Main Chamber Photos
This page takes you on a tour of Main Chamber for the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ as installed at the Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, Alabama.
The orange cone is used as a (moving) reference point to help the viewer see the relationships amongst the pictures as the camera is moved through a chamber.
Vertical ladder from the String chamber ladder platform, leading up to the Main chamber ladder platform and the steel entrance door. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
At the Main chamber entrance door you can see the Main and Tibia Tremulants, the 16' pedal regulator, and the 16' Tuba Profunda pipes. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Walking about six feet straight into the chamber, then turning right to face the back chamber wall. The 16' Trombone and the 8' Tibia with the large scale 16' Diaphone barely visible. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Looking up to see the mitered tops of the large scale 16' Diaphone, with the zinc 8' Diaphonic Diapason pipes to the right and the 16' Trombone on the left. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
16' Trombone on left, 8' Tibia in the back above the top end of the 16' Diaphone, 8' Diaphonic Diapason pipes to the right. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
The 16' Trombone and the 8' Tibia. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Walking between the 16' Trombone and the 8' Tibia towards the back wall, standing where the orange cone was, then turning left and facing the far wall. The manual chests for the Trombone and Flute Celeste are visible in the background. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
The orange cone indicates where we'll stand for the next pictures. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Trombone and Flute Celeste [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing where the orange cone was, and facing towards the swell shades. The electric heater is attached to the 16'Tuba Profunda frame. The main windline is visible under the walkway. The 4' treble extension of the Diaphonic Diapason is visible, attached to the far end of the 16' Tuba Profunda frame. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
ditto [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing where the orange cone was, and turning to the right, the swell shades are on the left-side of the picture. The original two main chests contain the Clarinet, Concert Flute, Tibia Clausa, Diaphonic Diapason, and Tuba Horn. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing on the walkboard, looking towards the back chamber wall. The Trombone is in the foreground with the 8' Flute offset in the background. Between these two are the Flute Celeste pipes, barely visible. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
The original two main chests contain the Clarinet, Concert Flute, Tibia, Diaphonic Diapason, and Tuba Horn. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing where the orange cone was, turning right and looking towards the back chamber wall. The 2' Tibia treble extension is the small chest in the middle of the picture. Other pipes visible, from left to right, are: 16' Bourdon, Trombone, Tuba Horn, and Diaphonic Diapason. At the bottom of the picture, the Tibia stoppers are visible. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Close up of the 2' Tibia treble extension. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Far end of the Main Chamber showing the Tuba Tremulant, and Clarinet and Trombone regulators. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing where the orange cone was, looking back along the walkboard we just traveled (the swell shades are on the right-side of the picture). From left to right on the two manual chests are: Tuba Horn, Diaphonic Diapason, Tibia Clausa, Concert Flute, and Clarinet. The 16' Trombone and 16' Tuba Profunda are in the background. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing about half-way back along the walkboard, looking towards the back wall/near wall corner, the Trombone is visible. In the background are the tops of the 16' Bourdon, the 8' Flute offset, and the end of the 8' Tibia offset. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Returning to the start of the walkboard (plastic stool is at our feet), the 16' Tuba Profunda. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
4' Diapason treble extension was originally the 4' Clarion (Tuba). [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Swell shades and a message to the organ crew written in coal dust. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Looking out of the Main Chamber. The steel entrance door is on the right, and the ladder platform has the cone on it, with the vertical steel ladder bolted to the wall on the left. Notice the red and white rope and barrel used to pull all tools and parts up to the main chamber. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Standing on the ladder platform (where the orange cone was) outside the Main Chamber, looking down to the stage level. (The white board blocks the opening in the platform at the String Chamber level. Originally, to get down to the stage, you had to keep descending through the opening, down the steel vertical ladder until it ended. Then, transfer to a temporary ladder to complete your descent to the stage.) [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Looking out over the railing, down towards the stage with the orange cone. The Peter Clark counterweights are on the left wall, and the curtain closer on the right. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
Looking down to the stage level, with the Peter Clark fly system ropes and counterweights on the left. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
On the stage, standing where the orange cone was, looking back up to the String Chamber ladder platform and the Main Chamber ladder platform. [PhotoCredit: Sabrina Summers]
This concludes our picture tour of the Main Chamber at the Alabama Theatre.
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