Railroad Collectibles and Memorabilia

Railroad Memorabilia

Railroad Collectibles and Memorabilia

Vintage Railroad Lanterns, Lamps & Lenses

In the early days of railroads, operating after dark was a difficult and dangerous proposition. The lights they had available to use as locomotive headlights, switch signal lights, to direct and inspect the trains, and to direct and sort passengers, luggage, and cargo in train yards were generally "dead flame" whale oil lamps and lanterns. Dead flame lanterns rely on convection to bring fresh air inside the lantern globe around the bottom, and the globes and air intakes are shaped to guide airflow around the flame. This design helps to prevent the wind from blowing out the flame, as it is sitting in the middle in "dead" air, but it does not cast a bright light. The glass globes on these early railroad lanterns were fixed to the fuel font, making access to the burner and wick area difficult.

In the middle of the 19th century, several innovations took place in lighting technology. Dietz and Company patented a flat wick lantern burner designed to burn kerosene in 1859. Although the railroad industry continued to use lamps and lanterns burning signal oil for some time afterward, the arrival of kerosene presaged future use of the fuel in later railroad lanterns. In 1868, John Irwin received the patent for his "hot blast" type lantern, a design that diverted exhaust gas back down tubes on the sides of the lantern to direct a mix of fresh and hot air at the flame, making it burn brighter. That same year, Dietz & Smith began producing their first hot blast lanterns. In 1874, Irwin patented a similar "cold blast" type lantern, which was designed to force cold, fresh air at the flame, making it burn even brighter than the previous "hot blast" design. By that time, a number of companies were producing lanterns and signal lamps for the railroad industry, including the Buffalo Steam Gauge and Lantern Company and Adams and Westlake, commonly known as Adlake.

Because there were a large number of lantern manufacturers serving the diverse needs of the railroad companies, many different types of lanterns and lamps were produced over the years. An early innovation was to make the globe removable, allowing easier access to service the burner and wick, and allowing for easy replacement of broken globes. The fixed globe lanterns were replaced by tall globe lanterns with red, cobalt blue, green, amber, and clear globes. The different colors were used for signaling and to mark the end of a train, or a train that was stopped because it was being worked on. Different arm motions and color combinations could allow a switch operator or ground man to tell the engineer of a train to stop, slow down, proceed with caution, or could alert him that the train had parted. Track switches and train yards had signal lamps that were designed with lenses to direct different colors of light in different directions, analogous to modern day automobile traffic lights.

Some lanterns were designed for very specific roles in the railroad industry. Conductor's lanterns were generally larger and more ornate than the ones used by engineers and brakemen. The traveling public expected a dignified and well dressed conductor, and a dented and rusty old lantern would not fit the image as well as a shiny brass conductor's lantern throwing a bright light. Particularly fancy ones, called presentation lanterns, were handed out on special occasions and to particularly valued employees.

Inspectors had bright lanterns designed with a reflective case and lens, made to focus as much light as possible in a small area. They had to check the trains for cracked wheels or axles, damaged couplers, and ensure proper lubrication and maintenance activities were performed on locomotives and rolling stock. The bright light of the Dietz Acme hot blast lantern and the Dietz Ideal cold blast lantern served railroad inspectors for decades.

These signal oil lanterns gave way to kerosene lanterns, and lamp design changed again to accommodate the new fuel. Short globe railroad lanterns of the early 20th century continued in production and use until late in the 20th century, so many fine examples can be found. Though they were shorter, the brighter kerosene flame, sometimes focused using a fresnel lens, was still as useful as long globe lanterns, and for the rail industry represented a far cheaper and more reliable source of portable lighting than electric lights. The same basic designs are still sold and used today to provide lighting in areas with no electricity and in emergencies such as hurricanes.

Collectors looking for antique and vintage railroad lanterns with markings from railroad and traction companies can find new opportunities to buy these historic marker lanterns, semaphore lanterns and switch lamps here daily. Vintage railroad lanterns from Embury, Perkins, Defiance, C.T. Ham and S.G. & L. Co. appear for sale regularly, along with many other railroad lanterns from turn of the century metal shops.
BidsCurrent Bid/
Price
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L&N RAILROAD WALL MOUNTED LANTERN,SHOPS LOUISVILLE RED

L&N RAILROAD WALL MOUNTED LANTERN,SHOPS LOUISVILLE RED

Seller: rail502   Feedback: 1,006  99.4%
17 bids
$60.00
1 min 39 secs
L&N Railroad Dining or Presidential Car Lamp

L&N Railroad Dining or Presidential Car Lamp

Seller: silvereagle941   Feedback: 375  100.0%
0 bids
$400.00
2 mins 45 secs
BOAT SIGNAL LANTERN BRASS,CANDLE OR MAYBE KEROSEN

BOAT SIGNAL LANTERN BRASS,CANDLE OR MAYBE KEROSEN

Seller: rail502   Feedback: 1,006  99.4%
18 bids
$60.09
5 mins 40 secs
RAILROAD CROSSING WARNING LIGHT

