Question & Answer Board

A Search for questions in the category "RR Lighting" found the following results. Questions are sorted beginning with the most recent. The next most recent 20 questions and answers are shown below beginning with the 531st.

Q2842 Modern Switch Lamp I picked up this switch mechanism and lamp this weekend. It's going to look great in my model train room. I'm curious as to what railroads use today on switches for nighttime traffic? The small yard in my town has the targets on their switches, but no lamps. I'm assuming the targets are reflective and that's what is used at night. But are there any modern switch lamps used today? If so, I would love to see an image so I can compare 'back then' with 'right now'. Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, November 17, 2014 by JP Post a Reply Email a reply

A. ...when you click on the above LINK, you then need to click on the "Catalog" button on the left side of the home page. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Monday, November 17, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. For the most part sheet metal flags / targets coated in retroreflective material are all that is used today. Modern locomotive head lights are very bright and the highly reflective coatings on the targets are visible at considerable distance, so in most situations reflective flags are sufficient. Remotely controlled / automatic switches usually have an electric dwarf-style fixed signal that changes color as the switch moves, but the signal does not rotate with the movement of the switch; it simply switches color. There are a rare, few electric switch lamps of the classic spherical or “Diver’s Helmet” style; such as the WRRS No.1880 lamps (see; LINK 1 under Maintenance of Way / Derails { http://www.wch.com/ }) still in use in industrial plants where there is no public access (and much less chance of ‘souvenir hunters’ walking off with them). I hear occasional reports of a few electric switch lamps still in railroad service, but have seen no recent photos; ..anyone?? – You have a really fine lamp and switch stand there! That’s quite a find. The round cap and conical stack would date that lamp to between the early 1900s to mid 1920s; so, it’s about a hundred years old! ..wish they still made stuff that would last 100 years! ---- …. Red Beard Link 1 Posted Monday, November 17, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Thanks for info, Red Beard. I'll have to venture out to some bigger rail yards to see what I can find. I'd like to contrast the past and the present. Unfortunately the lamp on the switch has been electrified. Fount is missing, as well as the wick adjuster, and the peep hole glass. But it does display well. I'm thinking about using stop motion animation to show the switch in action on my webpage. Posted Tuesday, November 18, 2014 by JP

A. This could be a derail throw. It is similar to what I've seen in use on some old Erie lines around here for that purpose. It's not as beefy as a typical switchstand as much less leverage is needed to move a derail as opposed to "bending the iron" throwing a switch. Posted Sunday, December 28, 2014 by JFR

Q2841 Adlake Electric Lantern with Kerosene Body? Did Adlake ever make a lantern like lantern #113 in the attached picture, a regular lantern body with a dry cell and small light bulb? Does anyone have a picture/catalog picture of said lantern if one existed? Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, November 16, 2014 by KO Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Going thru all the extensive info and pix in "The RR Lantern - Vol 1" by Barrett shows no such electric lantern by Adlake; there is one by Star Lantern. It is such a simple conversion to make, however, there is nothing to guarantee that it was not done at some time. Posted Friday, December 12, 2014 by RJMc

A. Some further research shows that both the Handlan and Star "Electric Lantern" conversions of kerosene models were in the 1915 to 1918 time period (but still no Adlakes). Star said they made 'several models' like this but only one is illustrated in Barrett. Embury also made several models that looked like hybrids beteen kerosene types and electrics, with batteries in the bottom, and msde them for quite some time later. But the limit on these was the battery capacity; only a couple of cells could fit in the kerosene-type fount. By the mid-1920's the much larger 4-cell 6-volt square batteries were already becoming RR industry standard (they still are) and were put into the now-standard electric lantern style with the bulbs on one end and the handle on the other. So there was a very limited period in which the kerosene-conversion style would have been made, and probably very few were sold, at least to railroads. Posted Sunday, December 14, 2014 by RJMc

Q2839 Lantern ID Needed I ran across your site recently and hoping you can help me. I have an old, and what was told to me to be a conductor's railroad lantern. The history as I know it, my uncle used this lantern while he worked for the railroad out of or near Lindsay California. He lived and worked out of Lindsay California all his life, retiring from the Lindsay Packing (Lindsay olives you buy today) plant in his 60's after 30-40 years there. He died recently at the age of 92 in 2014. All I know is he used this lamp in the 50's, perhaps 60's, and could have been earlier; 40's? The lantern does not have any markings that I can find. I know it is made of metal as it has some rust on it. I just want to know what it is and perhaps how it was used.... Can you help? I tried the internet and been on several sites.. no luck... [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2014 by JC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. I checked several books to see if I could help you out on this with no success. The lamp looks to me like it might be a bridge or navigation light and not a trainman's lantern. Does the bail handle have a small loop right at the top of it which could be used to tie it with a rope? Tie down rings in the bail and on the base of a lamp are usually clues that it was meant for marine use. And it is hard to tell how tall the lamp is from the photo, but it looks too tall to be a trainman's lantern. Posted Saturday, November 15, 2014 by KM

A. Guys, Really???? This is what is left of a cheap import made in the last 20 years and avaiable in every import and junk shop in America. Sorry. No relation to the RR at all. GaryP Posted Saturday, November 15, 2014 by GaryP

A. Cost Plus Imports sold these in the later 1970's. They were cheap and sort of modeled after a British Marine Lantern. Posted Tuesday, December 2, 2014 by GW

Q2838 Dressel Trolley Marker I got an unmarked Dressel lantern with a marker bracket wedge on it and a clear globe (I had the globe out in the picture) , and after looking through a Dressel catalog on this website, I found a model very close (had a couple very small differences). It said available with red and green globes. So, my first question is were there any other Dressel models like this this that had clear globes, like an classification lamp on the white lenses signifying 'extra' or something? Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2014 by KO Post a Reply Email a reply

A. The marker foot itself was an option that could be added to almost any lantern model and was offered by several different manufacturers. The globes are fully and very easily interchangeable, so anything might have happened. The reason these were 'trolley markers' -- usually with red globes -- was usually for street running, where speeds were slow and visibility was fairly good, and train orders were not used. But the extra train classification light function is safety-critical when using train orders to know when scheduled (or unscheduled) trains have passed, and was usually used on much higher speed running on 'steam' RR's and some interurbans, and lives depended on getting the proper message across as the train passed. A hand lantern used for that purpose would hardly be bright enough to be effective, and would likely be very dangerous to rely on; so I doubt that practice would have been acceptable even tho the lantern was available to hang out there. Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2014 by RJMc

Q2835 C.T.H.& S. Tall globe Handlan I got this lantern a while back, it is a tall globe Handlan made for the Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern Railroad (I believe). The question has to do with paint. It was painted flat black, and while stripping the black paint on the lantern hood/curved part that has railroad marking(dont know exactly what you call it) was painted green, as the picture shows. At first i figured the whole lantern might've been painted green, but found no other traces but on the hood. So my question is, did the cth&s possibly paint the hood the color of the globe similar to what nycs did with some of their red lanterns? Or is it more likely the railroader that used it just painted it that way to distinguish it from other people's lanterns? Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 Post a Reply Email a reply

A. I have seen and owned a number of CTH&SRy lanterns over the years and those that had paint were clearly painted after they left railroad property. It is interesting to note that the "Southeastern", as it was known after the Milwaukee Road acquired the line, ordered lanterns from both Handlan and Adams & Westlake. Handlan stamped its lanterns CTH&SRY while A.& W. stamped theirs CTH&SERy. CTH&SRY Handlans can be found with either drop in fonts or twist off fonts. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Albert

A. Yes, I know it could've been painted after it was sold for non railroad use, the thing is, I believe the green was painted by the railroad or railroad personnel because the green was only on that one spot, like New York Central did to some of their red lanterns. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by KO

A. Red paint on the brim of Handlan short globe New York Central lanterns was applied at the factory. It is conceivable that a brakeman or other employee with too much time on his hands and access to green paint decided to personalize his lantern. There is no operational reason for doing so. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Albert

A. I specialize in collecting memorabilia from the Milwaukee Road and its Indiana predecessors and am curious to know if the globe that came with your CTH&SRY is marked? Also, does your lantern have a drop in font or one that twists off? Thank you and best wishes. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Joe

A. I actually have 2 C.T.H.&Se. lanterns that I got from the same person. They're both tall globe handlans with twist off founts and are pretty much identical, but the chimneys are different. The one not pictured has a flat topped chimney that says handlan st. Louis USA on the top. The one pictured has a blank globe, the one not pictured that has the flat top says C T H & SE Ry. (Exactly as typed). However, it says C.T.H.&S.Ry on the brim of the same lantern. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by KHO

A. Albert, I guess I just figured NYCS's red paint was an in-shop modification, because my NYCS engine lantern's red paint definitely doesn't look factory, it looks very much brushed on without any sort of masking. Is there a reason for the red paint on NYCS lanterns? Was all of the colors? I thought I remembered seeing a picture of a nicely restored green globe lantern with a green brim/hood/whatever the proper name is before. Link 1 Posted Monday, November 10, 2014 by KO

A. Great find! The dome top lantern would be older than the one with a flat top and obviously the globes are interchangeable. Posted Monday, November 10, 2014 by Joe

A. Believe it or not Handlan applied the red paint to the brim of NYCS short globe lanterns, which was an available option published on later Handlan catalogs. As discussed in the previous Q&A below, Handlan 3 1/4" short globe lanterns were not well made and factory quality control was marginal at best. In theory the red paint on the brim of the lid indicated a red globe for flagging, but once they were placed into service any globe color have found its way into such a lantern frame. Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2014 by Albert

A. Yes,, Handalin short globe lanterns were painted silver unless requested differently by the customer. The tall globe lanterns were galvanized or in some cases tin was used. Back then only two colors of paints were heat proof, silver and black. Silver was used mainly on radiators, steam pipes and black for stoves. For a exact match use engine block spray paint in aluminium or cast aluminium color. I find the regular aluminium color is a exact match. These paints are good to 600 degrees and are very fast drying synthetic lacquers. Other colors were not heat proof. Back then, these paints were not available on the commercial market in the retail hardware stores. Keith Posted Friday, November 14, 2014 by Keith

Q2834 Matching Handlan Silver Paint Most, if not all, HANDLAN short globe lanterns were factory spray painted silver. Has anyone found anything close to the original finish that is available in a spray can today? Thanks, Posted Friday, November 7, 2014 by Albert Post a Reply Email a reply

A. I disagree. Handlan short globe lanterns were in fact painted silver and were not galvanized like ADLAKE KERO models. If you put a barn fresh Handlan short globe lantern into a hot bucket of lye the water turns silver. That does not happen with any other hand lantern. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Albert

A. Interesting. My pennsylvania lanterns look exactly like adlake galvanizing. Do you have a picture? It'd be interesting to see. I don't have access to lye, but the finish sure didn't come off with my lacquer thinner process, like it should if it was painted. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by KHO

A. Don't have a photo handy to post, but you can find examples on eBay. Handlan 5 3/8" tall globe lanterns seem to have been better made than later short globe models and definitely were not factory painted. Compared to short globe lanterns of other major manufacturers Handlans do not hold up as well as a rule, which I suspect is attributable the use of lower quality metals and material in general. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Albert

A. Lye will remove the zinc galvanizing from the lantern. Google "How to remove galvanizing" or "Will lye remove galvanizing"? and lye is mentioned among other methods if you read the answers etc.. I don't believe Handlan painted their short globe RR lanterns silver. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by JK

A. When I get home, I'll post a picture of my short globe handlans. I totally agree with you about how late handlans were made, they're good for a shelf, but wouldn't ever use one for very long, because of the quality, and inabilityto properly clean the globe retainer of build-up (on the fdiamond shaped globe ones at least). Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by KHO

