Railroad Lamps & Lanterns
Light the Way

John Goodnough

This fixed globe lantern was made by Kimball and Hartman of Cleveland, OH. Patent dates on the base (March 1, 1859) and the burner 1868 help to date it. Fixed globes fell out of favor around 1870. Theodore A. Xaras Collection.

From the earliest days of railroading, the need for lighting was evident. The faster the trains moved over the ribbons of iron (and later steel), the better the quality and reliability of lighting that was needed. In the early 1830s, soon after several carriers of the times began operating in various corridors along the eastern seaboard, improvements in lighting devices were already coming out in numerous forms to fit the growing needs of the industry.

FORM OVER FUNCTION
At first, the lamps and lanterns used in railroading were designed primarily for function; however, by 1840 the few lamp and lantern manufacturers were developing their products to be engaging to the eye as well. By 1845, such lighting pieces as locomotive headlamps had begun to exhibit elegant lines and other features far beyond what were their essential primary use. Many engine men often added their own touches to "personalize" their iron steeds, and ornamentation on lanterns and lamps carried on board or affixed to the equipment displayed examples including, but not limited to, scrollwork, insignias, deer antlers, encased pictures and/or nameplates. Numerous illustrations of lantern types that once graced the front end of such long-ago workhorses as 4-4-0 American type locomotives are now among the artifacts on exhibit in museums and sought by collectors. Even in this first decade of the 21st century, a vintage conductor's brass lantern or caboose marker lamp, or engine headlamp with virtually all elements intact, can make most antiquarians salivate.

During the establishment of the nation's railroad systems, operations people experimented with and used lamps and lanterns through periods of poor visibility to warn persons and animals ahead that a train was approaching. Later on, the lantern became standard equipment, just as significant as were bells and whistles.

WHALE-OIL YIELDS WAY TO ELECTRICITY
The first locomotive headlamps were nothing more than wooden or tin boxes hung or mounted ahead of the smoke chamber, with the light source being a candle set in a holder and something behind it to reflect the light ahead of the train.

Before the end of the 1840s, the light source was typically a wick with whale-oil font (reservoir). As glass manufacturing had greatly advanced by that time, glass lenses were being fashioned to help intensify the beams of light as well as to protect the flame against being blown out by the wind or extinguished by rain/snow.

Before mass production, local blacksmiths, tinsmiths, or coppersmiths made locomotive headlamps, marker lamps, and hand-held lanterns for the burgeoning industry. Models and styles varied; virtually no two were exactly the same. Seldom were there any identifying marks on those early versions of illumination devices used on the railroads. The first significant emergence of firms employing mass production of locomotive lamps and related devices did not take place until 1855.

By the 1850s most railroad lanterns used by employees such as conductors, yard workers, and station agents were of the dead-flame type using whale oil as fuel, and employing glass globes with protective wire guards. Production of railroad marker lamps, headlamps, and lanterns began to soar as the Civil War years unfolded during the 1860s. Kerosene became the dominant fuel and a small number of manufacturers swung into full mass-assembly operations in several cities east of the Mississippi River. By 1870 a typical hand-held railroad lantern sold for about $2.50, and there was no shortage of spare parts such as chimneys, fonts, and globes.

From the Civil War period into the first decade of the 1900s, there were three main types of lantern used on the railroads:

Combinations of lenses and reflectors with each of the above types filled the different purposes of users in the industry.
As steam generators were perfected near the end of the last century, virtually all locomotive headlights were changed to use the more reliable electric power. This eliminated the need for workers to climb up and light wicks, clean smudged lenses and reflectors, refuel, and other associated tasks. After 1910, only the most-obscure branch line railroads and a handful of die-hard operators still used oil-fueled locomotive headlights as a matter of general policy.

Railroad car interior lamps were using compressed gas as fuel by the 1880s. Examples of those relatively short-lived (and potentially unsafe) types, such as Pintsch fixtures, are very rare in antique markets; the few extant examples in good condition command premium prices from collectors.

MASS PRODUCTION
Handheld lamps used by railroad personnel were becoming more detailed and embellished by the 1880s. Every lamp had its purpose. Colored globes were introduced for use in the many facets of signaling between crew members on the ground and those on board the trains. There were station lamps, car inspectors' lanterns, conductor and brakeman lanterns, switchstand lamps, turntable lanterns, car marker lanterns, bridge lamps and car interior lanterns. Engineers and station agents had their own types to aid them in specifics tasks. As a result of all the applications involved with railroad lighting needs, some companies offered numerous styles and sizes of chimneys and globes, fonts, reflectors and accessories; some items were sold in sets, interchangeable with the same style of fixture. One firm in Pittsburgh, Pa. advertised over 1,200 versions of such parts for its line of products!

