Railroad Lanterns

Of the various types of collectibles that reflect the great age of American railroads, lanterns are among the most popular. Their appeal is due to a variety of reasons. They remind people of era when trains were run by steam power and when most facets of personal and community life had some connection with the railroad. For some collectors, lanterns provide a tangible connection with working railroaders who were part of this now vanished era and who used lanterns daily as a tool of the trade. Still other collectors appreciate the design of railroad lanterns whereby metal and glass are combined in an industrial artifact that was designed purely for function but which still had esthetic appeal. For these and other reasons, railroad lanterns are enthusiastically collected by growing number of people in the the hobby.

Over the few decades, a common approach to classifying lanterns has gradually evolved among collectors. The terms used here are sometimes quite different than what is found in original manufacturers' catalogs and railroad rule books. However, such terms serve the purpose of allowing collectors to have a common understanding of what everybody's talking about.

First, collectors usually make a distinction between lanterns and lamps. A Lantern is essentially a metal "cage" containing a transparent or translucent globe that protects an interior light source. This definition applies to lanterns using combustible fuel rather than electric lanterns which usually have exposed light bulbs instead of a globe. Lamps are essentially a solid metal cylinder with one or more lenses used to transmit light from an interior light source. One type of lantern, the Inspector's Lantern, does have a substantial metal body, however, it also has a globe which, for purposes here, places it in the lantern category.

There are perhaps five basic categories that collectors use to classify railroad lanterns. These are: Fixed Globe Lanterns, Tall Globe Lanterns, Short Globe Lanterns, Conductors' Lanterns, and Inspectors Lanterns.

Fixed Globe Lanterns. The earliest type of railroad lantern was the fixed-globe lantern, so called because the globe was cemented in a frame and could not be readily removed. This style of lantern was most popular in the decades that spanned the Civil War. It's not possible to precisely pinpoint the date when fixed-globe lanterns were replaced by the removable-globe variety, although evidence suggests that the latter was introduced immediately after the Civil War. However like most innovations, removable-globe lanterns were not instantly adopted by the industry, and it appears that fixed-globe Lanterns continued to be manufactured for a decade or two after the Civil War.

The heyday of the fixed-globe lantern especially coincided with the era of railroad expansion in the Northeastern United States. The first transcontinental railroad line was not completed until 1869; however, railroad building in the Northeast had already been underway for several decades. Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the markings that are found on fixed-globe lanterns reflect lines from this part of the country. There were many small manufacturers of railroad lanterns at the time -- standardization in the industry had yet to occur -- so there is a wide variety of styles and features that can be found in surviving fixed-globe lanterns. Because of this and the regional quality of such lanterns, collecting fixed-globe lanterns tends to be a specialized part of the hobby. Above Right: A C.T. Ham fixed-globe lantern with a clear cast globe marked B.& A. R.R." for the Boston & Albany Railroad.

Tall-Globe Lanterns. Tall-globe lanterns, also called "Tall Lanterns", are distinguished by removable globes of 5 and 3/8 inches to 6 inches in height. The removable nature of such globes was a real improvement over fixed-globe models for obvious reasons of convenience. Also the size of such globes was well suited to the combustion of the fuel that was gaining favor for lantern use - signal oil. According to Cunningham, the production of the first removable globe lantern is credited to William Westlake, who produced a lantern with such a globe in 1865. However, the real popularity of tall lanterns spanned a period from the 1870's to World War I. During the latter event, national priorities prompted railroads to switch to a different type of lantern fuel -- kerosene -- which led to the development of short-globe lantern models.

Tall lanterns are particularly sought after by collectors because of their size, design and variety. Many manufacturers produced such lanterns, representing a wide range of ornateness and technological innovation. Also, since tall lanterns were produced during the most expansive period of U.S. railroading, they often are marked for railroads that are long gone and that have special historical significance. Toward the end of tall lantern production, the number of companies in the industry narrowed down to a fairly small number, and a certain level of standardization became evident. Nevertheless, the number of variations even within certain model types was large, and tall lanterns are probably the most widely sought-after type of railroad lantern. Above Right: A R.R. Signal Lamp & Lantern tall-globe lantern marked "C.P. Ry" with a green cast globe marked "CPR" for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Above Left: A 5 3/8" red cast globe with an extended base marked "B.&.O. R.R." for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Short-Globe Lanterns. Short-globe lanterns or "short lanterns" came into production after World War I and continued to be made through the 1960's or early 1970's. Actually, some still continue to be made for specialty purposes but their regular use in railroad service can be considered effectively over. They are usually characterized by globes that are 3 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches high as compared to globes from tall lanterns that are usually 5 3/8 to 6 inches high. Short lanterns succeeded tall lanterns because railroads switched to kerosene as lantern fuel after World War One, and the smaller burning chamber of the shorter globe was especially suited to this type of fuel. The lighter weight and better portability of the short lantern were also likely factors in its acceptance.

Among collectors, short lanterns are considered less desirable, mostly because as a class they are (relatively) newer than tall-globe lanterns. Also they are a lot more common. However, the irony here is that the era of the short lantern more closely corresponds to the "golden age" of American railroading when the most impressive developments in steam power were taking place and when railroads truly permeated most aspects of American life. Thus, as reminders of this era, the short lantern has perhaps more to claim than the more collectible tall-globe variety.

The major U.S. manufacturers who made short lanterns were Adams & Westlake, Armspear Manufacturing, R.E. Dietz , Lovell-Dressel, and Handlan. Dietz also made a popular series of lanterns called the "Vesta", most of which took a special 4 1/4 inch globe that was an inch taller than a true "short globe." Vesta's are usually classified as short globe lanterns. Above Right: A "Kero" short-globe lantern made by Adams & Westlake with a blue fresnel globe; Left: A 3 1/2" red globe.

Conductors' Lanterns. A special style of lantern used by conductors was the "conductors' lantern" also called a "presentation lantern". The latter phrase .reflects the fact that this style of lantern was sometimes used for award purposes with ornate and elaborate markings honoring a specific individual. As a category, conductors' lanterns are generally fancier than the ordinary brakemans' lanterns and are often found with nickel or brass plating, more delicate designs, and/or globes with ornamental lettering. This difference in quality reflected both the status of the conductor as the highest authority on a passenger train (higher than the engineer) and the fact that his lantern was likely to be seen by the traveling public. A wide variety of conductors' lanterns were produced by different lantern manufacturers, and many of these took special globes that could be used only in such lanterns. Today, conductors' lanterns tend to be an especially valued collectible (translation: $$$!). Above Right: A brass conductors' lantern manufactured by the Steam Gauge & Lantern Company from the collection of Bill Kajdzik.

Inspector's Lanterns. Inspector's lanterns were characterized by a unique but utilitarian design suited to examining rolling stock. They were typically constructed of sheet metal with a reflecting surface made of metal or glass for focusing light in one direction. However, the flame was enclosed in a globe, so we can reasonably classify them as a lantern. Inspector's lanterns came in a couple of different sizes but did not vary all that much in basic appearance. Left: An Inspector's lantern made by Dietz and marked "B.R.& P. Ry" for the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway.

Notes: Information sources are Barrett and Cunningham.