Thyratron  (1952 - 1966)
Strand

Valve Dimming

First system was installed at the National Theatre, Reykjavik in 1949.

Also known as the 'Woods Electronic' after it's inventor.

See Electronic Control For Thyratron for more details of installations. 

Related Venues:

• Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
• The Old Vic, London
• Noel Coward Theatre
• National Theatre, Reykjavik

Related People:

• James Templeton Wood (Woody) (24 Sept 1906 - 4 May 1985)
• Leonard George Applebee (L.G.) (1890 - September 1964)

See also:

• Remote Control – Electronic (Thyratron) (1949 - 1956)

Documents

Electronic Control for Thyratron dimmers 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[43kb  JPEG]
From Strand Archive

Photo: Thyratron Dimmer Rack 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[45kb  JPEG]
From Strand Archive

Thyratron Racks at Reykjavik (courtesy Kevin Theobald) (1950)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[62kb  JPEG]

Thyratron Control Report - Riverside 2 (January 1957)
[18.1Mb PDF]
From Bob Anderson Collection

The Rise and Fall of the Electronic: Strand Electrics Thyratron-based Stage Lighting Dimmer (April 2024)
[External Website]
From David Bertenshaw Collection

Thyratron Dimmers at Reykjavik (December 2024)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[2.58Mb  JPEG]
From Johann Bjarni Collection

Exhibits in the Backstage Heritage Collection

Thyratron Dimmer Rack  
From Jim Laws Collection

Catalogue & Journal Entries for Thyratron in the Backstage Heritage Collection

Reactance Dimmers under development (1945)

The Old Vic (1950)

Electronic Type Dimmer (1953)

Back to Dimming and Multiplex (Strand)