My Collection: Thorn Alpha 9

Thorn Alpha 9s are in stark decline. Despite their aluminium canopy, they were light-weight lanterns, even with an integral gear. Their bowl (being made from acrylic) never yellowed, so they were almost always in good condition. They could be seen in service running 90W SOX or 66W SOX-E. This one entered the collection on 20/07/2024. From every angle, their shocking similarity to the Beta 8 is clear. This is because the Alpha 9 is an enlarged (90W) version of the Beta 8.

The Alpha 9 is quite a wide lantern, evident by the birds eye view of the canopy... Fitted on top is a HL2 photocell, but this is not original to the lantern.

The NEMA socket is a bit tired-looking, but still works! North is also facing the wrong way.

The hinge of the bowl is located at the front of the lantern, where it hooks onto the canopy. They clip is styled similar to a GEC metal wire clip. The same mechanism that the GEC clips use is present on the Alpha 9: a push down and pull to release.

A customary view of the Alpha 9's bottom-profile.

Inside the lantern, there isn't much to see, other than the cell wiring and lamp. Also notice how the lamp-holder is at the street end of the lantern.

The original ceramic wire connectors are still present.

Being hooked up to a gear-board, the lantern switched on easily.