A. The following is a link to an excellent example on eBay that has very clear pictures, which you may have to copy and paste in order to view: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-HANDLAN-Railroad-Lantern-ST-LOUIS-RARE-VINTAGE-COLLECTOR-KEROSENE-LAMP-/181581889760?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a471fc0e0 Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by Albert

A. They weren't spray painted silver. They were galvanized. If you want to shell out more money than you bought the lantern for, you can have them refinished. When I cleaned up both my Pennsylvania rr handlans, I just tried to save as much as the original finish as possible, then sprayed the inside of the chimney with high temp. paint. (I volunteer at a rr museum so I use my lanterns often, so wanted to protect them as much as I could). I've read about people cleaning all the rust off then clear coating them, and that works... if you dont fire them/dont fire them often. Hope that helps. Posted Sunday, November 9, 2014 by KHO

A. As I examine my collection, it looks like the slightly taller, but still considered short, diamond shaped globes were (just an inference through my collection) galvanized, while the 3 1/4 in. globe lanterns were painted a silvery finish. Tomorrow I'll go out to the paint cabinet (we have many, many different colors) and try to find something that matches and where to buy it, if you haven't found a good replacement yet. Link 1 Posted Monday, November 10, 2014 by KO

A. KO, Any help you can lend matching the silver finish on Handlan # 1/4" lanterns will be very much appreciated. Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2014 by Albert

A. The different lantern manufacturers sold many different lines of lanterns over time. And barn lanterns were often painted at the factory; as were RR marker lamps. So the lantern factories usually had the in-house ability to use almost any finish a customer wanted, or that the factory chose to use for their own reasons (cheaper, more available.) And RR's are/were notorious for ordering things their own way, and that also changed over time, depending on who was ordering that week. And things such as material availability (WWII restrictions, for just one example) could change all of the specs almost overnite. Bottom line, regarding lanterns, and particularly regarding factory finishes: I would never say 'It NEVER happened' and I would also never say 'It ALWAYS happened....' because over time, and for different customers, things changed quite a bit. Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2014 by RJMc

A. Oops, read answer directly above your question. I used the wrong column. Keith Posted Friday, November 14, 2014 by Keith

A. Keith: Thank you for the sharing your information with us. Is Engine Block aluminum or cast aluminum available in a spray can? If so, can you recommend a make that you feel is best? I only have on lantern to restore. Posted Friday, November 14, 2014 by Albert

A. Keith: Thanks so much for the great information. Have you found Dupli-Color in black to be equally good for restoring switch & marker lamps? Posted Sunday, November 16, 2014 by Albert

A. Albert, Use Dupli-Color engine enamel, DE1615, Aluminium. This is available only in spray and is good to 500F degrees. This is a exact match to Handlan's silver. It is available at all auto parts stores or it can be ordered on line. I would also change the bail if the one that is on your lantern looks bad. Handlans bails were usually very shody and looked like a 10 year old made them out of coat hangers. (They used child labor). Clean the lantern completely before spraying. Stay away completely from any harsh chemicals. Soap and hot water with oooo furniture grade steel wool. Do not use hardware store steel wool! It scratches and scrapes the metal and is not a acceptable archive cleaning material. Thank you Keith. Posted Sunday, November 16, 2014 by Keith

Q2833 Lamp ID Needed I have a Delaware and Hudson railroad lantern that I cannot identify and asking for some help. This is an electric lantern with a white and red lens and it has 2 mounting brackets. Is this a caboose lantern and what is the proper name of something like this? As always, I appreciate your time and expertise. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, October 30, 2014 by JC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This is a locomotive classification lamp. The two mounting feet allow it to be mounted showing either the white to the front (indicating an 'extra train') or the red to the front, as a marker light, if the engine were backing up at night. It does not have a green indication, making it likely used on a freight diesel or other equipment which was never expected to run as a 'first section' of any train, at least under train order authority. More modern diesels had these functions handled by built-in classification lights. Earlier model diesels, such as the ALCO Road Switcher (RS) units on the D&H, had external lights similar to this, altho looking thru pix on the web shows much more substantially built lamps on the ones I have seen so far. So this light might have been for some kind of portable service, or used on some other type of equipment that needed the functions without going to the more substantial model light. Posted Thursday, October 30, 2014 by RJMc

A. I concur this is a locomotive classification lamp. The knob between the 2 lenses, (both lenses were originally clear), controlled two colored roundels, usually green, that were in a holding bracket. These roundels could be flipped in or out of position to indicate the class of train the locomotive was pulling. White (clear) for an extra, unscheduled movement or green, indicating another section of the train was following. Your example is missing that mechanism. It was probably modified by the railroad for some specific use as described by RJMc. Posted Friday, October 31, 2014 by JFR

A. This is a Dressel #360 Engine Classification Lamp. The fact that it is painted blue also indicates diesel use. Many roads painted class lamps the same color as their diesel units. On multi-colored units, they were even color matched to the portion of the engine they were mounted on. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Saturday, November 1, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. This lamp on ebay shows how your lamp was originally configured. I have not interests in this transaction, just sharing it for the photos. Link 1 Posted Monday, November 3, 2014 by JFR

Q2831 US&S Lamp I am really glad I found your website! I am hoping you can help me identify a cast iron signal light I have. It is stamped -US&S . - Patent Pending - on the back. So far I haven't had much luck finding out when it was made. Any help you can give me with dating this item would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for any info you may be able to give me. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, October 27, 2014 by MM Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This is a US&S N-2 dwarf signal. They were produced from the 30-50's. The early ones were cast steel, the later ones cast aluminum. If it is steel with "patent pending", I would guess it would be an early model. Nice find! Posted Friday, October 31, 2014 by JPN

A. I have one as well very similar in style. I can't find anything about it and I mean anything. I've searched everywhere I know to search. I know the center piece (yellow RR is a new iron piece replica made to look old that the gentleman I purchased it from placed there because it was just an empty area and the piece happened to fit and he thought it looked "cool") He didn't have any history on the signal either except that it's a, "US&S dwarf signaling system" its cast iron, very heavy, only a top and bottom lens. I'd love to include photos but I'm not sure how. Posted Sunday, July 8, 2018 by Serg

Q2830 What kind of Pyle Light is this? Can you please tell me what kind of light this? Thank you guys. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, October 24, 2014 by JP Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This is an 'explosion proof' sealed light fixture. Pyle sold many thousands of fixtures like this. They were used in grain elevators, ships, oil refineries, and wherever light was needed but the bulb had to be protected from breakage, and from igniting a hazardous atmosphere if the bulb did break. Railroads used these mostly because they provided extreme protection from weather and damage to the light fixture. They were likely used on the back of steam locomotive tenders where overflowing water from overfilling the tender would wash down the sides. They might have been used to provide a signal indication; if only a basic light, not focussed, was needed. One clue as to where this one was used would be the light bulb; if one is present; the voltage rating of the bulb would be different for different applications, although virtually all of them used standard screw-based bulbs. If the bulb was 32 Volt, for example, that would argue for a steam locomotive application (although tug boats also used 32 Volt systems....) As you can see, unless you know some actual history, it is almost impossible to be certain. Posted Wednesday, October 29, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thank you for answering my question. It actually has a 50 w 120 volt 2000 hour working bulb in it. If that helps more on finding out where it came from... Thanks again Posted Monday, December 8, 2014 by JP

Q2826 PA RR Lamp Looking for info about the lamp as pictured. It has a PRR log/symbol above the maker's name which seems to be Carbutt's ..... Lantern. I can't make out the complete name, sorry. It is 8.5 inches square and 21 inches high and contains its burner, red and amber panes of glass, and one damaged foot. It also seems to have been over- painted slightly at some point. Anything you can tell me about this lamp would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, October 13, 2014 by JP Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Other darkroom lantern questions in the Archives are numbers 167,522,641,1027 and 1396. Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2014 by KM

A. Not railroad, it is a Carbutts Dry Plate lantern, aka a darkroom lantern used by photographers. That may be a keystone stenciled on it but it is not a PRR emblem. See the link for some other ones that have come up at auction. Some of the clues that it is a darkroom lantern are the yellow and red lenses and the shield which flips down to black out the flame without extinguishing it. The red light does not affect film exposure during developing. It was patented in 1882. Link 1 Link 2 Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2014 by KM

A. John Carbutt was an early pioneer of dry plate photography and later on color photography. He competed with George Eastman. His Keystone Dry Plate Works was located in Philadelphia and that is probably what the wording in the keystone emblem on your lantern says. He also photographed the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada from 1853 to 1859. His photos and glass plates for Magic Lantern slides are well known for their high quality. See the link for a short history of John Carbutt which is posted on the Historic Camera website. Link 1 Posted Wednesday, October 15, 2014 by KM

Q2825 Handlan Lamp I collect lamps. I found this lamp yesterday at a flea market. I love it. I just can't find anything about it. I have a couple Dietz climax lamps. They look a little like this one. Any info would be great. Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, October 12, 2014 by Jason Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Appears to be a Handlan #208 Square Station Platform Lamp. These had a fluted glass reflector and used a #2 burner. Posted Monday, October 13, 2014 by JFR

A. I'm still looking for information and a pic of what the glass flutted reflector and font looks like. I am restoring one and would like to see pics or find parts, seems like there is no information on this lamp on the web. I have been on the web for a solid week. Please help if anyone can. Posted Saturday, October 25, 2014 by Jason

Q2822 Adlake Kero Lantern I have an Adlake Kero Lantern that is marked with a K on the globe and it has a 400 on the metal that holds the wick, It has marking on the bottom and top of the lantern and it also has NYCS pressed or stamped, not sure of the term, in the metal above the globe. Is it a fake? I cannot seem to find any other one exactly like this. Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2014 by LS Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Seems to be an authentic and common Adlake Kero lantern for the New York Central Railroad. Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2014 by JP

A. Hi, I am an NYCS collector and this is most definitely authentic. This one has a Kopp (K in the circle) globe rather than a Corning globe, both of which were used by most railroads. As the previous response stated, these are very common - usually a few on Ebay at any given time. Posted Thursday, October 9, 2014 by WDP

Q2820 W&LE Globe Markings? I have a W. & L. E. R.R. lantern made by Adlake Reliable. The globe is etched with 'W. & L. E. R.R.' and also has B. & O. R.R. cast into the globe. And, the globe also has the CNX logo cast on it. Is it common to have more than one railroad name marked on a globe? Could W. & L. E. R.R. have purchased surplus globes from B. & O. R.R. for their own use? The globe is quite thick and heavy and is about 5 1/2 inches high. Thanks for any help. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, October 6, 2014 by BA Post a Reply Email a reply

A. The B&O did own part of the W&LE which was later swapped with the Van Swerigens for the BR&P. I'm not sure of the timeframe, but these companies were connected at some point. I just don't how that would specifically explain the globe, (which I'm going to guess as being legit). Posted Wednesday, October 8, 2014 by JFR

Q2818 Old N&W Switch Lamp I have an old Peter Gray lamp that says Boston Gray on the top and has a plate with N&W RR written on it. Do you know about the time period of this lamp? It has a light bulb in it and is wired for 120ac. Put a new light bulb in and a plug and it works! I wonder if it was originally kerosene. It mounts on a post but also has a metal bucket style handle on the top. It's painted black but I would like to restore it. It has two green and two red lenses. But when I plug it in they all shine red. Seems odd to me. Thanks in advance, Bryan Harless Signal maintainer Norfolk southern Posted Tuesday, September 23, 2014 by BH, NS Signal Maintainer Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Bryan; ..Please send in a photo. Take one with your cell phone if you have to. I suggest taking those lenses out to see what is going on with the red color coming through the green lenses. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Tuesday, September 23, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. I submitted 3 photos to the admin this morning hopefully they will post them soon. Posted Tuesday, September 23, 2014 by BH