Among the first railroad lamps and lantern manufacturers of note was Absalom G. Smith's firm, Archer-Pancoast & Company that produced equipment for the industry between 1856 and 1868. In 1868, Smith entered into partnership with Robert E. Dietz's, Dietz & Company and the firm's name was changed to Dietz & Smith. By August 1869, Dietz purchased all of Smith's interests and the name was changed to R.E. Dietz & Company.

R.E. Dietz & Company stopped railroad lantern production in 1959. It remained in business until 1992, when the Dietz Automotive Lighting Division was sold to the Federal Mogul Company. Dietz permanently closed its Syracuse sales office and sold the property. On Labor Day, 1998, the 100-year-old Dietz Building in Syracuse was severely damaged by a "micro-burst" windstorm.

The Kelly Lamp Company, Rochester, N.Y. was another early fabricator, beginning operations in 1856. By 1889 the enterprise had been taken over by the Rochester Headlight Works, and production continued until about 1920.

The firm of Adams & Westlake began manufacturing and marketing railroad lamps and lanterns in 1857 when two young men, John McGregor Adams and John Crerar came to Chicago from New York City to represent Jessup, Kennedy & Company, steel distributors. Deciding that their future lay in other directions, the two left Jessup, Kennedy and established the firm of Crerar, Adams & Company to deal in contractors and railroad supplies, hardware, and metalware of various kinds.

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire turned the Crerar, Adams building at the corner of Franklin and Ohio Streets into ashes. After the fire, the building was rebuilt. On October 21, 1874 the company purchased the assets of Dane, Westlake and Covert, and the Chicago Railway Lantern and Manufacturing Company and merged them along with its subsidiary, named Union Brass Manufacturing Company into the new Adams & Westlake Manufacturing Company.

Adams & Westlake is probably better known by its trademark, Adlake. The company has diversified to include several lines of railroad industry supplies, and remains active.

As a point of interest, John C. Crerar (1827-1889), gave liberally to many causes. He is remembered chiefly for the John Crerar Library, a scientific and technical reference library on campus at the University of Chicago, for which he provided in his will. The library has special collections on medicine, Chinese literature, Dutch history, floriculture, women's movement history, trade unions, and social sciences in general. It is noted for its fine bibliographical work.

COLLECTORS "LIGHT UP"
Overall, there were known to have been more than 40 companies fabricating and shipping large quantities of lighting equipment to the railroads and supporting industries between 1856 and 1930. After World War II, when storage batteries of reasonably long life had been perfected, the oil-fueled lamps, so commonly carried or attended to by railway personnel, were phased out. Examples of various makes and models started becoming more noticeable in antique shops by the early 1950s. Some extant versions of the old-style whale-oil and kerosene-burning lamps and lanterns are deemed scarce or rare, and they occasionally command high prices at public auctions, estate liquidations, and railroadiana shows.

A few of the lamp and lantern manufacturers occasionally made "presentation" items for use in special ceremonies or to honor the accomplishments of railroad people. Sometimes in lieu of, or along with, the traditional "gold watch" presentation in remembrance of one's retirement from railroad service - especially during the reign of steam power between the 1880s and the end of the 1930s - the recipient would be handed a gold, brass, or silver-plated lantern. It is believed that only a few hundred of such presentation types were made. The Dietz firm was conspicuous in fabricating such lamps, marking them simply with the identifying name "Dietz." Often, the presenting party would have a suitable tab or plate affixed, giving the name of the recipient, the date presented, and the occasion for which it was given. Periodically, examples of such lanterns will be seen on display at museums or will be found in the ownership of collectors. The relatively few vestiges of those devices found in "mint" condition at railroadiana shows of the early 1990s were often sold for prices in the $500 to $1,000 range. As collectors scoop up the last few remaining reminders of the past, prices will certainly be driven much
higher.

If one is patient, a good example of an 1880s-1930s kerosene-fueled railroad lantern or lamp (such as the several varieties of Dietz or Adlake manufacture, for instance) can still be found for a price in the $35-$75 range.

You may find one of several recognized references in local libraries, whereby those interested in learning more about the evolution of railroad lamps, lanterns, headlights and markers can dive into more intensive research on the subject. One may also pay particular attention when strolling through the aisles at railroadiana shows or visiting antique shops around the nation.

Adams and Westlake is still in business producing lanterns and lamps as well as other hardware for the transportation industry. The switch light to the right is part of their current product line.

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