Thorn Beta 2 Lantern Installations
The Thorn Beta 2 was the longer version of the Thorn Beta 5. This was so it could accommodate 55W SOX or 36W SOX-E lamps. The canopy was made from aluminium, and a thin (newer) canopy or an (older) thicker canopy were available. The lantern was side-entry only, and thus could be occasionally seen with post-top adaptor brackets, but was most commonly seen with short hockey-stick brackets.
Birmingham
Oxford Road is lined with Thorn Beta 2s on REVO concrete columns, which are now topped with steel sleeves.
The column still features it's original door, albeit rusted heavily.
The Beta 2 features an LED retrofit tray, with a clear bowl to go alongside it. This seems to be the theme in the area, with this street (and surrounding streets) lit by similar installations.
This next column is on borrowed time. Not due to the lantern being full of water, though.
A new column has already gone up, with a Philips Lumistreet lantern fitted post-top.
The Beta 2 has already been disconnected from it's supply.
Another example on the same road:
It seems these LED Beta 2s have a serious water-intake problem, perhaps due to degraded seal around the canopy.
The examples continue down Oxford Road:
Some newer Beta 2s (also with retrofit trays) exist along Sydenham Road.
This vandalized SOX example was spotted on column 3 of Bertram Road in late-2024. There did used to be a glare-shield fitted here, which was probably knocked off by the vandals.
Lichfield
A mix of Beta 2s and Beta 5s can be spotted on a private site on Britannia Way. They run a mix of SOX and LED lamps.
A day-burning LED example can be seen through the fence. It supports the thicker (older) canopy.
Tamworth
The thorn beta 2 is not a popular SOX lantern here, only a few locations support them (excluding privately owned installations) and one is on Blackwood Road (T21), a replacement for a downed Simplex Aries and it's column.
A closer look at the lantern reveals it's striking resemblance to the Thorn Beta 5. The Thorn Beta 2 is the longer version of the Beta 5, this is so it can accommodate 55W SOX or 36W SOX-E.
So what might a road lined with them look like? Well, let's head to County Drive, Tamworth! Here, a mix of Philips MI36s and Thorn Beta 2s line the road! The following pictures were taken during an emergency trip to the estate. Why, you may ask? Well, the Holophane S-lines were making their appearance! This road's LED replacement was due to be completed some-time around when the pictures were taken, so I had to get there quickly. I had been staying in temporary accommodation near the road since the 14th December 2023, meaning trips here didn't take long at all! Talk about good timing!
This is column 43. It supports a Beta 2 which is soon to be swapped for a Holophane S-Line!
In Tamworth Town Centre, on a footpath behind MacGregor Tithe, existed this beta 2. What made this example notable was that it (along with two WRTL 2600s) has been retrofitted with an LED cob lamp.
The bowl looked to have either fallen loose or had not been closed properly, with the clip barely hanging onto the bowl.
The same lantern at night:
The lantern began cycling, and then stopped working completely in February of 2024. It was replaced a few months later.
Whittington Barracks
These Beta 2s litter Chester Road, Whittington Barracks. This won't be for long. Evidence of their inevitable replacement is visible in the form of new columns fitted with CU Phosco E950 lanterns.
Oddly, these lanterns run 26W SOX-E, and the lamp-support hasn't even been moved! This leaves the lamp to hang freely in the lantern, with nothing but the lamp-holder keeping it in place.
