208BB. Off Ely Road, Ely, Queen Adelaide, East Cambridgeshire With thanks to 'Electric Leo' for discovering these Survivors. Installed on a roadway leading to some industrial premises are a number of sleeved 25 ft (8 m) ELECO 'ELECOSlim 1301' 30 ft (10 m) concrete columns; a small number of which support Thorn Alpha 5 lanterns, or the remains of them. These particular examples are designed for running 200 Watt SLI/H (linear low pressure sodium) lamps - a technology that became obsolete in the 1980s, although 135 Watt SOX (single-ended low pressure sodium) lamp options were produced too. The use of SLI/H lamps gives an idea as to when these lanterns last operated. With Thorn having discontinued the Alpha 5 after 1978, the lanterns were probably reused after the columns were sleeved, though this work to extend the lives of the columns seems rather pointless with the lanterns becoming disused not too many years after that.

The first example seen after leaving Ely Road is surrounded quite heavily by trees and vegetation.

This is the only Alpha 5 to remain intact.

A (seemingly) undamaged SLI/H lamp still remains within the lantern.

The next example is located adjacent a low railway bridge.

Very little remains of this lantern, save for its canopy - along with the missing bowl, the front lampholder bracket is also absent.

The centrally-mounted reflector is still present.

A fragment of a SLI/H lamp survives in the rear end cap.

 These are probably mid-1970s' examples, as the label makes no reference to the AEI Amberline, as earlier examples did.

A small section of concrete has broken away from the surround to the door aperture.

More ELECOSlim columns are visible beyond the security fence, although only the first two retain their Alpha 5s.

These examples are disused too, although both sets of end caps have remained here.

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