A. Here are the photos.... Link 1 Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 by BH

A. Bryan, very cool lamp. It is a "later" model Gray-Boston lamp, but I cant give you a date any closer than 1940s to 1950s; ..and that's a guess based on appearance. It looks like there are some spot welds on the dishes around the lenses. Spot welding, though an 1880s technology, didn't see widespread use in industry until the 1930s --- Here's why those lenses look RED; ..they are reflectors and not meant to transmit light from within the lamp! The red color is coming from the barely translucent backing on the lenses, probably either a pink or gray color I'm guessing. -- I have no idea how the lamp got wired for electricity; but here's a guess. It may have been wired for electrical use while still in railroad service; many were. Some lamps were wired with the small bayonet base lamps (much like automotive tail lights), However; some were wired for standard screw in base lamps of either low voltage or even 110v. Railroads have always opted for durability. The low voltage wiring in locomotives and cabooses was very heavy duty; at least as durable as what you'd put in a house, so often low voltage railroad light fixtures are mistaken for 110v applications as they used the very same sort of hardware. Either way the screw in base of the lamp would have been the same as a modern incandescent bulb you'd use at home. If that were the case, the lamp likely would have been once again converted by the railroad by inserting the reflectors in place of clear colored glass optical lenses and then no longer used as a lit lamp, though retaining the electrical wiring. .. The other possibility is that a previous non-railroad owner decided to light it with an electric bulb. -- OR is it a small screw in base like a Christmas tree light?? -- If a small screw in base, it is a post-railroad application. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Yes I should have realized they were reflectors, but it is definately 120vac. I put a plug on it and a new bulb in and it lights. I know most everything these days on the rr is 12v dc with switches being 24v or 110 ac in rare cases. But as far as the lamp goes it has been very professionally outfitted with a white round base with a regular house bulb. It is definately not a hack job. I would like to find some old glass lenses though. So your saying it was originally kerosene more than likely? Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 by BH

A. Hmmm, after a closer look I don't know about it being kerosene originally. The sliding side door could be for kero or electric. The question is whether or not the lamp originally had a smoke stack on it. Many roads took old kerosene lamps and electrified them just as they were; ..problem was that lots of bugs got into them, just like a porch light. Because of that many roads removed the smoke stack portion of the upper lamp body and welded the original stack cap back on the body to seal it closed. Lamp manufacturers apparently also did something similar; omitting the stack segment and welding the cap on the top of the body at the time of production; hard to say at this late date. -- Regarding the 120v. socket: Railroads USED 120v sockets and plugs and wiring in steam locos and cabooses AND in lamp conversions!! ...they were, however using low volt incandescent lamps in those standard 120v sockets! GE and Sylvania made low volt light bulbs that were otherwise identical in every way to standard 120 volt household ones, same size, same threaded base; ..just low voltage filament inside. ---- ....Red Beard Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Dear BS, You have a rather common, N&W, originally electric switch lamp. It was never Kerosene. This is the only type of lamp made by Peter Gray that the N&W used as far as I have found in 40 years of collecting. The N&W usually used Adlake cannonball electric switch lamps in the yards after they abandoned kerosene Armspear Lamps. These Peter Gray lamps show up in the "smaller" yard locations. Larger yards like Bluefield and Roanoke used Adlake. It was originally fitted with glass red and green lenses, hence the lense hoods. The N&W at the very end of usage put reflectors in some. A good photo of this lamp in use can be found in the book "N&W in the Appalachains: published by Trains Magazine along side a Z steam loco in Norton, VA. Also the same lamp is depicted in a Winston Link photo in several of his photo books and one is in color at night. Hope ths info helps and hope you find lenses and enjoy the lamp!!! GaryP P.S. These were operated on 24Volts D.C. A 110 Volt bulb will work safely as the wiring and socket are rated at that. Posted Wednesday, September 24, 2014 by GaryP

A. For finding some glass lenses, Ebay is an excellent resource. Larry & Doris Krise also sell lenses and other lantern parts. Link 1 Posted Thursday, October 2, 2014 by JP

A. I know it's a few years late, but thanks for the responses. Great info! Posted Friday, January 27, 2017 by BH

Q2816 Lamp/Lantern ID Needed I have search and searched and cannot find information on the use of this lantern. It would be great if you folks would take a look at it and see if you can identify the use. Thank you for any information you can give. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, September 21, 2014 by KW Post a Reply Email a reply

A. To save anyonee else the time on this, using Control+ to expand the photo I think the tag on it says Adams and Westlake Company, Makers, Chicago. Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by KM

A. KW, I notice on the bottom what appears to be holes to accept a switchlamp fork used by some southwestern railroads. Is this possibly an early switchlamp? Only a guess. Gary Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by GaryP

A. Checking in "The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Railroad Lighting-Volume Two-The Railroad Signal Lamp" pages 76 and 77 there are some similar switch lamps from around 1890, but not exactly like this lamp. The lenses and vent holes are different. Your lamp is all braass, and has 4 bulleye clear lenses, a switch lamp should have some colored lenses and usually was made of steel. Bullseye lenses and brass construction make me wonder if this was a marine lamp? Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by KM

A. Thanks for the information on the lantern. Sorry I did not give the information on the tag and yes, it is Adams and Westlake. It's a great lantern and I would like to find out more about it. Is there anywhere I could check on the marine lanterns? Your help is appreciated. Posted Saturday, October 4, 2014 by kw

A. I agree with Gary; it does appear to be a fork mounted switch lamp, but certainly not like any one I've ever seen before. The brass construction may be a clue as well. Looking at the pristine condition of this very old lamp, my guess it may have been a salesman's sample, and not a production model. I've seen several constructed of brass for this purpose (not the the plated ones people have done to display in their homes). A very nice lamp. Does it still have it's fount and burner? Posted Sunday, November 2, 2014 by JPN

Q2815 Odd B&O Item I am not sure what this item is. It has an odd shape. It is made of thick copper and is approximately 8 inches long. Any help would be appreciated! [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, September 21, 2014 by Atlas Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Perhaps a milk can ID plate identifying the farmer so the empty can could be returned after shipment of the milk. Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by JFR

A. This is a tag from a milk can, O. B. Streaker was probably the dairy farmer and the tag identified him as the owner so that when the can was empty it could be returned to him. Searching Streaker and Sykesville leads to Oscar Streaker, and there is a street named "Streaker" in Sykesville, MD. Also see Q 2554,2303,2207 and 1192 in the Archives for other questions about milk can tags. Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by KM

A. Alot of times when the old milk cans are thrown out, being brass or copper, these tags are the only part that survive. Posted Monday, September 22, 2014 by DA

A. To clarify DA's answer just a little: the milk cans themselves were made of galvanized or tin-plated steel. They were banged around a lot, and when the plating wore off they started to rust and then leak and got thrown out. But the copper or brass tags did not rust and may be the only part that survived after the entire rest of the can went back to nature. Posted Thursday, October 23, 2014 by RJMc

Q2813 Unusual Handlan Lantern Hello! Can anyone help with information on a Handlan Lantern? It is nickel plated and stands 10 1/2 in. tall excluding the bail. I'm curious as to how this lantern was used because even though it has a lot of conductor lantern traits it seems like more a functional display type lantern. There is a Handlan Lantern #112 that is shown as a railroad lantern in their 1918 catalog and hung on a elongated wall mounted hanger. The wall hanger bracket held the top of the bail with a hook and right around where the burner would be there was a spring loaded clamp that held the lantern body. What would be the purpose of such a hanger? emergency use? outdoor lighting? This lantern seems similar to a #112 but because of the fat top on the dome I think it is from a much later time period. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Saturday, September 13, 2014 by DF Post a Reply Email a reply

A. The kind of mount you describe, with the spring clip around the base of the lantern, was commonly used on fire apparatus, where the lanterns normally stayed mounted to the vehicle and had to be protected from banging around when the apparatus was enroute. Since each fire company would have very few such lanterns (relative to RR employees) they would typically invest in a lot fancier equipment. See Dietz 'Fire King' lanterns for examples. Posted Saturday, September 13, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thank you! RJMc for your information. One other question. Around what year was this Lantern made? I'm not quite sure but I think Handlan Lanterns started with a flat top smoke dome in the 1940's Posted Sunday, September 14, 2014 by DF

A. See Q2368 in the Archives which is about an Edward Miller fire department lantern. The photo in Link 1 shows the lantern and some of the apparatus mounting bracket. The fire apparatus manufacturers usually made their own brackets,Seagrave brackets had a small hasp on them so that a tiny padlock could be used to keep the lantern secured. Link 1 Posted Monday, September 15, 2014 by KM

Q2812 Presentation/Conductors Lanterns Regarding presentation/ conductors lanterns I am wondering if anyone out there can tell me (estimate) what percentage of them were given as retirement gifts or awards VS actually used in service on the railroad, and also why there are so few of these lanterns in existence in general? Research tells me that many of them were used in passenger car service as they were more attractive looking than the standard lantern which as we all know didn't have as nice an appearance when compared to the conductors lanterns, even when brand new. The fancier passenger trains in those days were elegant to say the least, and the brass and nickeled conductor's lanterns fit right in. What surprises me though is how few of them are out there to be bought and how few you would see in a typical collection. Even advanced collectors have very few of these. So the question remains, if there are so few of those type of lanterns out there how likely is it that it was used in 'actual service' given that there were so many passenger trains, and many would have 1st class coaches? If I were to guess, I'd say that most were used in actual service, and the reason why there are so few of these lanterns in general is that they were used almost a century ago and many of them didn't survive to be in today's collections. Am I right??? Posted Wednesday, September 10, 2014 by Steve B. Post a Reply Email a reply

A. In most earlier periods, if a conductor had a presentation-quality lantern, he had purchased it himself. I doubt that any RR company ever issued that quality of item for daily use; just too expensive. Replacement parts were available, so these would never wear out to the point of being discarded. Those circumstances made them instant 'family heirlooms' and many still reside on family mantles today. Even allowing for retirement or award presentatons, compared to the common hand lanterns very few ever existed. In addition, electric flashlights became commonly available after 1900 so there was absolutely no reason to have a kerosene lantern to do the conductor's work inside a first-class passenger train which also had electric lights by then. In contrast, the common kerosene hand lanterns were inexpensive (they are just stamped tin, after all)and they WERE issued by the companies, and they bought them and handed them out by the case (12 or 24 lanterns at a time)as they were lost, damaged, and wore out. And they were used by larger numbers and more kinds of employees, and issued for use at stations, towers, shops, maintenance gangs, etc etc so there were vastly greater numbers of them to begin with. And they continued to be used even up to the 1960's (Penn Central bought, issued and used kerosene hand lanterns at towers and crossing shanties, for example)so the supply of them continued to be renewed, where for presentation lanterns it was only the retirement and award use that continued much beyond 1900. Posted Thursday, September 11, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thanks for your reply RJMc, I never really considered that a conductor would buy his own lantern, just to have a nicer one than the railroad provided, and it never occurred to me that there was electric lighting or flashlights for use. It does make sense then that overall, few of these were produced as compared to the standard tin lanterns. Interestingly, I saw an old ad for Conductor's lanterns and the price was $6.50 ea. I used a inflation calculator to see what that would mean in today's world in 2014 compared to 1914, which was $140. Even in 'the old days' those lanterns were expensive, and I can see why any railroad would rather settle for the standard 'tin lantern' to give to it's employees. I think I have an even greater appreciation now for the two CT Ham conductor's lanterns I own, one brass and one nickel plated. Thanks again and happy collecting! Steve B. Posted Thursday, September 11, 2014 by Steve B.

