My Collection: Thorn Pilote T2
| Manufacturer | Thorn |
| Catalogue Number (model) | Pilote T2 |
| Wattage | 150W |
| Lamp-Type | SON-T |
| Gear | Original |
| Ballast | Thorn SHP 150 230/240V 50Hz |
| Ignitor | Thorn Super APU Anti-Cycle Ignitor. |
| Capacitor | Cambridge Capacitors 10μF (x2) |
| IP Rating (when new) | IP23 (open) IP44 (closed) IP65 (lamp) |
| Date On Capacitor | 11/93 (x2) |
| Restoration Status | Cleaned |
| Collection Number | #161 |
Thank you to Mike Barford for gifting me this lantern. Unlike my other Pilote, this is the medium-sized T2 edition. It runs a 150W SON-T lamp. Incidentally, the smaller T1s could actually also run up to 150W, but the T2's max is 250W. It is believed to have come from column 8020 on the Mickleover Interchange.
The T2 was in great condition, Mike had given it a brief clean up before dropping it off, so it looked shiny when compared to some other lanterns after acquisition!
The T2 is significantly larger than the T1, which makes me wonder just how large the T3 is!
On the underside of the lantern are both identification stickers.
As the in-service photos show, this example was mounted side-entry in service, but the spigot can be flipped for a post-top adaptation. Notice the Derbyshire-green paint around the spigot!
The Pilote T2's mechanism to open the canopy is exactly the same as the T1, where a screw driver is inserted into both clips to pop the canopy open. Much like the T1, with the deep bowl the T2 cannot be opened fully and the bowl has to be left hanging open to get the canopy open properly. This grants access to the gear-area.
The ballast's sticker has gone crispy over the decades, but a stamp (likely some kind of date-code) is still present.
Interestingly, this is the first time I'd seen two capacitors take the place of one, but I now know of some other Pilote T2s that have this quirk.
Next to them is the anti-cycle ignitor.
The E40 lamp-holder is actually also attached to the gear-tray, and all can be released as one unit for easy servicing.
On the subject of the lamp, it needs to be removed before the gear-tray is, or it will not fit through the section cut out for the lamp-holder.
The 150W lamp looks quite tiny in the over-sized lamp-compartment.
One of my main issues with the Pilote is these clips and hinges. Not only are they made from polycarbonate, they're nearly impossible to get back in place once removed; it took me 45 minutes and I still haven't got them sitting right!
The lantern lit:
