134AN. A120, Marks Tey, Colchester, Essex With thanks to David Eade for discovering these Survivors. Located on the bridge that passes over the A12 are some sleeved 30 ft (10 m) Concrete Utilities' New Highway columns, which are, unusually, not root planted, but are attached to flange plates that affix to the bridge structure. While many of these columns support ELECO GR150 lanterns for 135 Watt SOX (single-ended low pressure sodium) lamps, one accommodates a rare Thorn Alpha 6, which would have run a 140 - 200 Watt SLI/H (linear low pressure sodium) lamp originally, but has been converted to take a 135 Watt SOX lamp following the discontinuation of SLI/H lamp production in the 1980s. These lanterns may have survived because of their placement on the bridge making replacement difficult, although a bowlless GR150 (not pictured here) on a standard column still survived at the top of the A12 exit slip road in March 2025.
The column supporting the Alpha 6 is pictured first.
The lantern has rotated slightly on its bracket. The detector for a Zodion SS55 two-part photocell is visible in the centre of the heavily-weathered GRP canopy.
Unlike my own Alpha 6s, which were supplied with shallow bowls, this example uses a deep bowl.
The deeper bowl features diffusing patterning on the underside of the bowl, which is omitted from the shallow version.
Part of the base plate is visible at the base of the column.
The following column was one to support a GR 150, while a couple of Philips MA 50s (also 135 Watt SOX lanterns) are visible beyond.
An inquisitive crow inspected the damaged Zodion SS54 detector quite thoroughly.
The doors on two consecutive columns on the other side of the road were missing, with electrical hazard tape being used to cover the exposed base compartments.
A small amount of rainwater had gathered in the underside of the middle lantern's bowl.
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