Q2809 Lantern Question I have an old railroad lantern with the markings Eug. Halard const***,(the rest is under a rivet) then paris 17 rue Richard Lenoir. And on the front is SNCF. It is a kerosene lantern made of brass and the dome part or chimney is steal or tin. I was wondering what company made it and what year it was from and exactly what type of lantern it is,is it a conductors lantern, inspectors lantern...? Thank you in advance for any and all information you can provide me on this it is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, September 2, 2014 by Stormy Post a Reply Email a reply

A. It's an acetylene hand lamp of the French National Railway (SNCF), made by Eugene Halard at the Paris address shown, probably sometime between 1938 and 1960. (SNCF was formed when the French railways were nationalised in 1938.) These lamps were used for signalling and general lighting purposes, in the same way as "globe" lanterns in N. America. Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2014 by JAJ

Q2808 Headlamps Can someone please help me with information on these headlamps? Thanks [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Saturday, August 30, 2014 by Clinton Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Brevetes SGDG is close to "Patents Aplied For", SGDG translates to Sans Guarantee Du Government. Posted Monday, September 1, 2014 by KM

A. These are a pair of French locomotive headlamps, quite early examples and, assuming that there are no railway initials stamped on them, possibly from minor lines. In spite of some "wear & tear", to be expected, since they are well over 100 years old, they are very attractive and historic lamps. Posted Monday, September 1, 2014 by JAJ

A. Here's some crude French to English tranlation for starters. Brevetes means patented, SGDG has something to do with French patents. You might try to do a search through the French patent office website, although I tried and information was only available if I had the patent date and not just the name that the patent was granted to Ferblantier is tinsmith, lampiste is lamplighter. Maison Chatel Jeune Faucon made marine lanterns, I was able to find one shown at Collector's Weekly website but no information on it. That makes sense though. look at those anchors that are on the tag. These do look like French locomotive headlamps that sit on the pilot beam. See Q 1045 and 1153 in the Archives for other questions about lamps from France. Posted Monday, September 1, 2014 by KM

Q2806 PRR Marker Light The PRR had the claw footed marker lamps early 1900's. The tops of these have numbers. I have seen some of the bases with numbers running top to bottom. I also saw some of the bases with no numbers. Why is this? Posted Saturday, August 23, 2014 by TW Post a Reply Email a reply

Q2805 Signal Green / Kelly Green Globes Why would a railroad use a Kelly Green Globe instead of the usual Signal Green Globe? Both have a difference under a kerosene flame. What was the significance of this if there is an answer? Thank You. Posted Saturday, August 16, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Hi Keith; can you say a little more about where you have seen Kelly Green globes so we can more specifically answer your question. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Red Beard, Look on this website under "Globe Basics". It shows both colors side by side. Also on this website under globe markings 5 3/8 inch globes, it lists that PRR as using a Kelly green globe. Under lanterns, a Kettle Valley Adlake Reliable with a Kelly green globe. I also have globes of both colors in 5 3/8 inches along with a Handlan marked 4 1/2 inch kelly green globe. Books do not mention this. I always wondered if this had to do with outdoor weather and surrounding vegetation involving color refraction with the color spectrum so it would not be mistaken for blue. Thank you Keith Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by Keith

A. Keith: Great question! -- Thanks for the clarification about them being tall globes. -- SEE: Questions 1730, 1891, & 2020, for some additional discussion on Green Globes. -- Over the centuries, creating colored glass has been an art and mystery full of closely guarded secrets. It wasn't until the early 1900s when Corning Glass invested quite a bit of time, money and scientific investigation into producing colored glass of standardized color and reasonable clarity, that standardized signal colors were made available for railroad signaling. This was the birth of what we now call "Signal Green". Signal Green itself has changed a bit over the years too; becoming a little lighter and clearer (less murky) so it would transmit more light, making the lantern light brighter. -- The document I quote in Q1730, a history of the Corning Glass company, states that in the late 1800s, Corning was producing 32 different shades of green glass for railroad signaling. This was because different railroads had, independently, chosen various shades of green for their own "standard color". -- "Signal Green" was introduced in about 1905. As the short globe lanterns didn't come into existence until, ..what?, the 1920s I think; there are no legitimate short globes in "Kelly Green / Grass Green" colors, as those shades of green were phased out, railroad by railroad, in just a few years after the introduction of the standardized "Signal Green" color; well before the production of the first short globe lanterns. -- Tall Globes are a whole other story. Tall globes were produced in all of the above mentioned 32 different shades of green, and likely a few additional shades of green as well. As tall globe lanterns survived past the introduction of "Signal Green", some globes for those lanterns were produced in the new "Signal Green" color. The darker and "greener" shades of green globes were made prior to the nationwide adoption of Signal Green. The old shades of green that you mention were gone by about 1914 on all American railroads as all American railroads had adopted the new standard colors from Corning by that time.. --- to clear up a misconception about "Signal Green"; the blue-green color was NOT produced to appear "Green" with a kerosene flame. It was carefully chosen to be easily identifiable at as great a distance as possible and still remain the same perceived color at that distance. -- The "Kelly Green / Grass Green" colors of the 1800s tended to be murky, not visible at any great distance and many shades tended to separate and appear yellowish at a distance, literally changing color as you got farther and farther away from the lantern or lamp. "Signal Green" could be seen and identified at a good distance and still retained the same perceived color hue whether close up or far away. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Monday, August 18, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Red Beard, Thank you very much for all the information. I will take note of all this for reference. About six months ago I found the patent information on the signal green color and cannot locate it again. I remember it was invented by a professor at Cambridge or Cornell University around 1906-08. It also stated why this particular color was chosen in order to get as true a green as possible with a kerosene flame. The signal green even differed between manufacturers. Adlake used a dark blue green or teal color whereas Handlans color is more of a green blue or jade green. I will look up the information you gave and try to find that patent information. Thank you Keith Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2014 by Keith

A. Hey Keith, I think you will enjoy this government document on "Color Designations For Lights" ---- .... Red Beard Link 1 Posted Friday, August 22, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Note to responders: If you type a web link in, make sure that the full URL is used, including the prefacing "http://" or "https://" . When this part is left off, the server assumes a local path which results in a "404" error -- "not Found". Thanks. Posted Friday, August 22, 2014 by Web Editor

A. Red beard, Link 1 works fine. The article is very interesting in that it divides colors into chromatic separation and how the eye sees the chromatics. Purple is interesting in that railroads never had a true purple. It was always a cobalt that allowed red to mix with the blue in spots creating the purplish color as observed chromatically by the human eye. I saved the article on my permanent screen for reference. Thank you very much. Keith Posted Saturday, August 23, 2014 by Keith

A. Hello Keith and Red Beard,What I found most interesting about this document was the fact that now we know that there were indeed 2 different signal colors-blue and purple.Everyone seemed to call blue lenses,kerosene purple,which was not correct at all.Interestingly enough,I have seen numerous Corning and Kopp signal lenses and roundels,with inspection tags stating AAR Tested PURPLE but never a tag stating AAR Tested BLUE.I worked with this signal glassware for decades and this is my observation.How about you other collectors out there ? Comments ? Posted Sunday, August 24, 2014 by DJB

A. DJB, That's true you usually only see tags saying, Tested purple, or Tested Lunar White. Most others will say, AAR Tested along with the government number. . Some of the purple and lunar white will have this imprinted on the edge of the glass also. Now........into chromatics. Cobalt when viewed with a light containing blue itself will show a pinkish cast. This allows red wave length absorbsipn, makes the flame appear white and only then allows the color blue to be seen with the eye. On the purple tested this pink color in the glass is left out allowing the red wave length to go thru, mix with the blue and allow that pinkish blue to go thru allowing the eye to see a purplish glow. Red plus Blue = Purple. That is on of the reasons you never see other stickers with, Tested Red, Blue, etc. They already conform to the government specifications and will have the number written below AAR Tested. I have also seen kerosene pink, lunar blue ...........and it seems no one can define these odd or made up colors either. Thank you Keith Posted Sunday, August 24, 2014 by Keith

A. Hold on to your hats, guys! ...read this Link (LINK 1) ...LOTS more on signal COLOR!! ---- ....Red Beard Link 1 Posted Tuesday, September 2, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. ALSO: ..check out his "Signal" page (LINK 1){ http://www.railroadsignals.us/ } and click on the various signal types for some pretty detailed information (Semaphore, Searchlight, ..etc) ---- ....Red Beard Link 1 Posted Tuesday, September 2, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

Q2804 Lamp ID Needed I have a B&O tail or caboose lantern made by Adlake. Most caboose lanterns only have one or two mounting brackets but this one has 4, one on each corner of the lantern. It has me confused as I've never seen one before and can find nothing in any books I have or an internet search. I know we can't ask about value but can you offer how rare or common this is? There are 3 small blue/green lenses and one larger red lens. As always, I appreciate your help. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, August 14, 2014 by JC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Lamps like yours are rare, unusual and very interesting pieces. These show up on eBay every now and then and I've seen only a half dozen or so over the years; ..which is very few, as I've viewed and studied well over a thousand switch, class and marker lamps on there, and that thousand I've taken the time to really study is a small fraction of the lamps that have been listed on eBay in that time. As I recall, all of these unusual lamps were listed as being B&O, so my best guess is that this was a design unique to the B&O. Why the B&O fancied this particular arrangement is likely lost with the ages, or hopefully, buried in some bulletin a paper collector may have squirreled away somewhere. As far as I know, the football shaped indentation extending above and below the green lenses are unique to these lamps as well. **A photo of the interior of your lamp would be helpful !** -- Notice the legs holding the cap to the lamp; they are on the outside of the vent cone. That indicates the age to be between the early 1900s and the mid 1920s. As I recall, some of the similar B&O lamps I've seen had those cap legs inserted down through the mouth of the vent cone and attached to the inside of the cone. That means those lamps were from the late 1890s to the early 1900s -- Regarding its value: for people who want to insure an item, I suggest doing an ongoing search on eBay for similar lamps (which may take a while for this piece). Join eBay, save the item to your eBay account "Watch List", and track the eventual final sale price through your account, save the page, and see if your insurance company will accept that as a documented insurable value. ..very cool piece!! ---- .... Red Beard Posted Saturday, August 16, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. I am no expert by any means but you might want to look at as many B&O cabooses as possible for a for a possible photograph of one in actual use or the architecture of a caboose for its possible use. Thank you Keith. Posted Saturday, August 16, 2014 by Keith

A. Red Beard - Thank you so much for the information. It was helpful to know some history and mystery behind the lantern. You brought up some things that I did not notice. It will not allow me to attach a picture so I would be happy to email it to you. My email is rockee40@comcast.net. Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by Red Beard

A. JC; The round body Adlake lamps (switch, marker or signal) in the late 1890s that had the cap legs inserted down the mouth of the vent cone, were some of the first round bodied lamps railroads used. Earlier lamps had flat sides and a square box like body. Your lamp represents the next easily noticeable design change with the legs on the outside of the vent cone. The early 'round body' lamps were more air-tight than the old square body 'box-style' lamps. -- Take a look at the bottom of the page on 'Link 1' to see early 'box-style' marker lamps. -- The "new" round body markers offered many advantages; one being, you didn't have to cut a hole in the side of the car to accommodate the lamp. - With the advent of the round body, outside mounted markers, came the possibility of being able to rotate the lamp and thusly change which lens pointed to the rear of the train; so the rear facing color could be changed easily. --- The four mounting brackets on your lamp are clearly an early, non mechanically moving, structurally very solid and pretty much fool-proof way to achieve that rotation. -- Railroads liked things that were structurally solid and therefore long lasting and harder to break. They also liked things that were fool-proof. My guess would be that the B&O official that chose this early standard design with four individual brackets, saw it as being very durable and less prone to problems than a lamp that rotated and needed to securely index and lock in position in a round bracket; as do the markers we are more familiar with. -- Other uniquely road specific lamps are well known: The "cookie-cutter cap" home shop made lamps of all kinds on the Milwaukee, the dual mounting arm markers on the AT&SF that would accommodate both the 1800s vintage slotted flat plate style car brackets and the more familiar and smaller cast car bracket, the D&RGW's Handlan Class Lamps with the unique 'Radial Fresnel' lenses { http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WKL&Product_Code=HRL26&Category_Code=MRG } -- (the address being too long auto-link to!) ** can anybody think of some others?** ---- ....Red Beard Link 1 Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. in the above, I probably should have said "Cylindrical Body" not round body, as some later lamps, such as the 1112 have a spherical, or 'round' section where the lenses attach. ---- ....Red Beard Posted Sunday, August 17, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

