Question & Answer Board

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

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

 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. 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

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

 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

 Q2755 Lantern Marking  Attached are photos of a late 1890's or early 1900's A&W bell-bottom that is marked C RY T L CO that I recently purchased in barn fresh condition from an antique shop in northern Illinois. Can anyone identify the marking? There was an IL traction line that operated between 1908-1913, Cairo Railway & Light Company, but I believe the lantern was made prior to that time period. Any help will be appreciated.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, May 11, 2014 by Albert   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Looking at the pix it says "C RY T E (E, probably as in "Electric") CO." rather than an 'L'.  Posted Sunday, May 11, 2014 by RJMc

A. Yes,I should have typed "E" instead "L". My mistake. I believe the "RY T E CO" marking stands for "Railway Traction & Electric Company" and that the lantern is from an interurban line that would have operated around 1900. The real mystery is the letter "C". Posted Monday, May 12, 2014 by JH

 Q2753 Lantern Info Needed  Hello, I'm curious about this lantern I found, and its markings. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Wednesday, May 7, 2014 by JR   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Looks like you have a nice Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific lantern. The clear globe lantern was the most common on the railroad and was carried by everyone from conductors and brakemen on the trains, to switch men in the freight yards and maintenance workers who repaired track and equipment. From the photo it looks like a short globe lantern, which was a lantern produced in the later part of the kerosene lantern production. If you look on the bottom you may see a single number followed by a - and two digit number i.e.: 3-47. This would mean it was made in the 3rd quarter of 1947. Some lanterns could be dated this way, some had the date on the top or no date at all. Hope this helps. SB Posted Wednesday, May 7, 2014 by SB

 Q2751 Lantern ID Needed  Don’t need a value just trying to see if this is a rare lamp .. Its an Adams and Westlake 'Adlake Reliable'… MRRR. Is this Mineral Range Railroad??? Thanks.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, May 6, 2014 by DWP   Post a Reply  Email a reply

 Q2747 Locomotive Headlight?  I picked this up, but am unsure if it is a locomotive headlight or not. It is 'portable' in the sense it has a handle, but it very heavy. It has a hook on the back to hang it with two additional safety chains. It is about 28 in. tall and the glass is about 14 in. wide. The insides appear original. I don't see any name on it, but the rear bracket to hang it has SAF-E90 or something similar on it. Any help is appreciated! Thanks.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2014 by John   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. This looks to be the kind of light the Europeans had sitting on their steam locomotive pilot decks. Each different country had a somewhat different style; sometimes they used only one, sometimes two, and sometimes also had a high-mounted or centered headlight also. The links show models with similar lights, if not identical, on German and French locos. Other places in the world followed European practices, which considerably widens where yours might have come from.  Link 1  Link 2  Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by RJMc

A. It's a French "fanal" or loco headlamp. They were used in pairs, attached to either side of the front of the locomotive, above the "buffers". As RJMc says, it may also have been used in a country which followed French railway practice, such as one of the former French colonies in Africa or South-East Asia. Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by JAJ

A.  See Q1045 and Q2360 in the Archives which are about similar lamps from France. Is there room between the triangular shaped wire frame and the body of the lamp to slide a colored disc in between them? Some of these lamps were used on the tender of the locomtive and they put a red colored disc in when they did that. That wire frame would protect the glass lens and it might also have held the red disc in place. Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by KM

A. I just got home from work and saw all of the excellent responses. Thanks so much! I looked at Q1045 and Q2360 and see the resemblance. After looking at RJMc's links I did an extensive search on some of those locomotives, and found an exact match on the French Mikado locomotive of 1914. In response to KM's question about space in between the protective bars and the glass, yes there is room there to slide a colored lens down inside. That might explain why the protective bars have a shape to them-it looks like a lens slightly smaller would fit in there held by the pinched-in bars. Anyways, thanks again to all, and here is the link to the French locomotive--you might have to blow it up a bit. Link 1  Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by John

