I recently bought an Adlake battery powered lantern of the type with the large bail and the 2 small bulbs on the bottom. It appears to have used a single large round battery rather that the rectangular lantern battery that I have seen on Star lanterns. When was this type of lantern made? Are batteries still available? When did rr's get away from the kerosene brakeman's lanterns in favor of the battery models?

http://www.svry.com
jamesbane@hotmail.com

James,

While your lantern is round, it will probably hold a standard, square 6V lantern battery just fine. If you look inside the lantern, you will see where the lantern has a center contact for the center post and probably has a circular contact which will contact the outer post of the square lantern battery no matter how it is put into the lantern. Give it a shot. You will be surprised. And please tell me if I am wrong. That happens on occasion, but I have put many Adlake electric brakeman's lanterns into service at our museum with square batteries.

As for the switch over from kerosene to battery, I don't know of any real firm date, but I would believe the transition was well underway in the late 1950's and early 1960's. In Richard Barrett's lantern book, he states that battery lanterns came into being around 1918 and became more popular after the depression.

I do know that even with battery lanterns well established, the Penn Central, for example, required cabooses to carry kerosene lanterns for some time after PC's formation. This is why you will find a lot of Adlake Kero short globe lanterns marked for the Penn Central. Our Penn Central caboose at our museum is equipped with several and a Penn Central marked kerosene filler can. All of them look almost new as they were rarely, if ever used in service.

Hope that helps.

Until later,
Chris


R&GV Railroad Museum

crhauf@frontiernet.net

I have my father's unused kerosene lantern he was issued in 1954 when he transfered from Elkins WV to Hagerstown, MD. The reason it is unused is WM had gone to electric lanterns a few years earlier but still issued kerosene lanterns as backups. The reason I have it is the railroad did not want it back when he retired 25 years later. They also told him to keep his unused electric lantern as well as the one he used daily. I have those too.

jhbohon@yahoo.com

Thanks! You were right a square batt. works fine. I wonder if at one time they actually made a round batt?

> While your lantern is round, it will
> probably hold a standard, square 6V lantern
> battery just fine. If you look inside the
> lantern, you will see where the lantern has
> a center contact for the center post and
> probably has a circular contact which will
> contact the outer post of the square lantern
> battery no matter how it is put into the
> lantern. Give it a shot. You will be
> surprised. And please tell me if I am wrong.
> That happens on occasion, but I have put
> many Adlake electric brakeman's lanterns
> into service at our museum with square
> batteries.

> As for the switch over from kerosene to
> battery, I don't know of any real firm date,
> but I would believe the transition was well
> underway in the late 1950's and early
> 1960's. In Richard Barrett's lantern book,
> he states that battery lanterns came into
> being around 1918 and became more popular
> after the depression.

> I do know that even with battery lanterns
> well established, the Penn Central, for
> example, required cabooses to carry kerosene
> lanterns for some time after PC's formation.
> This is why you will find a lot of Adlake
> Kero short globe lanterns marked for the
> Penn Central. Our Penn Central caboose at
> our museum is equipped with several and a
> Penn Central marked kerosene filler can. All
> of them look almost new as they were rarely,
> if ever used in service.

> Hope that helps.

> Until later,
> Chris


http://www.svry.com
jamesbane@hotmail.com

James,
I use the square battery in my Adlake lantern when I walk my dog. They work fine. I like the lantern for it's ablility to light up the entire area where I am walking without shining a light in my or my spouse's eye. The fact that it's railroad related makes it that much easier to carry.

Bruce


My Website
trainhead@mymail.emcyber.com

When the electrics came around a lot of the old timers didn't like them. When they grabbed their lantern for the shift there was not telling when the battery would lose its juice. With the kero fount full and a trimmed wick they knew the lantern was good to go for hours.