Coughtrie SFB8, control gear

For years, the Coughtrie SFB range has been a staple seller for the company. Designed around the mid to late 60's, these boasted an ultra slim, sleek design, with many lamp options available. The bulkheads even won design awards.
The SFB16 is by far the most common version around, the SFB32 being a solid second. The SFB8 however was a totally different kettle of fish. Taking only one tube, it really wasn't a popular version at all, despite its energy efficiency back then, even to this day. The design never remained in production long, and you'd be hard pressed to even find an example installed and working.
A very lucky spot secured me this brand new old stock example, and despite the box showing signs of damp and very rough storage, the bulkheads practically mint inside. It came with an original tube, and its original moulded starter. At some point in its past, the rear entry had been punched out, telling me there was plans to install it, but they never materialised. Therefore I gave it its first bit of power, as you do. It started immediately without no trouble and is silent when running, as is usual. Definitely my favourite bulkhead from 2018.