A.  E 90 might be the locomotive number. The SNCF used a class system for numberinng their steam locos which included the wheel arangement, the letter to designate the group of locos bought at the same time and the individual number. They had E class locos in 2-8-2 wheel arrangement, 2-8-0, and 4-6-2 arrangement. From what I can see most of the E locos were 4-6-2's. Unlike the American system the French system for wheel arrangemnets only counts the wheels on one side of the locomtive so a Mikado with a 2-8-2 in France is a 1-4-1, a Consolidation 2-8-0 is a 1-4-0, a Pacific 4-6-2 is a 2-3-1. I could find quite a few references and photos of Pacifics numbered 231 E 20 up through 231 E 100+, but I could not find any of those numbered in the nineties. The link shows two locos, 231 E 22 and 232 U 1 which are at the French National Railway Museum. Both of them have lights which look like yours.  Link 1  Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by KM

 Q2743 Lamp ID Needed  We just recently receive an old railroad lamp donation for our future museum in Puerto Rico and need help identifying it. Any help will be welcome, Thanks!   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by JC   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Thank you very much for the information. I found that they were made from 1938 to 1950 by different companies with different classes. I will start my research in the company who made this one. Thanks again! you guys are great. Link 1  Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by juliocolon1

A.  This is not a railroad lantern, it is a buggy or wagon lantern. And it might not be very old, Dietz made lanterns similar to this up into the 1950's or 60's. See the link for photos of a Dietz Little Wizard Wagon lantern. My grandparents lived in Geauga County, OH and there is a large Amish community there. When we visited we saw lanterns like this on the Amish horse drawn buggies up into the 1960's. Eventually state laws forced them to update their lighting to protect them from the high speed auto traffic.  Link 1  Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by KM

 Q2742 Lamp ID Needed  I recently found a stash of interesting old railroad lanterns at the Salvation Army, and I brought home the one with the most interesting markings. After looking around online, I haven't been able to find any pictures of a lantern quite like it, so I was hoping you might be able to give me a little more information about it. It has a label that's been painted over, and I can't make out anything useful. There's a B, and maybe a 5... I can't find any other manufacturers marks. The handwritten lettering around the top reads L.C. No. 21B and C.PWI.BG,SBT. From that, I've come up with a theory that it might be a British-made lantern used on the Indian Railway, but that's a guess. (PWI being Permanent Way Inspector, LC being level crossing--that's in one of their manuals, but not sure how common that lingo is.) There are two little wooden handles, painted red and green, that slide curved, colored glass panels across the front. The innards and base are missing, so no actual lamp, just the body. It's fairly rusty, but all the moving parts work. Someone recently replaced the front glass with new, and secured it with a strip of crimped metal. So any info on what it was used for, and by whom, and when, and where it was made, would be greatly appreciated! Or any leads would be great. Thank you so much!   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by LB   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. I think that your detective work is generally correct. This type of lamp was used for lighting and hand-signalling purposes in Britain, the colonies and other countries which used British railway practice. In most cases the central drum, fitted with red, green and clear aspects, is turned by twisting the top handle, but two British railway companies, the Great Eastern and, to a lesser extent the Great Central, used a design, similar to your example, where the aspects are changed by moving side handles. The other area where this arrangement was used was India and, interestingly, lamps of the same type as your's appear fairly frequently on Ebay, the sellers usually being from India. I suspect that your lamp was actually made in India, where there has always been a thriving sheet-metal industry. The terms "Permanent Way Inspector" (Track Inspector) and "Level Crossing" (Grade Crossing) are the normal terms used on British and Indian railways.  Posted Thursday, April 10, 2014 by JAJ

 Q2741 Loco Headlight Info Needed  What ever I can find out about this locomotive head light will be much appreciated. The only markings that I can find saying Chicago & Syracuse. I think it could be made by the Steam Gauge & Lantern Co. Thanks.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Monday, April 7, 2014 by RHB   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. In "Lanterns That Lit Our World" (book one) on page 120 Anthony Hobson shows some Dietz trolley and locomotive headlights. The No.560 streetcar light looks just like yours, but Hobson says it was only 8" or 10" high. He also notes that the Dietz headlights came in many sizes with 14",16",18",20" or 23" lenses. While Dietz was located in Syracuse they also maintained a Chicago office. Steam Gauge was located In Rochester until 1888 when they had a catastrophic fire in their plant. They relocated to Syracuse and Dietz bought them out in 1897(after the disastrous fire destroyed the Dietz plant in NYC). I have also seen an ad from 1892 that lists Steam Gauge in Syracuse and Chicago. Is there any marking on the burner or the wick knob? If it is a Plume and Atwood you may be able to date that by the style of the wick knob. Remember that he burner may have been updated at some point in the life of this lamp. Dietz used some of Steam Gauge's patterns after they bought out the company in 1897 so this could resemble a Steam Gauge lamp or it may be a Dietz original. Hobson does not show any Steam Gauge headlights to compare it to.  Posted Monday, April 7, 2014 by KM