Q2800 Square Bottom Lantern My father in law has a lantern. On the top has DIETZ in the center. Bottom has N. Y. U.S.A and 4 stars on the sides, 2 at 2:30 and 3:30, and 2 at 8:30 and 9:30. Any best guest of year? Thank you [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2014 by DC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Woody Kirkman at lanternnet.com can tell you everything you want to know and more about your Dietz lantern. See Link 1 Link 1 Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2014 by JF

A. Several manufacturers made similar style lanterns; Dietz and Handlan among them. Though this looks like a railroad lantern, with the 'bird cage' around the globe, your lantern is a 'Utility' or 'Sewer' lantern; clearly identifiable by the oversize fuel pot base. --- Utility companies, road construction crews and city sewer departments used these lanterns as warning lights at work and construction sites. They were often hung on sawhorses which were set up as road blocks and barricades to keep people from falling into holes where crews were digging up utility and sewer lines, open manholes, closed or washed out bridges, road repair areas and the like. These saw horses were frequently set up with only one upright and a crossbar, making a triangular barricade, with one end of the crossbar resting on the ground. --- The large fuel tank (square on Dietz and round on Handlan) allowed the lantern to burn all week, 24/7, without needing to be refilled; that way they could be lit, placed and left for several days without need for maintenance. Then as now, road crews liked to tear things up and then not come back to repair it for a few weeks. --- Today, when street lights are very bright and placed everywhere, it is hard to imagine how dark streets and roads were at night 50+ years ago. Many city streets were pitch black at night, and country roads were even darker. In such dark conditions, a few red kerosene lanterns drew needed attention to hazards at night and their dim red light was visible at quite a distance, ..even in town. ---- ....Red Beard Posted Thursday, August 7, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. When you go to the Kirkman website listed in the first answer above, look for the '8-Day' Model lantern (see Link below for direct ref.). As listed there that model was manufactured between 1934 and WW II, and there may be a more specific date code stamped into the lantern. And there is a (small) chance it is a real 'railroad' lantern because electric interurbans and street car lines all had to do extensive maintennance on their in-street tracks, often requiring digging out the pavement, and may have used these for the same reasons mentioned above. Any lanterns used this way would likely have been stamped with company ID to try to keep them from wandering away. Link 1 Posted Sunday, August 10, 2014 by RJMc

A. Since this was also made around WWII it could also be used by the military on there railroads and other areas such as Corps of Engineers, field camp sites etc. but there is no way of telling as the military did not usually mark anything during this time and later such as Korea and Viet Nahm. Most of the lanterns in Quartermaster Supply were plain,simple and functional only. Keith Posted Friday, August 15, 2014 by Keith

Q2796 Adlake Lamp/Lantern I bought this Adlake railroad lantern recently and would like to ask some questions for the experts. First, why the rust colored paint job? Was it originally black? Other than some minor rust it is in great condition. Would it lessen its value if I took it apart and gave it a good paint job? Next, where might this lantern be used? It has plastic red and green lenses. It appears the round metal base was added for display. What would the approximate time of use be? I'm really tempted to give it a good cleaning and nothing else? [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, August 1, 2014 by JPH Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Update: Upon cleaning, the lenses are 4 1/2" Corning glass not plastic. Posted Friday, August 1, 2014 by JPH

A. Its a pretty common electric switch light which comes up for sale on Ebay just about every week. Your correct about the round bottom base.Clean it, paint it black, rig it with a 4 watt night light and enjoy it. Posted Friday, August 1, 2014 by LP

A. This may be an Adlake model 1396 or 1406 electric lamp. They had shock absorbong springs built into the base rhat helprd cushion the bulb filament.Sorry I can't give you a timeline for the production of them. Is the paint really rust colored or is it sun bleached red paint? See Q2728 in the Archives which is about a Nevada Copper Belt RR switch lamp that is painted red. I would leave this lamp as is and not paint it. Posted Saturday, August 2, 2014 by KM

Q2795 Armspear Marker Lamps I have two pairs of Armspear marker or tail lamps. One pair is known to be N&W and is completely original and unrestored. The second pair has been repainted externally and is missing the founts, burners, and chimneys, but is otherwise identical to the original pair and probably also N&W. In both pairs, the two lamps are set up differently. Facing the red lens and calling this 6:00, the wick raiser on one lamp (on the right in the photo) is at 10:30, and is at 1:30 on the other. I assume this is to allow easy access to both wick raisers when they are mounted on the rear of a caboose. What is interesting, is that in both pairs, the 'right' lamps with the wick raiser at the 10:30 position, have two screws and nuts on the flange joining the top and bottom body halves at the 7:30 position, while the other three flanges on these lamps, and all four flanges on the 'left' lamps, have just one screw and nut. There is no evidence that there was once a centered hole on the two-screw flanges so it is likely they came from the factory this way. Was this perhaps the Armspear method of identifying the right and left lamps, rather than attaching 'right' and 'left' labels as on some Adlake lamps? Thanks for any information about this. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, July 31, 2014 by GQ Post a Reply Email a reply

A. GQ; what size are those lenses? Are the red lenses the same size as the yellow? ; they look like they are all the same diameter. -- I have an extensive collection of lamp photos and have gone back through those. I can find no photos of switch lamps with the two screws arrangement. -- I can only find one example of a pair of markers with one having the same paired screws as yours. It too has smaller lenses like yours. On the Armspear Markers with 5 3/8 inch lenses, the flange space between the lenses is so small that there isn't enough flange for two screws; so I'm thinking this could have only been a feature on lamps with lenses of 4 1/2 inch dia. or smaller; and Armspear liked those 4 inch and 4 1/8 inch lenses; ..which is why I'd like to know the size lenses on your lamps. --- Let's focus on the hardware on the lamp, rather than the lens color, as lenses can be switched around, and it's now been over four decades since markers were used on American railroads; so lord only knows who's disassembled, mixed or replaced lenses on any given lamp by this time.. Look at the flip-open top on the lamps; there is a hinge on one side and a hasp on the other, to hold the lid closed. --- As you are describing the layout of the wick raisers, it seems that you are saying that on BOTH lamps, the wick raiser is on the side where the hinge is; that is to say, opposite the hasp. Is that correct? --- In the photos I have of the pair with the "two screw" arrangement on one lamp, the "Right" lamp (two screws) has the wick raiser on the hinge side but the "Left" lamp has the raiser on the hasp side. --- Positioning the raiser on the "inboard" side of the red lens when mounted on the caboose, either left or right, meant that the crew could reach it to adjust the lamp while standing on the platform of the caboose; a significant safety feature. ----- DON'T repaint those lamps! ----- The bright yellow original paint on those is IRREPLACEABLE !! - That deep yellow paint gets its color from Cadmium pigment, which is no longer available. You will not be able to duplicate that beautiful deep yellow color!! --- ---- .... Red Beard Posted Thursday, August 7, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

Q2794 Rail Car Light Hi, I have this old lamp from a rail car and am trying to find information on it. Any help you can provide would be a great help. Thank you for your time and assistance, [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, July 31, 2014 by RB Post a Reply Email a reply

Q2793 A&W Lantern Latch Hello, My question is: what year did the A&W company change their lantern lid latch from bent wire, to a flat latch? Posted Thursday, July 31, 2014 by RDC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Hi, I don't know the answer myself, but Adlake is still in business. If you contact them they can probably help you with your question. JN Posted Thursday, July 31, 2014 by JN

Q2790 Adlake AdamsTwist off founts I have two Adlake 'The Adams' #11 steel guard lanterns. Both have twist off founts. But both are different. One is smaller like you normally see but the other is larger in diameter and looks more like a old Dietz style, though it is Adlake. The burners are both inside adjusting. They are in my Adlake catalog but no comments on differences. I do not think the Railroadiana website shows this earlier model. Can anyone comment on the two styles as to use, improvement in design and age etc? Thank you. Posted Sunday, July 27, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

Q2788 Lamp/Lantern ID Needed I have a lantern that I bought as a child in the early 60s in Albuquerque, NM. I can find no markings if any kind on it. An Antiques Roadshow Appraiser thought it was from the 1880-1890s. That the paint as original. It has three lenses. Clear, red and green. Can anyone tell me anything about it. Here are the photos. Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, July 21, 2014 by DM Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This is a ships bow marker lamp-Red=Port,Green = Starboard, White-Straiht ahead Posted Monday, July 21, 2014 by bk

A. These links are for questions about other Perkins lamps that are psoted at The International Guild of Lamp Researchers Q&A Page. There is some good info about marine lamp regulations posted there. Link 1 Link 2 Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2014 by KM

A. See Q2124 in the Archives. It is a Boston Pattern marine lamp made by Perkins Marine Lamp Co. from 1916 to 1938. Is there a burner in it, if so could you send in a photo of that? There were two sizes of lamps depending on the size of the boat, a Class One boat was less than 26 feet long, a Class Two boat was 26 to 40 feet long. The Class One lamp was 9" high and had 2&1/4 inch lenses, and the Class Two lamp was 11" high and had 3" lenses. they were made in both brass and galvanized steel. If it does not have the Perkins name on it it may have been made in 1916 or 1917. But it might have a Jan. 21, 1913 patent date on it so look closely for that because the paint on it may be covering it up. I can't tell you where that patent date might be stamped into the lamp body, and I would not remove any paint in an attempt to find it, just take a close look for it. This information is from "Lanterns That Lit Our World, Book Two" by Anthony Hobson. Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2014 by KM

Q2787 To All RR Lantern and Globe Collectors With permission of this website I would like to see the following addition(s): 'To all the professional long time railroad lantern and globe collectors.' Have a section that shows the cast lettered and cast logo globes in color. If we start with say, NYC, B&O, Erie, PRR, SP, UP, NP and show all the colors, clear, red, amber, green, cobalt, (purple ??) in cast letters and logos etc. This is not I books and what better place for a reference than this site. Thank you. Posted Thursday, July 17, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

Q2786 Lamp Info Needed We have this lamp, but know nothing about it. We think it may be from a railroad. One side has a tag with Adams & Westlake May 6,80 Chicago. The other side has a tag with Dayton Mfg. Co. Pat'd. Dec. 26, 1882. Any insight you may have is greatly appreciated. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Wednesday, July 16, 2014 by Bergsbandit Post a Reply Email a reply

A. A small correction, see Question number one and Q481 at the Lampguild, not Q1481. The folks at the Lampguild have always laughed that their first question ever back in 1998 was about a railroad lamp. Posted Thursday, July 17, 2014 by KM

