Posted 8 years ago
StevenP
(1 item)
I came across this (signal?) lamp but are unable to identify it or its' purpose. The main body is heavy gauge galvanized tin, painted black, appx 5-1/2 inches in all dimensions, height over the chimney is appx 10-1/2 inches, total height over the handle is appx 13 inches, the widest part of the chimney is a bit over 3 in diameter. It has (had) 3 lenses, all could be slid in or out easily, no method of fixing them in place. One lens being stationary in the front position and the other two stored slid in sideways. Either other lens able to pull out and swing and lock in front of the stationary lens, which would need to be physically removed if not to come into play with the second lens. It has a mounting tang for a fixed wall position, 4 feet, 7/8 in tall and 5/8 in diameter for setting down on flat surfaces, a stationary handle for holding vertically and swing out hand holds for the ability to be pointed directionally (like a flashlight). The reflector is concave and silver plated, the wick is flat and the kerosene tank rectangular. There are no markings other than the number "85" stamped on the back over the mounting tab. I first assumed it was a type of railroad lantern and it was later suggested to be a stage lantern, however I have not been able to find another similar style lamp. Any help would be deeply appreciated.
Pretty sure it a train station signal lantern had a similar one a few months back was on Google searching for a couple months before I confirmed that the one I had wasn't a train signal but a carriage lantern but yours sounds big enuff to be a train signal just keep googling you will find it
By train station I take it to mean, for use on the train platform, to signal incoming trains? I've never found one with flat lenses can you shed any light (no pun intended) on whether they were plain flat glass or a Fresnel variety and what colors they would have come in?
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/railroadiana/lanterns
Try this site idk if u can get them there...but it may shine the light in the path u need to be on u can learn a lot about your new found uniue toy :-) I'm about to go on and look up this new lantern I came across
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5336393585&toolid=10013&customId=railroadiana%2Flanterns&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F231998659750
^here is a blue lens on eBay I just found for u lookin for mine
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5336393585&toolid=10013&customId=railroadiana%2Flanterns&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F182187899988
And here's. A red lens
I'm not sure if they are the right type tho
Thanks for the info however a lens has to be flat, 4 in square and no more than 1/8 inch thick. I did find a lamp with some similarity but can't tell if the lens is flat. There are substantial differences, however the sliding catch to open the door is identical in construction and shape as mine. See it at http://www.ebay.com/itm/German-2-Way-Railroad-Switch-Signal-Train-Lantern-with-globe-and-fount-No-2-/142047098860?hash=item2112aab7ec:g:R4UAAOSwuzRXfSVL
Can you post a picture of the top of it so I found a few of them look almost exactly alike but you have
So I'm excited!!! I copyied what I found to paste here for u..I'll post the pic where show and tell in on here but may be a little closer to knowing more about it buy here is what I found out....
Q3043 Caboose Lamp? I believe this to be a Caboose Lantern, or other type of signal lamp, however I've been unable to find anything similar to it searching for RR lamps. It has no name of a RR or of the manufacturer. It measures approximately 14 in tall by 5 in wide by 5-1/2 in deep and had three flat lenses with the option of any one of the three being in use at any one time or possibly two together as one position is stationary. They would have measured 4-1/2 square, the glass in the stationary position could be removed or replaced through a slot located under a flap on the top of the lamp, the other two through an open slot in the top of the swinging glass holder. The two swinging positions, when not in use slide inside secured with a sliding pin. The rear has tang used to attach the lamp to a flat surface. The rear opens for access to the burner, directly behind the burner is a convex mirror like surface to focus or intensify the light. Any help would be greatly appreciated! [Click on image for larger version.] Posted Sunday, November 8, 2015 by Steve U Post a Reply Email a reply
A. Hi Steve, I can't give you a positive identification, but the design of your lamp, particularly the chimney, looks French. Possibly a dwarf signal lamp or a side lamp from a "fourgon", the French name for a caboose.
Just replaced a picture with a view from the top you can see the slots in the pull out holders and the stationary one is accessed through a folding flap which is open in the picture but not seen clearly
As a picture to show and tell under lamps under railroad lanterns
Looks identical to mine, Given the locking device similar to the German lamp and the suspicion from your post that the chimney looks French, it most likely is a European lamp, I'll research that angle more, wonder how it arrived here.
Believe I've got it! A French WS Railroad caboose lantern from WW I, probably a trophy brought back after the war. Caboose, due to having a pierced hole on the rear to secure it by a screw or nail ( looks like a nail was driven through it, not a drilled or punched out hole) suggesting it was semi-permanently stationary mounted, also because the bail doesn't move as a hand held lamp would. WS (whatever that means) Railroad, as the back is stamped with the number 85 and a W in the center of the top of the 8 and an S in the bottom of the 8. WW II, as I found the following title, French troops capture a group of German soldiers during World War I, along with a video and further description at http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/railroad-carriage-bearing-artillery-passes-by-german-news-footage/496721116
"WS railroad carriage bearing artillery passes by / German soldiers run out of trench, approach camera as they emerge with hands raised in surrender / VS German soldiers run out of trenches / elevation shot soldiers carry wounded man on stretcher through trench as other wounded soldiers and other troops follow"
What a sad time, makes me not as excited as I otherwise would be, when I think of the horrors of that war, I served in Vietnam.
OK im back and after tons of read searchin etc I went to one of my antique site started searching the lanterns on there before long I come along this photo it looks similar to yours so I click it well needless to say we were sort of on the right track it is a lantern but it wasn't a Railroad carriage or a ship Lantern....
So the only one that I could find that was all there and with pictures showing how it opens works etc I saved all the pictures and I copyied it so I can paste it onto the show and tell here...u have everything cept the bottom (think I got a picture of one and the red glass its kinda like picture frame glass but red..
OK so what u have is a dark room photo developer lantern...it transforms well opens up to a little room pretty sure the brand u have is Kodak I'm gonna post the solved mystery up for u so u can see how it goes then IMA post my lantern which I came across while looking for yours
Thanks for delving into this, I sincerely appreciate it , however after investigating darkroom lamps I sincerely believe it to be a signal lamp of some kind, perhaps French RR as stated above or other, not a darkroom lamp. I haven't seen your post and remain open should it depict a lamp with the unique features of my mystery, however there are several reasons for it not being a darkroom lamp. ( I used to do B&W darkroom work) (1) a darkroom lamp has no need for three lenses only a red one , none of the darkroom lamps I found have an accommodation for three separate lenses. (2) my lamp has a convex, silver, beam focusing component for transmitting light a distance, darkroom lamps simply need to provide a red light in the immediate area for developing a negative, none found have a convex focusing component., 3) all darkroom lamps pictured save for 1 only do not have a bail handle for carrying as they only need to be stationary. I believe these 3 together rule out darkroom lamp and I stick by my French RR caboose lamp assumptions, as stated earlier.