A.  See Q2076 in the Archives for information on a Star or Glazier oli fired headlight. Posted Wednesday, April 9, 2014 by KM

A. The book Lake Shore Electric Railway Story by Harwood and Korach has 5 or 6 clear photos showing headlights very similar to this in use in Ohio on LSE and its predecessors between about 1900 and 1910. In these pix it is clear the headlights were quite large, probably two or three feet high, consistent with the much larger lens sizes listed above. It is likely similar practices occurred on many trolley lines. The way your headlight is hung with hooks over a metal strap was also characteristic of interurban and streetcar use, where the headlights were portable and often added and removed, sometimes every day, possibly only added for night running and otherwise not used, and often moved from one end of the car to the other. The strap hanging method was practical for the interurbans because the car front had a broad flat surface to hang them against, unlike most steam locomotive front ends where a shelf had to be installed for a headlight to sit on. The LSE pix show them on both passenger trolleys and work equipment (see link.)  Link 1  Posted Wednesday, April 9, 2014 by RJMc

A. I mentioned above that I expected to see other early interurbans or trolley operations using similar headlights to this; but on looking, I didn't find any.....all the other interurban electric lines I have checked so far were using either nothing, or 'ashcan' style arc or bulb type headlights. However the Baltimore and Annapolis Short Line was steam-powered until 1906 (when it was electrified), and used very similar headlights to yours on their steam engines. See the link for one example; others are in the book "Every Hour on the Hour" about the WB&A electric railroad, successor to the Short Line. Link 1  Posted Friday, April 18, 2014 by RJMc

 Q2740 Dietz Vesta Questions  Do you know why Dietz Vesta's bail wire has an indentation? Some say it is for the thumb during signaling, others for a wall hook. Also do you know why the wire cage at the bottom of the Vesta is off center, one leg is short the other side long? Many Thanks!  Posted Saturday, April 5, 2014 by DB   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. It's for the thumb. Can't be for hanging as its not centered and it's also indented the wrong way for hanging. Posted Saturday, April 5, 2014 by JL

 Q2739 Switch Lamp Wiring  I recently purchased a pair of A&W SW-35 switch lamps. Upon reading page 90 of THE ENCYCLOPEDIA it seems these lamps had a sensor that would shut the lamp off during daylight hours to conserve the battery...can anyone look at the picture and tell me where the 3 wires coming from the sensor should be hooked? There is a white , red, and black wire....the 2 wires already attached come from the positive and negative on the battery..I appreciate any help...thanks.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, April 4, 2014 by JM   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Thanks for all the tips...I will give them a try and let you guys know what happens...thanks Posted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by jerry

A. Hi JM,Regardless if this other component is a light sensor or a resistor-which I believe it is-both items would be broke thru one of the 2 leads coming from the battery source.Just take one of the leads off the lamp socket post,either one OK,connect it to one of the leads from the component,and take the other wire from the component and re-connect it to the lamp socket terminal.In other words,in series with one of the lamp battery feed wires.If that mystery component is bad or electrically open,and the lamp won't light,its either that component or a bad bulb.Do you follow my tips ? DJB Sig.Dep't retired. Posted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by DJB

A. Hello JM and DJB: DJB's comments on the wires from the component refer to the red and black wires. The white wire from the component (likely a sensor, since it does have three wires) needs to be connected to the second wire feeding the bulb, to provide the second side of the circuit powering the sensor itself. I do not know if this type of three-lead photocell sensor will work on DC; they are more usually seen on AC circuits such as household stuff. If this sensor is/was set up for DC, polarity may be important. Also, based on household experience with my switchlight in the front yard, these sensors are among the first things to fail (other than the bulbs themselves) and they may fail open (bulb never lights) or shorted (bulb always lights.) And if you got the sensor with the light, with the leads cut off like that, its probably because the sensor failed and somebody just bypassed it to leave the lamp always lit. If you refit the lamp to run on household current (120 AC) anyway, the photo sensors are commonly available at the home repair stores for a few bucks, and come with a circuit diagram, but most of those will not intended for DC and the lower voltages usually used on switchlights. Also you will likely have to change the bulb socket if you want to use house current.  Posted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by RJMc

