Sounds a good set of gear , it would be interesting to be able to test it here this morning, at -4

It's -3 today and I've just been to see what happens... It still started instantly!

It does have earthed lamp holders and we have quite high voltage here (around 250v normally). Also it's connected to a TNCS supply so earth and neutral are basically the same thing, don't know if that would help. I might actually disconnect the earth from the lamp holders to see if that slows it down a bit. Instant start is a bit boring, might as well be LED lol

It was -8 here at 7:45 am. Nice install you just need some caps now

Cheers Danny. A fellow enthusiast reckons he can get some caps which will finish it off nicely

That looks mint. It will be perfect with the end caps fitted.

Looking good! usually find that new lamps always instantly start and as the lamps wear in a bit the start gets a bit slower. Try sticking a nicely worn tube in it and see if it still does the same....

Cheers all. It does have a few blemishes and a circa 10mm hole drilled in the side, but other than that it's pretty clean. You can see where said hole was if you zoom in on this pic, it's now got a stainless nut, bolt & washer through it.

It is a new-ish lamp (UK Osram, Philips made). I'll try some well worn lamps next time I'm tinkering (too cold at the minute)

these normally have black BLI instant start ballasts in them not SRS units, though some were SRS. all the ones i have start pretty much instantly. they do eat tubes more than a switch start circuit though, infact ive had tubes burn out and fail on an atlantic 3 and they still light in a pop pack ! one of my all time favorite fittings though the grey sided atlas atlantic 3

The ballast in this is a black BLI unit labeled as being SRS. I tried a GE lamp in this earlier, the tube is very worn, was very cold and even slightly damp and... it still instant started!

I have a slight preference for the Crompton Star TBH. The chassis and paintwork is much better although the gear lets it down a little as they get very noisy with age

think my atlas atlantic 3 facination started as a small child as our towns tesco built and opened in 1970 was full of them, orignially the 4 tube versions at 8 foot , sometime in the 1980's they were coverted to just twin batterns, though the original parts must have been available still as they had proper coverplates and end caps. they were rows end on end of 8 foot twins down the isles on small conduit drops to atlantic trunking, in the front windows they were grey sided atlantic 3 twin 5 foot fittings, the shops now a primark and internally gutted, you;d have no idea it was a 70s tesco now, i often wonder if in the back service areas if any grey sided atlantics still survive to this day as i would imagine the whole shop from plantroom to shop floor was fitted out with the things

I don't really have any long history with lighting as most here seem to. This fascination only started for me maybe 3-4 years ago. One of the only things I can remember being interested in when I was younger was when the low bays in our sports hall at school got re-lamped, the light changed from a greenish white to orange. Looking back, it must have been mercury to some kind of SON replacement lamps.

Anyway... Yes it would be interesting to be able to have a look. You'd think there might be one or two, perhaps in high places or areas that aren't really used. It's where old fittings like that always seem to be found abandoned & looking sorry for themselves!