A. This is a double chandelier railroad car lamp and it looks like some of the parts on it have been turned 180 degrees. the glass fuel bowls shoud be on the bottom of the assembly. The lamp hung from the ceiling of the car. See Q 570,758,764,1146,1223,1559,1640,2147,and 2759 in the Archives. Alos see Q 1,481,1086,3362,and 3822 at The International Guild of Lamp Researchers Q&A Archives. I am not sure why this lamp has both the Dayton and the A&W tags on it. Possibly some used parts were installed during a repair and it ended up with both tags on it. Posted Thursday, July 17, 2014 by KM

A. Thank you for the info and links for more info. Posted Saturday, July 19, 2014 by Bergsbandit

Q2785 Dietz Lantern Surveys? In looking at your lantern and globe marking survey, I find no listings for the Dietz #39 railroad lanterns and short globe #999 style. Is there a list that shows what railroad markings were used on the Dietz #39 style railroad lanterns?? I have tried to look elsewhere but no listings. Thank you. Posted Friday, July 11, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Thank you very much. Too bad, it is a much needed area. Thank you Keith Posted Friday, July 11, 2014 by Keith

A. Surveys on the Dietz #39 and #999 were never done. Some of the surveys on this site were started with lists printed in Key, Lock & Lantern and published (with permission) then augmented as new markings are sent in to the website. Those additions still go on -- I added some new markings a month or so ago. A few surveys started with this website exclusively. Some lantern models like the Dietz #39 and #999 have never been surveyed here or anywhere else to my knowledge -- certainly a worthwhile project should someone want to take it on. Posted Friday, July 11, 2014 by Web Editor

A. Dietz 999's should be a quick study due to the later and shorter time of production. I've only seen NYCS, P&LE, B&O (plain and with loco base), DL&W and GM&O. You could detail it further by finish, blue paint or tin, and the lettering comes in larger or smaller founts. I'd be very interested to hear about any other markings that others may have discovered. Also, I've seen etched Dietz 999 globes in NYCS, B&O RR, and ERIE. Posted Sunday, July 13, 2014 by JFR

A. JFR, I have a 999 globe etched NP Northern Pacific, so I would assume they also made the lantern. Thank you Keith Posted Monday, July 14, 2014 by Keith

A. In 35+ years living in the Pacific Northwest, I can't recall ever seeing a Northern Pacific marked #999 lantern. If there are any out there I think they're pretty rare. Posted Tuesday, July 15, 2014 by PEK

A. JFR, I just picked up a Dietz Steel Clad marked for the Erie Railroad with a twist off fount. It came with no globe. PEK it could be that the NP ordered only globes from Dietz for some reason and a lantern was never made. This NP globe was on a Dressel lantern. Posted Tuesday, July 15, 2014 by Keith

A. Keith, I've also have picked up a few Erie Steelclads, they're not too common, but an Erie 999, if they exist, has always eluded me. I'd like an Erie Vesta too, but haven't had the opportunity to get one of those either. I just saw an Erie steelclad on ebay without the globe, fount and burner. Posted Tuesday, July 15, 2014 by JFR

A. That could very well be, Keith, hopefully others have more info. On perhaps a related note, in 40+ years of collecting, I've come across at least 6 ERIE etched 999 red globes, but never a lantern. I'd love to find one as the Erie is a favorite of mine. I wonder if the Erie may have just ordered the globes from Corning and they etched 999 globes from an excess inventory that they may have had as the 999 wasn't a strong seller for Dietz. Perhaps those globes were offered at a discount to the frugal Erie. Another scenario, and a bit far fetched, I admit, might have been that the DL&W had a contract with Dietz that was being filled around the time of the EL merger with the Erie. Rather than scrap the already stamped DL&W lanterns, perhaps they etched ERIE globes for them to cover the bases and smooth the transition. As I said, maybe far fetched, but who knows? Posted Tuesday, July 15, 2014 by JFR

A. JFR, That's the one I bought. I have a fount with burner and a CC and RC Erie globe to go with it. Outside of NYC Ry, a lot of the Dietz are not easy to come by. This website probably has the most under Tall Dietz. Thank you Keith Posted Wednesday, July 16, 2014 by Keith

A. Hi guys I got what looks to be a adlake lantern that says canada 1921-1923 but it has a globe that says dietz n 999 new york usa then says erie on the flobe and then on the top of the lantern it says e stamped on it and ideas onwhat I have here and if u have an email address I can send somebody a few pics to maybe help me out id appreciate it and may sell it if someone is intrested also got a blue dietz little wizard say no 1 on the base and on the bottom it says made in hong kong so any values and info years etc would be appreciated k thanks guys and have a good day and lookin foward to hering back from youes my email is wildmustang988@gmail.com any info is really appreciated Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2014 by brandon

Q2780 Lanterns and their use with Camp Cars I have been going thru a lot of information and research on camp cars and lantern globe colors used for camp cars. What I have found out so far is that Amber was used to mark the cars and Cobalt Blue was used on both ends of the track, back and front, along with marker signs for daylight use for not moving the cars. Inside of car information I found in the book 'Dining by Rail'. Can anyone with the railroad experience please add any other important or helpful information regarding camp cars, safety and lantern use. Thank you. Posted Tuesday, July 1, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. There will be no one answer to this, because practices will be/were different railroad-by-railroad, and probably changed over time on any given railroad, as well. In addition, this is the kind of thing some individual States regulated, also. So when you list the requirements, you need to also list which RR, when, and where they applied, and what document (Book of Rules, Special Instructions, etc.) imposed the requirement. Do you want to know about one railroad and time in particular? Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2014 by RJMc

A. Hi Keith,Regarding your question about lanterns and camp car protection,I can give you a little info on the former Soo Line procedures.We were required to have a yellow lantern and yellow flag on each end car of our 7 car outfit as we called them,plus the switches and derails on the siding or stub track were locked with signal department locks.Occupied outfits were listed in the general orders for the particular subdivision and that was a warning to the train crews that we were there and that they had to contact the foreman in charge to unlock the locks when setting out cars of material or sometimes cars of clean water.The lanterns were simply electrified hand lanterns or sometimes,old semaphore lamps with yellow lenses.A pair of metal track flags were also included for daytime protection.I hope this answers a few of your questions.DJB Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2014 by DJB

A. RJMc, Not really detailed by railroad, that would require a small book. But for instance the NYC, B&O, PRR, and the SP etc. Marker lantern globe colors would be most helpful. Thank you. DJB, Yes, general information, perfect. Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2014 by Keith

A. RJMc, Railroads are listed, give me some examples, please, thank you, Keith Posted Saturday, July 5, 2014 by Keith

A. My comment abut 'requirements' referred to the requirements imposed by the various rules; it was more aimed at anydody providing answers so that they specify wherever possible where and when those 'requirements' applied. I don't have access right now to a lot of historical Rulebooks, but one more-or less current example is the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR); the whole 1991 book is available at the link. Rule 5.12, which is quite lengthy, is all about "Protection of Occupied Outfit Cars". It specifies a sign and a white light at night. I found a complete 1891 rulebook for the NYLE&W (predecessor to the Erie) downloadable on the web (link2). Its a fascinating reference for all kinds of info, but doesn't mention camp cars at all. (Caution if you start downloading it, its 56 MB (!!) covering over 127 pgs.) If you have any railroad museums in your area, they often have rulebooks in their libraries which you can consult on this type of question. Link 1 Link 2 Posted Saturday, July 5, 2014 by RJMc

A. The 2003 NORAC Rulebook, used by Amtrak and various other Northeast railroads, is available at the link. Its Rule 17 covers occupied camp cars, but just says 'An Occupied Camp Car Signal' must be placed"....I couldn't find any further description of what that consisted of, in the reference at the link. Link 1 Posted Saturday, July 5, 2014 by RJMc

A. The current Uniform Code of Operating Rules (UCOR) used by Canadian National and allied US subsidiaries is available at the link. Its Special Instruction No. 20 says only "20. Before moving or coupling on to boarding outfit cars, snow plows, flangers, or other units of work equipment, and dead engines, stop must be made and persons in, on or about them must be warned, to avoid injury." I couldn't find any other reference to your question, but like all rule books, there may be one hidden in there..... Link 1 Posted Saturday, July 5, 2014 by RJMc

A. It seems that most railroads seem to follow what the New York Central used. Placement of yellow lanterns at the ends of cars for night and green and white flags for daytime. I also read the use of cobalt blus and in very rare cases purple. The purple were not lanterns. Before I have one of my long research questions again , I wish to thank everyone for their time and help. I will have to do more on my own. Thank you Keith Posted Monday, July 7, 2014 by Keith

Q2779 T.L. Moore Lanterns I'm researching T.L. Moore who sold RR lanterns in San Antonio, TX. The lanterns are mentioned in a couple of articles on your site (thanks!). I've found out a bit about his story and will be happy to share if anyone interested, but I'd like to know about the connection he may have had with the Star Headlight and lantern Co. I have a lantern marked 'Sold Only By T.L. Moore San Antonio TEX', Pat June 19(?) 1906. Moore is listed in the city directory as a watchmen for the SP RR from 1901 (maybe earlier- still researching), till 1909 when there is no listing of his occupation. (perhaps this is when he was injured). In 1910 he is listed as a 'lantern mfg.'. By 1916 he is in the Business Directory- 'RR lantern mfr., best lanterns for RR men.' Ads for his lantern appear in 'The Journal of the Switchmen's Union of North America'. I'm trying to 'nail down' the story as it appears online: How was he injured? What and how was a relationship with the Star company? And so forth. Anyone with more information or any interest? Posted Sunday, June 29, 2014 by Tom Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This information is from "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Railroad Lighting,Volume 1-The Railroad Lantern". The original company name was Diegel-Moore Company, and sometime before 1918 Thomas L. Moore bought out Diegel and changed the name to T.L. Moore Company. The Selected Patent Listing shows only one patent issued on 6/19/1906, number 824053 issued to William A Wright. It is for a complete lantern which has a wick raising device that involves turning the font. I don't think it is relevant to this question but it is interesting so see Link 1. The list shows only one patent issued to T.L. Moore, number 1063055, from 5/27/1913 and that is for his lantern, see Link 2. I could not find any information about Diegel. Link 1 Link 2 Posted Monday, June 30, 2014 by KM

Q2776 Dressel Mopac Switch Lamp Lens Colors Hello. Received today my 2nd Dressel 1203 lamp that I will restore. This one is marked MoP and it came with 3 green and one yellow lenses. The lenses on the MoP are of the 5 3/8 in. size while my B&O is 4 1/2 in. size. Are the colors for these lenses on the MoP correct and can anyone tell me how it was used? My guess was in yard service. Also I have noticed that on my B&O lamp the part to lift the top is at the spring latch, two small tabs on either side of the latch, while on the MoP there is a lift tab on the top. Is this because of the different lens sizes? Thanks for the help! Posted Monday, June 23, 2014 by Robdawg Post a Reply Email a reply

A. I love the fact that you called it the MoP! That's what railroad men actually referred to the Missouri Pacific as. I think "MoPac" is something their Public Relations department came up with to improve their image; ..never heard a railroad man call it that. -- What you have is a Switch Lamp. I saw hundreds of MoP switch lamps in service and they were all Yellow & Green (YGYG around the lamp) so you will need to get another Yellow lens; they show up on eBay frequently. Also: all the MoP lamps I saw had Day Targets, so you are going to want to find 2 Yellow and 2 Green of those too. Those show up on line as well. -- Those tabs on the lid varied through the years. They don't have anything to do with the lens size. Late model Dressels had none at all. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Tuesday, June 24, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Thanks for the reply Red Beard. The MoP lamp came with visors on it and all look to be original. I think I will keep it as I got it, but the day targets sure do give them a better look. I just got in today's mail 2 more Dressel 1203 lamps but these are not drilled for any electrical hardware. Marked NYC on both, they are missing lenses. What should I get for these? The plastic ones that reflect or regular glass? What would be the correct colors or should I just go with red/green? Thanks for the help! Posted Friday, June 27, 2014 by Robdawg