A. After reading RJMc's reply,I had to look really hard to see the third wire which was black and in the shaded area of the pix.Its hard to say if the light sensor was used on AC or DC but the vast majority of Railroad signal equipment used DC.Adding to what he said,try hooking the white wire to the left post of the lamp socket,along with the existing incoming wire and remove the existing wire off the right post of the lamp socket,connect it to the black wire of the sensor and take the red wire from the sensor and connect it back onto the right post of the lamp socket. This may or may not work but give it a try.The RR may have disconnected the sensor to burn the lamp continuously for some reason.As for the bulb,you can readily find a bayonet- based 120 volt bulb commonly used in sewing machine lights,which will fit exactly and allow you to use the original heavy-duty socket.It will light your lamp nicely and save you considerable work and some expense.I do agree with RJMc when he said that the sensor may be faulty but give it a try.If you still need to buy a new 120 v light sensor,then the bulb I mentioned will work with the same socket.Be sure to match the bulb voltages to whatever incoming voltage you choose to use.I have those sewing machine bulbs in a couple of my former battery operated lamps and they work well.DJB Posted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by DJB

A. That hint about using 120V sewing machine bulbs is a very good one--I had never run across that type of bulb before. Another 'gotcha' in wiring these things: those nuts and studs on the socket connections may LOOK like 1/4" x 20 (standard coarse thread) or 1/4" x 28 (standard fine thread) but they are probably 1/4" x 24, which happens to be an AAR standard thread used by almost nobody else in US industry today....and regular nuts will not work on those studs. The RR's standardized on 1/4 x 24 around 1920 or so, when it was more commonly used, and have used it ever since for electrical studs in all kinds of RR applications. I first ran into the thread issue when trying to rewire a locomotive Mars light for example.  Posted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by RJMc

A. I did find out that the sensor was mentioned in an adlake bulletin and it was called "SOLARITE"...don't know if this jogs anyone's memory or not...I just got a battery in so will be trying all of the suggestions given here soon. Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2014 by jerry

A. Hi Jerry, Did that light sensor you refer to from the Adlake bulletin,mention the operating voltage and if AC or DC ? I would guess it required a voltage below 24 volts because railroad's were also cautious about shock hazards not only to the trainmen but to the signal maintenance people and the public to a lesser extent.Almost all of their signal equipment was backed up by standby batteries and rectifiers and that's why I suspect it was low voltage.If these lamps were in a yard they were probably fed by underground cable to a central power supply but if out in an obscure location,probably battery powered. A good source of DC low voltage for testing or operating these lamps and old signal equipment is right out in your garage,on the shelf,in the form of your portable automobile battery charger...they usually provide either 6 or 12 volts DC and up to 30 amps.Plenty for your purposes,so a battery is really unnecessary. DJB Posted Wednesday, April 16, 2014 by DJB

A. I finally got around to trying to hookup the wiring...DJB your diagram worked...thank you so much...unfortunately only worked on one lamp so I took the sensor from the working one and tried it on the second and it worked so I assume the sensor is bad...have checked several parts sources but no one seems to have any idea as to where to get a replacement...maybe some of you electrical experts out there can help...was wondering if I could get a photocell sensor for 12 volts with 3 wires...would it work??? is it possible to repair the old sensor? Again any help is appreciated...Jerry Posted Thursday, April 17, 2014 by jerry

A. Great to hear you have things working (some of them, anyway!) I doubt you would have any success attempting to repair the old sensor, but 12 VDC is now a very common voltage for landscape lights -- and this stuff is being sold in all the 'big box' stores. Putting 'Low voltage photocell switch' in my favorite online shopper generated about 150 hits. Most wanted in the range of $25 for one switch, but most of those are rated to switch many more than just one bulb.....There seem to be some intended for outdoor use (even) down in the $16 range, so it will pay to shop around. There are even some direct-import modules down in the $5 range, if you want to do more of your own packaging.  Posted Friday, April 18, 2014 by RJMc

