alpha 3 is located inside of an industrial site off Fort Parkway. Interestingly, the supply cable leaves the bracket, continuing down outside of the column.
Evolve arc on the A38 hosts a gear-in-head Thorn Alpha 3 as means for lighting the car park. An elliptical lamp is still present inside, and the bowl is immaculate! Whether this is still in use is unknown.
A depot on Wellhead Lane also sports a few gear-in-head Alpha 3s. The inclusion of more modern floods indicate these Alpha 3s are in use no-longer.
Burton-upon-Trent
An industrial site off Mosley Street is littered with Alpha 3s, they are still in service, now running LED lamps. The first four were spotted near Creative Foods, with only one of the four having sustained damage.
The Alpha 3s are better-viewed from Borough Road, where the bridge takes the road over the railway.
The lanterns at night:
Brook Street is also plastered with Alpha 3s. This time, I'm unsure if they work.
One of the lanterns appears to have suffered some storm damage!
An opening in the bushes due to a gate provided a great view of one of the Alpha 3s!
There is a lamp visible in there, possibly a SON-E lamp.
Derby
On the site of Tarmac Derby Concrete Plant are a pair of remote-geared Alpha Threes on 8m concrete columns.
The first column's base-compartment (or at least the door) is damaged, held on by two metal ties. It appears Mr. Bean was also in attendance at the time:
The Atlas Alpha 3 has some ingress problems, and one of the clips has fallen undone. A sizable portion of the concrete around the bracket's pipe has also fallen away.
The second installation also follows a similar trend of a damaged base-compartment.
This column houses a security camera along with the Atlas Alpha 3.
Hilariously, it's the other clip on the same side that has failed on this Alpha 3. That said, the alpha 3 seems to have resisted significant water-intake.
...But wait! - A third Alpha 3 (this one being gear-in-head) is installed on the wall of the building. Also present is some-kind of flood light, so it could mean these Alpha 3s are redundant.
I was just walking away from the previous installations, when I noticed a bowl-less Alpha 3 at the site entrance. Notice the GEC Turtle in the background which lights a set of railway tracks. These were pictured later in the day, separately.
Dordon, Warwickshire
Some disused Atlas Alpha 3s exist next to Zaazu in Dordon, on a short stretch of abandoned road. There are four in total, with the first being located in the car park area.
This is probably the one in the best condition, despite the fact that one of the clips has come loose.
Another angle showcases the unique side-profile of the Alpha 3. The short lantern shoe means that these were remote-geared, and likely ran mercury-vapour lamps originally.
A closer view reveals the Atlas logo on the shoe.
The next column to be found is located on the abandoned road itself. This is also the most-apparent of the remaining three columns, having not been encompassed in vegetation.
Due to this, the lantern has suffered at the hands of vandals. Most of the bowl has been smashed away, but this gives us a good view of the distinctive reflector. No lamp is present in this one, as is likely the case for the other three.
Another angle of the same lantern.
The next column along is hidden in some trees, but the Alpha 3 can just-about be seen poking through the leaves.
From here, it looks like it's in great condition!
I moved around to find the best view of the lantern. From beneath, the lantern's bowl appears to have accumulated some dirt over the decades.
The final column took some scouting, can you spot it?
How about now? While the column itself is invisible due to the foliage, the lantern is poking out of the leaves. A crack through the bowl is apparent on this one!
Rugby
An abandoned plot of land off Wood Street possesses two twin-arm columns with integral-geared Alpha 3 lanterns.
They all looked to have had a water problem, aside from the one that's lost it's bowl (unless that was for water-related reasons of course)!
Tamworth
These installations of Thorn Alpha 3s are privately owned. This was the first time I'd seen the Alpha 3 in person! There are 4 in total (all wall-mounted) but just next to them are LED floods, so I doubt these are still in service. Still, it is good to see some Alpha 3s in the wild!
This one's bowl is muddied and cracked, but I'll bet these would still work if turned on! The gears are located within the lantern's shoe, though remote-geared examples were available.
Below, you can see the LED flood's photocell. It appears to have been taken from one of the Alpha 3s, as the end one is missing it's cell.
