REGAL CINEMA, WALHAM GREEN, LONDON
Job number A307 was opened at the Regal Cinema, Walham Green, London in 1935 by Charles Smart. This was the very first "ABC 3-6 + Melotone" model. This model consisted
of a melotone and 6 ranks of pipes and became very popular. The specification read:
PEDAL ACCOMPANIMENT GREAT SOLO
Acoustic Bass 32' Viola t.c. 16' Trumpet t.c. 16' Tibia 16'
Tuba 16' Bourdon t.c. 16' Tuba 16' Trumpet 8'
Diaphone 16' Trumpet 8' Diaphone 16' Tuba 8'
Tibia Bass 16' Tuba 8' Tibia 16' Tibia 8'
Tuba 8' Diapason 8' Trumpet 8' Trumpet 4'
Octave 8' Tibia 8' Tuba 8' Tuba 4'
Tibia 8' Viola 8' Diapason 8' Tibia 2.2/3'
Viola 8' Flute 8' Tibia 8' Piccolo 2'
Flute 8' Tuba 4' Viola 8' Xylophone 4'
Flute 4' Octave 4' Flute 8' Glockenspiel 4'
Bass Drum Tap F Tibia 4' Trumpet 4' Orchestral Bells 4'
Bass Drum Tap P Violin 4' Tuba 4' Sub Octave
Bass Drum Roll Flute 4' Octave 4' Octave
Snare Drum Twelfth 2.2/3' Tibia 4' Melotone 8'
Cymbal Tap Viole 2' Twelfth 2.2/3' Melotone 4'
Cymbal Roll Flautino 2' Fifteenth 2' Melotone Twelfth 2.2/3'
Cymbal Crash Marimba 8' Tierce 1.3/5' Super Melotone 2'
Triangle Vibraphone 8' Quartane II Krummhorn 8'
Accompaniment to Pedal Snare Drum Xylophone 4' Cor Anglais 8'
Great to Pedal Castanets Glockenspiel 4' Carillon
Solo to Pedal Tambourine Orchestral Bells 4' Chimes
Traps to 2nd Touch Chinese Block Vibraphone 4' Echo Control
Tom Tom Solo to Great 16' Vibrato
TREMULANTS Sleigh Bells Solo to Great 8' Melotone Amplifier Off
Tibia Sand Block
Trumpet-Tuba Octave GREAT 2ND TOUCH VENTILS
Diapason-Flute-Viola Solo to Great 16' Tibia Treble
ACCOMPANIMENT 2ND TOUCH Solo to Great 8' CC Diapason
TOE PISTON EFFECTS Trumpet 8' CC Tibia-Trumpet
Auto Horn Tuba 8' ILLUMINATED CONSOLE Viola-Flute
Steamboat Whistle Tibia 8' Off Xylophone-Glockenspiel
Engine Whistle Tibia 4' Automatic Traps-CCC Diaphone
Fire Bell Great to Accompaniment 8' Red
Siren Solo to Accompaniment 16' Blue STOPKEY EFFECTS
Bird Whistle Solo to Accompaniment 8' Green Surf
Snare Drum Roll-Grand Crash Traps to 2nd Touch Amber Aeroplane
Triangle Orange
Cymbal Roll Sky Blue
Cymbal Crash Turquoise
Mauve
ACCESSORIES
8 adjustable thumb pistons to Accompaniment
8 adjustable thumb pistons to Great
8 adjustable thumb pistons to Solo
3 adjustable toe pistons to Pedal
1 Operator toe piston
Double touch canceller to each department
Voltmeter
The organ was removed from the cinema in 1966 and broken down. It is believed that nothing of this instrument survives apart from a chest.
In total about 24 of this model were produced and installed at cinemas such as the Savoy's at Lincoln, Exeter, Leicester and Portsmouth to name just a few. Sadly very few ABC
3-6 models remain that havent suffered from being enlarged. Many players have described these instruments as "tonally unadventorous" (which is absurd) but they gave cinemas
the look and sound of a "mighty organ" from just 6 ranks of pipes thus reducing cost and space - what Compton's were famous for! The best example today has to be at the
Summerlee Music Museum, Coatbridge near Glasgow where the ex Mayfair, Aigburth, Liverpool Compton can be found. Although a Vox Humana has been added, the organ retains
it's original character. The Scottish Cinema Organ Trust have put a lot of work into getting the melotone working which included the making of new stator discs - an example that
can only be followed by others.