A. Hello Jerry, Are these lamps going to be used outside on a regular basis and mounted somewhere ? If so, I would change them over to the 120 v sewing machine bulbs I mentioned earlier and then buy a common dusk to dawn light control module for regular 120 volt use.I see them at the big box stores for under 10.00 and they will control up to 250 watts or more.So, you could equip an outlet box,mount the control in one of its knockouts and plug both lamps into it.The regular dusk to dawn control mounts in any threaded or unthreaded 1/2 inch knockout or opening.You will also find them sometimes combined with a motion sensor control,but they come both ways if you look a bit.You can,as RJMc says,find low voltage photocell controls,but why mess with low voltage controls,a battery and/or a transformer ? Going with 120 volt parts means you can bring them in the house in the winter time and just plug them in. Posted Friday, April 18, 2014 by DJB

A. Thanks guys for the info...I am trying to keep them as original as possible so I think I will go to the big box store and get a dawn to dusk sensor and see if I can't drill out the old sensor and install the new one inside that housing...let you know how it turns out. Posted Friday, April 18, 2014 by jerry

A. DJB...I did contact adlake and they were NO HELP AT ALL...said that stuff was sold off in the 70's and referred me to Larry Krise who knew nothing about it either. Posted Saturday, April 19, 2014 by jerry

A. Hi again,I applaud your decision to keep the lamps original.That being said,most people don't realize that Adlake is also in the business of making electrical controls such as relays and they have produced these components for many years.I wouldn't be surprised if you wrote or emailed them and found that they still had original light sensors available.These sensors would have been used by various industries so they may still have some in stock or could give you the original source and part number if they actually purchased them from an outside supplier.Nothing ventured,nothing gained.DJB Posted Saturday, April 19, 2014 by DJB

 Q2737 Restored Lamp --#2701 Follow-Up  Hello everyone...Just finished restoration of my Adams and Westlake 1166 1/2 'WINGED' switch lamp. Sorry Red Beard but when I tried cleaning, it didn’t clean up to my liking!!   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by JM   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Looks really good! ..Please send in several MORE photos showing how it comes apart; that is a very interesting piece. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. It will be on ebay at 9 pm est this evening where I have detailed pictures...I don't know how to put the link to it here but auction is titled A&W 1166 1/2 winged lantern. Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by jerry

A. can refer to question 2701 to see the unrestored version. Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by jerry

A. Jerry, what paint did you use? That yellow & green look pretty accurate. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. Jerry, regarding that oil pot that has to be taken out through the bottom of the lamp: Couple of ideas; It may have started out with a removeable fount and have been retro fitted with the larger round one for use out in some more remote area so the lamp tender didn't have to make his rounds as often. Labor was cheap back then too, the railroad may have wanted a large capacity pot and didn't care about the labor cost for the occasional removal vs. economy of having to fill less often. - or - Some post-railroad owner may have needed a pot and that's all he could find so he modified the lamp. Remember, before eBay, lamp parts were very hard to find. Back in the '70s I tried to cast my own lenses out of hobby resin as I could find none for sale. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. The paint I used on the day targets is: YELLOW...Valspar gloss gold abundance # 85010 GREEN... Rustoleum spruce green # 7737 Got both from Lowe's. Posted Monday, March 31, 2014 by jerry

A. You are not supposed to list items for sale on this site - either directly or through ebay Posted Tuesday, April 1, 2014 by BK

A. Someone has bid 19 times on it...lol.....Nothing like bidding once and only the max amount your willing to pay for it. Posted Thursday, April 3, 2014 by JL

A. Excellent detail work! Much better than the factory. In the future you might also want to try researching the engine block spray paint good to about 600 degrees F by VHT and Dupli-Color. Don't use the 2000 degree F paint. They are more UV resistant, last longer, stand up the the heat and the colors available match a lot of the colors railroads used. Industry regardless of type usually all used the same colors because of Government regulations and they adhere to metal surfaces better. Thank you KEITH Posted Saturday, May 24, 2014 by Keith

 Q2735 Mar Signal Light  I am wondering if anyone can tell me anything about this, if it was from a train etc. I have attached photos and also have a video of it in action [see link]. I know nothing about it other than what it says on the motor. Thanks!   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Friday, March 28, 2014 by CS  Link 1     Post a Reply  Email a reply

