Local Thorn Alpha 9s

 The Alpha 9 had a limited popularity in Derbyshire - it was more common than the Alpha 1 in the County area - however, the reverse is true in the City. The peak of its popularity here was in the 1970s - after that, it appears that the GEC Z9454 was a preferred option until the 1990s when the Alpha 4 and Philips MA 90 became popular.

This Alpha 9 in Hartshorne is of the shallow-bowled, gear in base variety. An Alpha 4 replacement can just be seen in the background.

The village of Hatton in South Derbyshire is a good place for spotting Alpha 9s. Again, all are geared remotely - even the two deep-bowled examples.

The bowl on this example was held in place with a cable-tie:

The bracket supporting this deep-bowled example is different to the others. It reminds me of the types which used to be used to support Group 'B' fluorescents in days gone by. Coincidentally, the Alpha 9 was available with this option in the past - it was known as the AEI 'Residential'.

This Alpha 9 in Willington is mounted at 6m. The lantern has turned slightly on the bracket.

This example still remains level however:

© 2002-2008 Mike Barford