Unfortunately (I don't have any photos)-not a good start! but the thorn alpha 6 used to be king of most of the motorways in the 70s and 80s but ive not seen any IN YEARS!

Do any still exist?

To try and jog peoples memories they used to light large portions of the motorway network...
I do know the following places used to have thorn alpha 6's

M1 M25/Luton area and possibly around Milton Keynes/Northamptonshire.
M1 Around Nottingham-likely.
M6/M69 Junction AND J4 area and J10-J11 area
M6 Thelwall viaduct-then Through J21A-J26 I think....
M6/M55 Junction DEFINIETLY had Alpha 6's prior to widening to D4M
M27 Around Portsmouth
M62/M57 Junction
M63 (Now M60) around/near Sale.
M621 Possibly?

Also some A roads had them, the A557 at runcorn bridge had some (now removed!) and the M6/A49 Junction had some plus many of the M6 "twenties" junctions in the northwest!

I have heard some in Essex/Colchester may still exist? on the A12 perhaps?

These are NOT to be confused with "GEC Bricks" or those "Phillips bricks" found originally around the M4 in Berkshire, M6 in Birmingham or M56 near Manchester Airport.

Does anyone know where any of these oldies still exist? many have been replaced by MA60s.....havent seen any in at least a decade.

Never seen them in the flesh, interesting looking lantern though. I may vaguely remember them at the M6-M55 junction. Were they mounted on the columns on the M6 that are on the side of the road between the M55 flyover and the slip roads for joining the Northbound carriageway?

Somewhere on here I was told the Tunnel approach to the Wallasey Tunnel was lit with these, certainly makes sense considering roads associated with the M53 had Alpha 5's...which have also now gone!

How stupid am I????

DOH!!!!

YES....The M53 did have some! quite alot. Deffo were some around J2 Spur, J5 (and the weird divide/slip bit) and J9-J10.

Also, you are quite correct, the bidston viaduct (J1) had loads and the Wallasey tunnel approaches. Unfortunately, they are all gone......sad.

I think they used to look quite retro and were regarded as the "elite" of the road network, almost exclusive for motorways!

They used to be on the A19 from the Acklam junction up to the Portrack Lane Turn, they were changed I think around 1990. I liked them.

I'm sure Alpha 6's were used on Westway at one point until the early 80's

I think Dublin city still has some of them, mainly mounted on wooden poles.

Much of the M62 on the moors had them until the late 80s.

There are still some Alpha 6s on the major roads around Colchester - especially on the A12.

Cut-off lanterns were never popular - especially those which could take SLI. Replaced in Thorn's product range by the Alpha 4 - another striking, but strangely rare, lantern design.

All the best,
Simon

Thorn Alpha 4's seem to have die in a very big way of late...the biggest losses being in PFI areas!

Tyne and Wear Authorities, Nottingham, Manchester, Oldham, Leeds were good places to see them!

The shires tend to be the best places...although this quickly being put right.

I think I saw some Alpha Four's in Cambridge the last time I visited but I may be completely wrong. On my trips they crop up occasionally from time to time...but are getting rarer now.

Alpha 4s were everywhere once upon a time. They were a favourite in Cornwall, for instance.

Indeed, Thorn Alpha 4's are very popular in Cornwall.

They are also popular in Flintshire and Denbighshire and if memory serves they are also in large numbers in Southern Scotland.

The M63, now M60 used to have LOADS of them on all the slip roads. Not any more. SON has taken over lots of Alpha 4s particularly in North Wales.

There are no Alpha Fours in Cambridge.

In fact, I can't think of any in Cambridgeshire.

All the best,
Simon