A.  This light was probably used on cabooses or the rear car of a passenger train. There may have been a bracket that allowed it to hang over a railing that is missing from it now. The label on the motor in it looks more recent, it has orange printing on it. Mars Signal Light Co. was founded by a Chicago firefighter named Jerry Kennelly in the 1930's. He had financial support from Frank Mars and his wife Ethel, of Mars Candy Co. So the origin of "The Light From Mars" is related to the candy company. Kennelly noticed that when he drove fire trucks if he moved the cowl mounted spotlights it got the oncoming drivers attention. He developed mechanical motor driven lights that accomplished this. During development Frank Mars along with his mechanical folks had some of the parts made at the candy company. The link is from Trainweb, and has a short history of Mars Signal Light and Pyle National. Pyle National also made moving lights for railroad use under the name Gyralite. Mars Signal Light is still in business and was bought out by Trippe Light Co., they are now known as Tri Light Mars. They still sell warning lights for emergency vehicles that use the figure 8 pattern. Link 1  Posted Saturday, March 29, 2014 by KM

A. This style of single-light Mars light was often hung on the end doors of Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDC's). Another possibility was it was set into the nose of a diesel to provide warning to oncoming trains if the train went into emergency braking. The link is a 15 minute video about the original introduction of RDC's; amount 10:55 into the video there are very clear views of a Western Pacific single RDC running as a train, with a Mars light hung on each end; the front one is almost certainly clear, for grade crossing warning, and the rear one is red. These are the older style, larger Mars lights, but I believe yours was probably used the same way. The yellow paint is a clue to where it was likely used; that particular yellow color looks to me like the way Via Rail Canada painted their RDC car ends. An additional clue to how this light was used will be the motor voltage; they were typically either 12 Volt DC (most often used on cabooses) or 32 VDC, 72 VDC, or possibly 110 VDC. What voltage is shown on the motor label? And the correct lamp bulb to be used in it is discussed in prior Q 978 here on the Q&A Board; it will be a PAR56 sealed beam lamp. You are missing the lamp retainer ring, which goes over the front face of the sealed-beam lamp and has two spring clips which go under the hooks to hold the lamp in place. Q 978 discusses several options for bulbs you could use in this light. Having a tightly focussed sealed beam bulb will make the flashing figure-8 effect even more striking.  Link 1  Posted Saturday, March 29, 2014 by RJMc

A. Thank you for all the information, I have posted a link below with more photos, the motor is a 12 volt. It does appear to be missing something in regards to the reflector which appears now to be a piece of cardboard with reflective sticky material like aluminum foil.  Link 1  Posted Sunday, March 30, 2014 by CS

A. The Links are to two pictures of a Rock Island Rail Diesel Car running as a train, towing a regular coach as a trailer. In the first link pic, there is one of these Mars lights on the front door of the RDC, with a clear lens, no doubt as extra grade crossing warning protection. And on the back of the coach, in the second link pic, there is one of this same model of light but with a red lens (as with the yellow light in the question), as marker protection. We still have not figured out where the yellow light may have been used; comments welcome from anyone who may have seen these around the Twin Cites area, where this one was found. The yellow light appears to have been permanently mounted with a conduit fitting on the back, but it is definitely a 12 VDC unit. Some comments have indicated some RR's may have used 12 VDC units on locomotives, using a dropping resistor from the higher typical loco voltages, at least for the Mars light motor if not for the sealed beam lamp.  Link 1  Link 2  Posted Thursday, April 24, 2014 by RJMc

 Q2728 Lantern/Lamp ID Needed  I have a lantern with the following letters embossed thereon: N.C.B.R.R. Can you identify the railway name? There is no date I can see. Is there a particular name for this kind of lantern? I'm not a railroadiana collector; I am an automobilia collector. Thank you for your help.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by NS   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. This looks pretty close but not quite identical to a #73 Adlake switch lamp. See Link 1 which is a page from a 1907 Adams&Westlake catalog that is available here in the Railroadiana Library. And NCB RR is probably Nevada Copper Belt Railroad which was around from 1910 until 1947. On page 79 of "The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Railroad Lighting, Volume Two-The Railroad Signal Lamp" the number 73 is shown and there is a photo of one that is also marked N.C.B.R.R. That lamp may have a higher top on it than yours and it has two green and two red lenses that are 4.5 inches in diameter. What does the brass oval tag which is attached to your lamp say? It may have patent numbers on it which are issued to Adlake. Does it have the four prong cast iron base which is used on older switch lamps? As switch lamps go, this is a very nice example of a fairly rare older lamp from a well known but small railroad. Link 1  Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by KM