RAILROAD CROSSING WARNING LIGHT

Seller: upatdawn51   Feedback: 110  100.0%
4 bids
$36.00
6 mins 5 secs
SOUTHERN PACIFIC TALL 6 INCH GLOBE RAILROAD LANTERN..SP

SOUTHERN PACIFIC TALL 6 INCH GLOBE RAILROAD LANTERN..SP

THE BIG "S.P.CO." GLOBE .. 6 X 3 1/2 X 2 3/8 INCH

Seller: mkantiqueco   Feedback: 2,359  100.0%
0 bids
$849.99
6 mins 37 secs
VINTAGE RAILROAD OR MINERS CARBIDE LIGHT/LANTERN - NICE

VINTAGE RAILROAD OR MINERS CARBIDE LIGHT/LANTERN - NICE

Seller: scrapbookingnana   Feedback: 441  100.0%
19 bids
$46.00
10 mins 59 secs
Prest-o-Lite arc lantern headlight railroad antique

Prest-o-Lite arc lantern headlight railroad antique

THE CINCINNATI VICTORY COMPANY

Seller: 1cabinetman74   Feedback: 146  100.0%
3 bids
$260.00
13 mins 22 secs
OLD HIGHWAY LANTERNFree Shipping

OLD HIGHWAY LANTERN

DIETZ - Syracuse NY

Seller: band999   Feedback: 407  100.0%


$17.68
23 mins 56 secs
Antique 20 Inch Marine Ships Lantern Lamo PERKO Red Glo

Antique 20 Inch Marine Ships Lantern Lamo PERKO Red Glo

Seller: nyestatebuyers   Feedback: 28,809  99.9%
15 bids
$127.50
24 mins 10 secs
Vintage Dietz Junior Wagon Lantern Lamp

Vintage Dietz Junior Wagon Lantern Lamp

Seller: its-a-classic-1   Feedback: 4,475  99.7%
2 bids
$21.50
28 mins 21 secs
Dietz  Red Glass Lantern Globe NEW Syracuse NY

Dietz Red Glass Lantern Globe NEW Syracuse NY

Seller: charlybelle08   Feedback: 734  99.3%


$9.99
29 mins 8 secs
** Antique * Dressel RAILROAD LANTERN -- NYCS - NICE **

** Antique * Dressel RAILROAD LANTERN -- NYCS - NICE **

Seller: leprechan2   Feedback: 8,147  99.5%


$74.99
32 mins 59 secs
80 YEAR OLD DIETZ HY LO TUBULAR LANTERN-GREAT CONDITION

80 YEAR OLD DIETZ HY LO TUBULAR LANTERN-GREAT CONDITION

Seller: graceglass   Feedback: 1,052  100.0%
1 bid
$19.99
40 mins 58 secs
Vintage Railroad Spotlight-STAR HEADLIGHT & Lantern Co

Vintage Railroad Spotlight-STAR HEADLIGHT & Lantern Co

Seller: luckyutreasurefind   Feedback: 1,053  99.9%
0 bids
$9.99
46 mins 56 secs
Dietz NY RR Railroad Lantern Blue Globe Air Pilot 8

Dietz NY RR Railroad Lantern Blue Globe Air Pilot 8

Seller: i.deals   Feedback: 655  93.3%
0 bids
$25.00
1 hr
1 min 18 secs
VINTAGE LANTERN

VINTAGE LANTERN

Seller: riversend10   Feedback: 15  100.0%
0 bids
$9.99
1 hr
4 mins 58 secs
VINTAGE RAILROAD LIGHT INDUSTRIAL MACHINE AGE TRAIN !!

VINTAGE RAILROAD LIGHT INDUSTRIAL MACHINE AGE TRAIN !!

Great game room or garage light, wired and ready to go

Seller: okietime   Feedback: 203  100.0%
0 bids
$125.00
1 hr
21 mins 22 secs
AMERICAN RAIL ROAD HOLLYWOOD LIGHT TRAIN STATION

AMERICAN RAIL ROAD HOLLYWOOD LIGHT TRAIN STATION

Seller: reynoso1972   Feedback: 1,168  99.5%


$24.99
1 hr
22 mins 46 secs
NICE ANTIQUE BLACK MONTGOMERY WARD HANGING BARN LANTERN

NICE ANTIQUE BLACK MONTGOMERY WARD HANGING BARN LANTERN

Seller: historic-riverfront-bonaparte   Feedback: 1,284  100.0%
1 bid
$9.95
1 hr
48 mins 48 secs
DIETZ LITTLE WIZARD LANTERN RED GLOBE

DIETZ LITTLE WIZARD LANTERN RED GLOBE

Seller: bigtime1010vincent   Feedback: 12  100.0%
0 bids
$20.00
2 hrs
9 mins 55 secs
For more information on the various types of lamps and lanterns used on trains and around railroad yards, visit the Railroad Lamps Web Page and the Railroad Lanterns Web Page at Railroadiana Online, where they also have a special section devoted to railroad Inspector's Lanterns. For definitions of the terms used in describing vintage lantern and lamp parts, visit the Lamp Guild.
 
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