A. Robdawg: PLEASE, send in some photos of that B&O Dressel; I've never seen one of those with 4 1/2 inch lenses. (Only 5 3/8 in.) That would be a rare item I think! ---- .... Red Beard Posted Friday, June 27, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Robdawg: On the NYC ones; does the lid open? If there's no hole for an electrical cord and the lid doesn't open, they would be made specifically for reflector lenses; either glass or plastic. -- All the NYC lamps I've seen had Yellow & Lunar lenses -- I have never seen a Lunar reflector in either glass or plastic; BUT there are some Corning "Reflex" Clear / White / Colorless glass ones that show up on eBay from time to time, hmmm... -- DJB & RJMc; please chime in on this. -- Would a colorless reflector lens have been the same as a "Lunar" in a kerosene lamp?? -- There are occasionally some Clear / Colorless Stimsonite plastic lenses that show up as well, ??? ---- .... Red Beard Posted Friday, June 27, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Red Beard, Here are two shots I have of the B&O lamp. I removed the cast base in order for the local machine shop to press out the stem for the switch stand. The lid was off of it when I got it and needed welded up in two places. I did not want to take it all apart, but needed to, to get it all clean. It has the rubber type base for the bulb. The one photo of it in pieces is before I blasted it up. I have no photos of it assembled and lit yet. It is in my model train store and I have not been there in a spell as I am dealing with a kidney stone for the past 3 weeks. I will get a photo or two of it when I get back to the shop. The NYC lamps have a non opening lid and no step up for a lamp socket on the base, just all flat inside with one small hole in the center. Link 1 Link 2 Posted Friday, June 27, 2014 by Robsawg

A. Gentlemen,I really can't give you an opinion on whether a clear reflective lens is the equal of a lunar white lens.My suggestion is to look thru some NYC rulebooks or old special instructions /timetables issued to only the employees.Each RR had their own unique rules.My second observation would be the fact that the day targets used with the lunar lens were pure white and not pale blue/pastel tinted.In the daytime,the lens colors were immaterial.As the rules said,if the daytime indication can be clearly seen,it will govern.That would be the day target colors.You are also correct Red in saying that Corning only produced the glass reflectors in clear,red,green and yellow.That's what my old parts listings say and then only in the 5-3/8 inch size.DJB Posted Saturday, June 28, 2014 by DJB

Q2775 Lamp Info Needed I was given this lamp which I believe is a railroad lantern. Please provide me with any info. There were no markings and on the side is a loop so you could hang on your belt. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, June 23, 2014 by judee Post a Reply Email a reply

Q2774 Securing a Lamp Folks, The Pegram (TN) Community Club owns a 1910 NC&StL train station and has been offered a donation of Tn Central switch lamp provided we secure it against theft. The station is a rental venue & is engaged almost weekly so the public has unsupervised access when rented. We would like to have a lockable wall mount for displaying the switch lamp inside the depot. Are you aware of such a mount or do you have an idea of how to fabricate a lockable wall mount? This might be an item RR museums would find handy since most switch lamps are displayed behind glass cabinets that take up a lot of space. Posted Monday, June 23, 2014 by CN Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Based on the situation you describe, there is just no way to secure an item like a Switch Lamp in a public venue. I hate to tell you this but if somebody wants it, they'll find a way to remove it; or at least parts of it will start to disappear, bit by bit. I wouldn't even have heavily secured glass cases in an environment like that; someone will get into those too!! -- This is based on years and years of experience. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Tuesday, June 24, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

Q2772 Armspear Lamp Type? Hi, If you know, could you tell me what type lamp/lantern I have and how old it might be? It's labeled as Armspear Mfg. Co. All four lenses are orange. Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, June 19, 2014 by DC Post a Reply Email a reply

A. DC, sorry for the typo....."sinal" should be signal. GaryP Posted Sunday, June 22, 2014 by GaryP

A. DC, Your lantern is a marker lamp. I cannot tell from the photo if it still has the hanging bracket arm that would allow it to be placed in a bracket and rotated to show different sinal aspects. The N&W and ACL among others used this lamp. I have seen N&W photos as far back as the 1920's showing this style lamp. The N&W used 3 amber lenses and one red lense. This lamp shows up in this site's library in the 1933 catalog. Switch lamps were similar except no bell bottom and had a fork base for the switch stand. I do not know when this style lamp first appeared. Hope this helps. GaryP Posted Sunday, June 22, 2014 by GaryP

Q2770 Adlake Short Globes Would it be permissible to use a Adlake marked globe on the Armspear short globe lanterns made by Adlake? These lanterns looked like an Adlake, round wire supports etc. but were marked Armspear 1925. I am sure the railroads did this but.......... Thank you, Posted Monday, June 9, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Hi Keith. I'm not sure what you mean when you ask if it would be "Permissible". -- Many collectors like to use their lanterns and lamps, lighting them frequently, and cobble together replacements for missing, broken or defective parts to get them into operating condition; much like the railroads did. Other collectors are very meticulous about finding exactly the right replacement part from the very same manufacturer so as to make the piece as close to original as possible. There are many facets, tastes and fads in this hobby. -- I've been collecting lamps and lanterns for a number of decades and got to see many while they were still in railroad service, where they were patched together from any part that would fit. The American Railroad Association (ARA) and later the Association of American Railroads (AAR) in fact mandated that lamps and lanterns be made to roughly standardized designs just so that parts from all manufacturers could be interchanged for easier repair and replacement. ...if it fit, they used it! -- When you see lamps and lanterns for sale on eBay where the body, the oil pot and the burner are all from different manufacturers, there's a good chance that the piece may be in the exact condition it was in when last used by the railroad. Railroads mixed parts from various manufacturers all the time when making repairs. In yards where switch lamps were closely spaced, it would be common to take all the pots out at the same time, fill them all, and put them back in lamps in no particular order. So if there were lamps from different manufacturers grouped together in a yard, chances were good that the oil pots got mixed up all the time. -- The same was true for lanterns. Kerosene was smelly and dirty. Depending on local custom, when a switching crew or a road crew started their shift, the lowest seniority switchman or brakeman often got the duty of filling everyone's hand lantern with fresh kerosene. In that process, pots and globes got mixed all the time; and yes, some men never let their personal lantern out of their sight. --- Where am I going with this? ..chances are that many, if not most, Armspear lanterns got marked "Adlake" Corning, plain Corning or KOPP replacement globes when the original "1925" globe broke (and many of them did). -- I'm more or less of an expert in lamp and lantern collecting and you have my complete permission to put any globe that fits in that 1925 lantern. So, consider it "permissible". *wink* Use what you have available and continue to search on line for an original "1925" globe if you want, ..or don't worry about it. Either is fine; ..up to you! ---- ....Red Beard Posted Monday, June 9, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Keith, hanks for the clarification. That's an area where I'm 'less of an expert'. Hopefully another contributor will chime in on this. ---- ....Red Beard Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Red Beard, I am sure things were all over the place at times. Since this lantern was made after the Adlake takeover with the aforementioned changes if........ and to be historically accurate, would Adlake have used globes marked Adlake Kero on there new production Armsphere lanterns at that time. I am sure they did not use 1925 marked globes but maybe I am wrong on what contracts called for. I want to try to be as accurate as possible. Keith Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2014 by Keith

A. Just a couple thoughts here rather than hard info. I'm guessing from the catalog material and lanterns I've seen, Adlake began supplying frames to be assembled with Armspear tops and then eventually made the entire lantern. Sales and purchasing relationships can be based on many factors, but the bottom line was that there were reasons for maintaining the Armspear presence in the marketplace. Perhaps part of that marketing was to minimize the Adlake connection and the later "Armspear" lantern might not have been supplied with Adlake Kero globes from the factory. We'll speculate on the Adlake founts and burners another time, but the Adlake name is much less obvious there. Anyway, most, if not all, of the original "1925" cast globes I've seen were made by Kopp, perhaps making their globes the OEM, (original equipment manufacturer) for later Adlake style Armspear lanterns as well. Your guess is as good as mine. Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2014 by JFR

A. JFR, I think you are correct in the shipment of new lanterns in keeping with the Armspear name. Adlake has/had such a vast amount of equipment to manufacture short globe lanterns even after their retooling. From talking to the Adlake company today, they can still make anything with the most modern technology. I know things were changed in the field on what was available and Adlake was probably the most available as they seemed to monopolize the market. Studying this in a business sense can get very complicated and detailed an like you said ,"one can only guess". I at least wanted to try and even with field changes be historically correct in the reassembly of a lantern or any other antique. I like to do museum quality work when dealing with items of American Heritage. I want to thank everyone for all the help and information. Keith Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2014 by Keith

A. One more globe to add to the mix is GLASBAKE. They were made by McKee Glass and are usually seen with a cast PRR logo and the GLASBAKE logo on the opposite side. I've only seen one GLASBAKE without the PRR logo. I've also observed short globes with no markings at all in some Piper and E.T. Wright shorties. Posted Thursday, June 12, 2014 by JFR

A. Regarding the globes supplied with Adlake and Armspear lamps,I agree fully with Red Beard.They most likely were supplied with Adlake Kero and 1925 globes when new but in practice,the railroad's used anything that would fit,was the correct color and kept the wind out.If you also look at the variations in the short globes themselves,you will find Corning with Adlake Kero molded in, and, just the Corning logo itself with nothing else molded in.The Armspear original globes would have the 1925 molded in and like we were told by other collector's,made only by Kopp to my knowledge.Lastly,Adlake and Armspear may have been supplied in their later years with only globes marked with the Kopp or Corning logos,and nothing else molded in,which would have been acceptable and not discriminating against either trademark.Other variations in short globes were Corning Macbeth,Corning Libby,and MEGCO,that I have seen.Corning also made globes for Dietz marked Corning and Dietz 999.Purists want an exact match and the railroads settled for whatever fit.What was supplied by the factories when new is lost in history.These observations are from my years working for a major railroad when they still used kero lanterns.DJB Posted Thursday, June 12, 2014 by DJB

Q2769 Authentic Lantern? In the mid 1960's my Father (who worked nearly 50 years for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad) gave me a railroad lantern. The lantern is a Adams and Westlake with a UP stamp on the dome. It has a red glass shade and etched in the glass are the initials UPRR. The base of the lantern is stamped 1-42 which I believe means the first quarter in 1942. It also includes a USA and Canada stamp followed by numerous numbers. Perhaps these are patent numbers. Do you know if this would be an authentic railroad lantern? My reason for questioning it is that I've not read anything about etched glasses. Thank you, Posted Sunday, June 8, 2014 by DCK Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Sounds like the real deal. Most UP globes were "etched" like that; ..actually the initials were finely sandblasted through a stencil. "UPRR" would indicate an older globe as many later ones had just "UP"; though I can't tell you how old or dates for either version. -- What did your father do for the Northwestern and what town did he work in? I was a clerk on the UP in Council Bluffs in the 1970s. ---- ....Red Beard Posted Sunday, June 8, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

Q2767 Train Order Lamp? Have you seen this lamp before? It has two lenses, the clear lens is 51/4 in. and the red is 5 in. It would have a round oil font with a 3 5/8 in. diameter. It has a hand bail and a round flat base. Brass wick raiser and a clear sight glass on the side. On the hood is a brass plaque with: The Adams & Westlake Company Pat June 8&29,1886 Oct.30, 1883 Oct.1.1895 --- Nov.5.1895 Chicago. Ill. Other patents Pending'. I‘m leaning to a Rail Order Lamp or perhaps a Semaphore light, circa 1895-1900. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, June 6, 2014 by DS Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This lamp is a No. 43 marker lamp, depicted in the 1901 Adams & Westlake catalog on page 625. The lamp in question is missing its adjustable, hinged, malleable-iron bracket arm. On this page are two other marker lamps, the No. 44 with three and the No. 45 with four lenses. All three lamps were called "'Bessemer' Sheet Steel Coach and Caboose 'Tornado' Tail Lamps." All three lamps used 5 3/8" diameter lenses. "The ruby lens on these lamps is mounted in a hinged frame and the lamp is lighted or oil pot removed through the opening provided when the lens is thrown back. An outside wick raiser and peep hole is provided for adjusting the flame. The adjustable bracket permits of changing the position of the lenses as desired. . . ." This is a rare lamp that did not survive to be included in the 1907 Adams & Westlake catlog No. 120. Posted Thursday, June 12, 2014 by S. H.

