RR lanterns with no RR names?

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:15 pm

I have a 1943 Adlake/Adams lantern in excellent condition I got a show some time back. I was going to use it this fall on the tourist RR on which I volunteer.
My question is this; I assume they were made for uses other than RR use, but who else would have gotten them during WW2?
I really doubt these would be used for Army use, as the military RR ones I have seen were all military marked. The military had plenty of their own light sources of any type you could imagine and I have never seen any photos of a lantern like this being used in the field by the military (except for one photo I have in my collection taken place during one of the stateside maneuvers).

In the height of rationing, I couldn't imagine this lantern was in the hands of a farmer when new, so could it have been a RR once but never stamped on the lid as most were?

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Quick Answer: Anyone in any industry could purchase them, and the manufacturer would stamp any initials you requested on them. I bought new lanterns directly on several occasions with custom stamped initials as gifts for friends.

PC

WVNorthern · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2020 3:37 pm

I once owned a similar lantern that came from the NYC Fire Department.

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2020 4:25 pm

I'm assuming a lot here, but wouldn't smaller railroads or ones where the supplies were forwarded via the government (something that happened way more often than the history books like to tell people today), get lanterns that simply weren't stamped by the maker?
I'd think that stamping of a lantern's head, in 1943, wouldn't exactly be the highest priority thing for the maker at that time.

diningcartim · **Joined:** Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:34 pm **Posts:** 197

There is no way to tell if this lantern was actually made in 1943. That is merely the latest patent date. Typically, the lanterns would be produced for 5-10 years before they might have an updated patent date.

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:33 pm

Adlake's web site shows they make them without stamping for $105.00 (without fount, burner or wick and without globe) but for $107.00 will stamp them on one side and for $109.00 on two sides.

That's for a NEW Adlake lantern. They also make the fount, burner and wick, and globes in clear, red, amber, green and blue.

http://adlake.com/uploads/3/4/8/2/34823 ... ricing.pdf

Phil Mulligan

Termite7 · **Joined:** Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:29 pm **Posts:** 397

There were also contractors that operated railroads for US government...like Holston Munitions or the nuclear fascilities in Oak Ridge. It was typically a generic named company that just "bought" the needed equipment knowing full well the contract will expire and "nobody knows" who will get it next. I worked at a ordanace plant one time and they had all the typical railroad gear but all unmarked...inlcuding the locomotives.
T7

David Dewey · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:19 am

Sorry Dinnigcartim, The 4-43 has nothing to do with patents; this model lantern is easy to date, as that is the date of stamping of the base--granted that base might not have been put into a lantern until May of that year, but the date stamping is recognized as the "date of manufacture" for collectors.

p51 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:41 pm

It's a shame you can't send an older lantern for stamping, as I assume you can't. But then again, think of all the rare road name lanterns you'd see from originals like mine which have no markings at all.
Phil Mulligan's post reminded me of the new Adlake lanterns. Someone was wanting to make some ET&WNC marked ones to sell to Tweetsie fans and members of the historical society, but they never did. I didn't realize the die setup cost wasn't too much; I'm tempted to have a new one made with those markings just for myself!

David Dewey wrote:

Sorry Dinnigcartim, The 4-43 has nothing to do with patents; this model lantern is easy to date, as that is the date of stamping of the base--granted that base might not have been put into a lantern until May of that year, but the date stamping is recognized as the "date of manufacture" for collectors.

Funny thing, I knew that but when I'd read the earlier 'patent date' post, I just didn't have the time to reply to the error at the time.

crij · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:15 am **Posts:** 585

EJ Berry wrote:

Adlake's web site shows they make them without stamping for $105.00 (without fount, burner or wick and without globe) but for $107.00 will stamp them on one side and for $109.00 on two sides.

That's for a NEW Adlake lantern. They also make the fount, burner and wick, and globes in clear, red, amber, green and blue.

http://adlake.com/uploads/3/4/8/2/34823 ... ricing.pdf

Phil Mulligan

Most likely the $2 charge was just for stamping if they had the stamp already on hand, or if you did a large order. I'm sure there would have been a setup charge to make the die, as they are done with a female die (material being pressed into groove) and not the male stamps you see everywhere.

Rich C.

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:44 pm

Setup fee for stamping is $25.00 for one side, $50.00 for two.

http://adlake.com/uploads/3/4/8/2/34823 ... ricing.pdf

Phil Mulligan

ted66 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 28, 2020 2:27 pm

The Adlake Company is very much still in business. Not only have they saved their patterns from the past; their foundry will do almost any kind of custom work you can request. I suggest a look at their web site, very interesting!

When the Western Railway Museum restored the SN #1005 Interurban; they supplied a car's worth of window hardware for the Interurban.

Ted Miles, WRM Member