A. Thank you for your valuable information. Looking at the pics in Link 1, my lantern is very similar to No 73 except the stack is slightly shorter and all the lenses are 4 1/4" recessed similar as in No 63. The brass plate says: The Adams & Westlake Company Makers Chicago . I can find no numbers anywhere.The base is same as No 73. Weight about 8 lbs. Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by NES

A. I just noticed something else: Although my lantern appears similar to No 73, it has a sliding door as seen on No 206. Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by NES

A.  Sorry that link didn't work, just search "Holabird Kagin Americana Nevada Copperbelt Railroad Signal Lantern" and it should be the first hit. That lamp was restored by someone and it looks like they repainted it, replaced the bail with a brass wire instead of the wooden handle, and polished up the retaining rings that hold the lenses in.  Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by KM

A.  This link shows another NCB switch lantern that was sold in 2012. It also has the higher chimney and NOTE it is painted RED like yours is. Most railroads used black paint on these, does anyone know if the MCB used or specified red paint? Whatever you do don't mess with the paint on this until you find out, and in my opinion it looks great the way it is anyway.  Link 1  Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by KM

 Q2727 Help in Identifying Lantern  I recently acquired a lantern that I have been trying to identify. Based on what I've been able to find online, I think it might be German, but it has no maker's marks or marks of any kind. I have found similar lanterns, but none with the same feature. It has a storage slot in the back for a red glass slide that can be placed in the front. This leads me to believe it is a railroad lantern. Would you say this is correct? Any information you can give me on this lantern would be greatly appreciated. Do you think the lantern might have had another colored slide that has since gone missing? Thank you in advance for your time.  [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by GA   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. See Q1396 in the Archives which is about a similar lantern. Does your lamp have clear glass panels on the sides?  Posted Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by KM

A. It has clear glass on the sides, but only because I put them there. There was no glass in it at all when I got it, except for the red glass slide that stores in the back. A Dark Room Lantern seems to make sense, assuming the sides were not clear glass originally. Looks like I might have to cut some new glass. Thank for the info so far. Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by GA

A. Do a Bing or Google search of "WWII German lanterns" and you'll see very similar lanterns if not the exact one. However, all the German WWII lanterns that I've seen are all are marked with maker codes and inspection marks. Maybe earlier german lanterns went unmarked. I don't know. Posted Thursday, March 20, 2014 by GL

A. My original thought was that is was a WWII era German lantern. I found similar ones, but none with the extra red glass slide or storage slot on the back for the slide, that this one has. Posted Friday, March 21, 2014 by GA

 Q2721 Can't Open Tank  I just bought a Dietz Improved Vulcan RR Lantern. This lantern has a patented wing lock burner and tank ( Dec 13, 1910). We can not figure out how to open the tank to fuel it. Does the burner twist off the tank ( it twists but does not come off) in a way we can't figure out? Or is there some other way to fill?   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2014 by DLC   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. Correction on the above information - the tank patent is Dec 13,10 and May 31,10. The burner/fount patent is July 26, 1904. When we try to side the wing lock to the right, the underlying support also slides with it, and it(underlying support) is too big to lift out of the opening. Something is wrong - there is no point to the wing lock if turning it does not make it possible to lift up...!Is something stuck? Any ideas?  Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2014 by LC

A. There is usually a gasket under the burner. Over time they harden and shrink around the burner so it longer lifts off easily and they can turn with the burner. If you pop off the burner from the tight gasket, you may have trouble reinstalling the burner in the shrunken, hardened gasket. You may have enlarge the gasket opening by shaving a bit of the material around the gasket hole with a utility knife to reinstall the burner. Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2014 by JFR

A. Spray the under lying gasket area with WD-40 or oil. Let it soak a few minutes then using some muscle pop the burner out. It will break loose from the old gasket. Posted Thursday, March 13, 2014 by GD

A. Thanks so much for the replies on this site. You gave us the nerve to oil, and then pry a bit harder than we may otherwise have done and presto! the burner came out. We cleaned up the hole a bit, oiled some more, and now it goes in and out really nicely. Thanks again! Posted Saturday, March 22, 2014 by LC