A. Is there any chance the responder could post or email me a copy of the specific page noted (pdf or jpeg). I am unable to find a copy of the 1901 catalogue on line. I am interested in the missing bracket arm. Posted Sunday, June 15, 2014 by Dave

Q2765 Steam loco headlight ID/background? We have a Pyle National Locomotive headlight, found in Orange County (lower Catskill region) of New York. There is a metal maker tag on the top. The serial # is 20 F 125 DLWA (it may be an E rather than an F, it's bumped). The numbers are larger than the letters, and it looks like the numbers were machine made with room allowed to hand stamp in the letters per individual order. There is an engine number 3244 placard built on each side. Can anyone help with more information about this light? We are especially hoping to ID the locomotive and are wondering if DLW refers to the Delaware Lackawanna & Western which is in the region. Thanks in advance! Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by J&H Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Well, a quick check turned up the link, which is to a website with a good photo (scroll down on the site) of New Haven locomotive 3244. This is a possibility, if the numberboards on your headlight are parallel to the sides, and not angled out as on some headlights. A photo would help a lot to eliminate possibilities, since many RR's may have had a number 3244 (Canadian National also did, for example.) Link 1 Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thank you for the reply. We found the NH photo already and think we already ruled out this one; however, I can't find any better photo(s). This one is just not clear enough to really tell much. The locale is very close so that may be it, but really need a better picture. There seems to be a number going across directly below the lens - if this is on the engine. The number boards on the headlight are on each side, parallel to the sides. Just looking by number is likely impossible - engines were numbered, renumbered, sold and renumbered, etc. etc. I was hoping maybe someone would know about the serial number. It definitely is not CN3244. We found SP3244 in just the most terrific Buster Keaton film "The Goat" ( see link). It blew by so fast we tried to stop it but too blurry..... likely not SP anyway, we're in New York. Check out these old movies the SP provided locomotives and trains for - they are fantastic. Link 1 Posted Wednesday, June 4, 2014 by JS

A. Have you also ruled out EL electric MU (former DL&W) 3244? These also had steam engine-style highmounted headlights. The link shows the disposition of E-L 3244 as unknown; and it was E-L 3244 much more recently than the 1923 of the New Haven photo. Again, a photo of the headlight here would help a lot. Link 1 Posted Thursday, June 5, 2014 by RJMc

A. Hi-Just because SP is on the other side of the country doesn't mean it can't be from them. Railroad items can float around all over the country, especially if they have been in circulation for a while. I got a NJ train station sign in PA. I have a friend who collects PRR items. He lives in Australia. You can't take too much for granted these days, especially since the internet connects the world together. Posted Thursday, June 5, 2014 by JN

A. I was able finally to get photos. I hope this will help - ? Link 1 Link 2 Posted Friday, June 20, 2014 by JS

A. The Link is to an excellent photo of EL MU car 3244 which shows the headlight very clearly, and it certainly looks like a match (based on the general configuration and the numbering style in the numberboard.) The angle-iron brackets shown in your pic look like they were probably added later by somebody to be able to display the light; they do not look to me to be typical of any steam loco mounts which generally had full, very solid shelves to withstand all the shock and vibration of steam loco service. Link 1 Posted Sunday, June 22, 2014 by RJMc

Q2764 Dressel Lamps Two Dressel lamps of an unknown type were donated to our railroad historical society. We are not even sure if they were designed for railroad use. They look like they may have been portable work lights. They have sheet metal hoods which are removable. There are nameplates which say THE DRESSEL RAILWAY LAMP WORKS NEW YORK There is no other identification. They have large polished reflectors and rectangular fuel tanks surrounding the burner and reflector. We would appreciate any information about them. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by DM Post a Reply Email a reply

A. My first guess would be they are theater footlights, arranged around the front of the stage to light the action on stage...but that's just my guess. Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by RJMc

A. D.M. These two lamps have railroad headlight moehring burners. They are the insides of kerosene headlights. GaryP Posted Thursday, June 5, 2014 by GaryP

Q2763 Lamp Date? Hoping you can help me date this lamp. Only markings are 'Dressel' and 'Arlington, NJ'. Has a pyrex globe with a burner by 'adlake'. No railroad markings. Thanks. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by TM Post a Reply Email a reply

A. This is the internal light source which was used inside switch lamps by almost all RR's in North America throughout the 20th Century. They were made to be interchangeable by Dressel, Adlake, Handlan and other manufacturers. Since they were internal parts, there was no reason to mark them with the RR initials. Unless you know the actual history for this particular piece, there is really no way to know what RR may have used it, or when. Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thanks for the reply. Posted Tuesday, June 3, 2014 by tm

A. See also the answer to later Q2770 for some more description about how these moved around between different lamps, sometimes from day to day in the cycle of getting serviced by the RR. Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2014 by RJMc

Q2762 Lamp ID Needed Could you please help me ID this lamp? I’m a auctioneer work on a sale for a estate and I found the lamp in the garage. the lamp is marked on top St. Louis USA / Handlan Inc. and the lamp is electric with to clear lenses. The lamp appears to be a corner lamp or signal. Thank so much! [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by Scott Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Locomotive classification lamps Posted Monday, June 2, 2014 by JG

Q2761 Dietz A No. One lantern Going thru a Dietz catalog I was looking at a Dietz 'A No. One' lantern. Listed as a semi-railroad type. The only real difference is that it uses the Fitzall globe, otherwise it is similar to the No. 39 standard bell bottom Dietz railroad lantern. Dietz does say that large quantities are exported annually. Any reason this lantern is so rare in the United States. Even Railroadiana does not show one on their tall globe Dietz page. Thank you. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. The Rock Island used both the Adlake 200 and 250 models, can't tell from the photo angle which one you've got. Both had their own unique fount and burners from the factory. The 200's had a round wick with a steel burner unique to the 100 and 200 models, they are often found retrofitted with a flat wick burner. The 250 had the typical flat wick and the flame spreader on the steel burner would be marked No. 250 on one side and Adlake on the other. I've seen a few of the SP lanterns described earlier with the chimney and long time burner . Since the SP and Rock Island collaborated on the Golden State Route, this lantern could likely be an actual railroad modification rather than a collector's mismatch. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by JFR

A. Above answer is for the next question. Sorry for the confusion. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by JFR

Q2760 Original Kero Burner and Fount? I bought this short globe Adlake switchman's lantern at an antique store. It was made for Rock Island. The question is, was this burner and fount original? It looks like a switch or marker lamp burner, with the glass chimney and circle wick, but it has a very small unmarked fount that is the exact size of typical adlake founts. Attached are pictures of the lantern, fount, and burner. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, May 25, 2014 by KO Post a Reply Email a reply

A. No, this is not standard. It would have come normally with a 300 burner and fount or 400 on special order but........ It looks like it "might" and I say might be something done in the railroad yard or field to make a long time burning lantern for a wrecking crew, marker for crew field quarters or special emergency. Adlake and Handlan made special lanterns for the Southern Pacific Railroad that used the marker lamp burners and round wicks with glass chimneys, I have two of them. So no, it is not too out of place and The Rock Island just may have made their own. Clean your lantern and find a good Adlake globe and you should have a good display lantern. A green globe would signify a wrecking crew supervisor, cobalt for cars not to be moved and amber for crew field quarters. Keith Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by Keith

A. Your R.I. lanern did not leave the factory with the fount & burner that appear in your photo. The fount is the type A&W or Handlan used in their tall globe lanterns and the burner looks like the type used in many A&W switch lamps. Your fount would have had a solid brass burner. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by Joe

A. Oops, this would have had a 250 burner and faunt or brass as Joe said, not a 300 or 400, that would come later. Thank you Keith Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by Keith

A. Thanks for your help everyone! I'm working on cleaning it up, I have quite a few old nice adlake globes to put in it. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by KO

A. See my my reply to this question after the above question. Should have wait until morning before posting :). Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by JFR

Q2759 Lamp Info Needed Hello. I am seeking information on this lamp. It is about 16 inches tall not including the chimney, and sticks out from the wall about 15 inches. I see no markings on it, but the chimney says 'MACBETH #44 PEARL GLASS MADE IN USA'. I believe it is predominately copper. Thanks very much. [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, May 23, 2014 by Erepole Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Not much info on who made this passemger car side lamp. The ornamentation on it does not look like Adkae, Dayton or Lovell DRessel/ See Q 570,758,764,1146,1223,1559,1640,and 2147 in the Q&A Archives for more info on similat lamps. Also check out Q481,1086 and 3362 in the Lampguild Q&A Archives. It is a really nice example of a side lamp. I think most of it is probable brass not copper. Sometimes if the wrong chemical is used for cleaning, brass can take on a copper color. Posted Monday, May 26, 2014 by KM

A. Thanks so much for your insight. I wish I questioned parents about it. Too late. The only thing I remembered was it was a railroad lamp. Glad for the information about the copper/brass finish. I will check the archives as you suggest. Again, many, many thanks!! Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2014 by Erepole

Q2758 Adlake 'The Adams' What type of globe retainer did the Adlake 'The Adams' No. 11, drop in fount, use?? It has the two metal straps attached to the hood. I have seen the flat retainer and the cupped retainer both used. The cupped retainer has no pins to lock in but it seems out of place for this early model as there is no proper attachment for the metal straps unless one jimmies them over the two fins, not really correct. Thank you Posted Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by Keith Post a Reply Email a reply

A. Hello, My N&W Adams has the cupped retainer held in place by two straps bent around the retainer cross members. I have seen numerous lanterns configured like his and I feel like it is correct as most lanterns I have seen like this are dirty and untouched. GaryP Posted Thursday, May 22, 2014 by GaryP

A. The two straps bend over the "fins". That's how the retainer was originally installed. One of the pitfalls of this design is that if someone removes and re-inserts the retainer a number of times, the ends of the straps might break off from repeated bending. There is a flat piece that first fits over the straps and goes all the way to where the straps attach to the lid, then the spring is put in with the smallest loop at the top, and finally the retainer goes in and is held in place by bending the two straps over the fins or cross members. It might not seem correct to you, but it is correct. You are correct in that there were no pins or other devices to hold the retainer in place. The retainer is almost identical to that used on the Reliable, with the exception of not having the part where the one used on the Reliable allows for the rivets to engage the retainer. I'd call the retainer on the Reliable and the manner it was kept in place an improvement over the earlier Adams lantern design. Posted Friday, May 23, 2014 by BobF

A. Thank you for clearing up the matter. Both were correct but the retainer Gary talks about is the most common. The finned and vented retainer without the two catches seems more rare on Adams models till Adlake made a further improvement for the Reliables. Yes,the straps break off at the bend with this type globe retainer. Good info that is not in the books. Thank you Keith Posted Friday, May 23, 2014 by Keith

Get Questions => 31-50 81-100 131-150 181-200 231-250 281-300 331-350 381-400 431-450 481-500 531-550 581-600 631-650 681-700 731-750