 Q2719 Lamp Info Needed  I have an Arlington Dressel N.J. USA lantern which I bought many years ago at an antique store. I was labeled by the seller as Canadian Pacific. Inside a hollow square post, which I assume was how it was affixed to the train, are the initials ME CENT. The lantern is about 19-20 inches tall. Has two red and two green lenses. It opens at the top and also where the wick is. It weighs about 15 pounds. It has a bail-type handle. Can you give me additional information as to the origin or use of this lantern from the above description? Thank-you. I appreciate any information that you can provide me.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by BB   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. What you have is a mainline switch stand lamp for the Maine Central Railroad. Posted Sunday, March 9, 2014 by DY

 Q2718 RR Headlight?  Can anyone tell me anything about the light in the picture?   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by JM   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. This is a kleg light used for stage lighting. Posted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by BK

 Q2716 Followup to Question 2701: Switch Lamp w/ Wings  I just began disassembly of the SWITCH LAMP WITH WINGS and discovered something very interesting...this lamp has a 48 ounce fount which takes up almost all of the space in the bottom of the lamp...the only way to remove the fount is to take the bottom out of the lamp...AMAZING !!!   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Saturday, March 8, 2014 by JM   Post a Reply  Email a reply

 Q2714 Lamp Info Needed  I just acquired these lamps. There about 13 inches tall, and the glass is about 5 inches. Just wanted to know what model it is and if you what there were used for. Thanks.   [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Thursday, February 27, 2014 by Robby   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A.  They are tail lamps or marker lamps used on the end of the train. They look like they might be made by Adlake but I am not sure of that or of the model number. Can you take a photo of just the round tag which can be seen inside of the one lamp that shows all of those patent numbers or dates? After enlarging the photo and then expanding it more using Control+ I can see patent dates from 1907 to maybe 1915 but the resolution is not very good. I am wondering if those are all Adams & Westlake patents. Posted Thursday, February 27, 2014 by KM

A. Yes those are Adlake and old too! The legs holding the cap to the vent cone go down inside of the cone rather than being riveted to the outside of the cone. I'd guess those were made about a hundred years ago. -- Very close to or the same as the #168 lamp in LINK 1 below, which was offered with one or more lenses. -- Of interest is the adapter for the lens; fitting a larger lens to the lamp than it was originally made to take. Eastern roads liked this style and many were found on the Pennsy. Is the lamp marked with road initials?? Some streetcars used these as well. Very nice pieces. ---- .... Red Beard Link 1  Posted Thursday, February 27, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. There adlake made ad the last patented date is 1913, there is no railroad mark. Posted Saturday, March 1, 2014 by Robby

 Q2712 RR Signal Glass  I had read about a certain color of glass lens utilized for railroad service in the past, by the name of 'Kerosene Pink.' Unfortunately, I was unable to find any indication anywhere for what purpose this particular color served. I was wondering, please, if you might happen to know what Kerosene Pink in a lantern/signal signified? Thank you,  Posted Monday, February 24, 2014 by ID   Post a Reply  Email a reply

A. ID: Please post as much information as you can about where you read about this color; it is one I have not heard of before. ...DJB?? any ideas?? ---- ....Red Beard Posted Tuesday, February 25, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. ID,Sorry but I have never heard of this term for a signal aspect/color.Like Red Beard suggests,tell us where you saw this term so we can put into a better context.DJB Posted Tuesday, February 25, 2014 by DJB

A. Kerosene Pink was in fact a lens color used by some railroads, but was very rare. Bright green (I think they called it Kelley Green) and purple were also not so common colors. The only way to know if you definitively have a KP lens would be to find one with a tag on it that said Kerosene Pink. I believe Kopp was the only manufacturer to have a KP lens. Keep hunting, they're out there. Link 1  Posted Friday, February 28, 2014 by Jeff Gorjans

A. Hi Jeff; I believe you. Because of its rarity, it would be helpful to post as much information on here as possible for all readers, current and future, to have access to. -- Could you write back with as much information as you can think of? Time era of use, railroads using it, what the color indicated, etc. would be helpful. Thanks. ---- .... Red Beard Posted Saturday, March 1, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider

A. what color is kerosene pink?? Thank you Keith Posted Sunday, March 2, 2014 by Keith

A. Take a look at this thread on "Trainorders.com" from ten years ago (LINK 1). Seems the "Pink" question has been posed before.  Link 1  Posted Wednesday, March 5, 2014 by Red Beard the Railroad Raider