Signal oil versus kerosene lanterns

[NW Mailing List]

The test would have been how easily could these new lanterns be seen and was
the color differentiation easy to see by the human.  


Signal oil was a lighter, less viscous oil, than kerosene.  One part "I
forget" oil and one part turpentine.  I have to look this up.  It burned
with a different flame and light frequency than the kerosene types.  Hence
the colored globes had to be 'special' to show the correct color when one
type of oil was used.   So when kerosene was stocked and signal oil wasn't,
one had to have the right burner and globe.

Kerosene lamps used for semaphore signals, switch lamps, or train order
boards had to have the right lenses to match the kerosene flame as well.

Earlier lanterns used whale oil which had little heater tubes that ran down
from the burner flame back into the oil pot to keep the oil at the proper
viscosity in colder weather.

The lantern drawn is a "1925" Armspear with the stamped, flat metal risers
holding the frame together.  There was a 1925 made with a drawn wire frame
like the Adlake Kero- cuz it was made by A-K.  Yes, the N&W did purchase
both types.

As to green over clear globes, these would not have been used to show signal
aspects.   A tower or station that would hand up train orders, Form 19 or
31's, would have green (no orders, do not slow, proceed; amber for slow to
pick up 'hooped up' orders that are on Form 19 flimsies from a operator
agent or 'iron man'; or red to stop for orders that must be signed for by
the engineer and conductor.  Obtaining clearance cards would require similar
aspects by lanterns at night or by the train order boards at a station.  See
your Operating Rule Books for all of the details on how this is done with
the aspects.

"Color" over clear globes were an 1870's-1890's creations and were generally
used by conductors or brakemen on passenger trains or in presentation
lanterns.  You won't find mention of these in rule books after this time
period.  

Flag stops would not need a green aspect as a train was not required to stop
or even slow down approaching a flag stop.  See your "Rights of Trains" book
for the details covering this operation.  

I cannot speak to the grade of kerosene defined by the N&W spec. but I think
it safe to say that the spec. kerosene was similar to K-1 of today so that
it would burn with little or no smoke or soot, hence not block the light
through the globe.  K-1 is cleaner than regular kerosene regarding the
combustion products.  

Short globe lanterns became the 'standard' lantern about 1920.  These were
cheaper than the older tall globe lanterns as they used a lesser amount of
material- 2 inches shorter.  Hence the railroads who were buying these
lanterns by the case , and the replacement parts, extra globes, extra
burners and so on, wished to use this cheaper type.  For a while Handlan of
St. Louis made a 4-1/4" high lantern which had an odd-ball 4-1/4" globe
around this time.  They modified it to mount the 3-1/2" short globe with a
longer spring mount.  

Even so, the tall globe lanterns were made until the mid 1920's for those
who wanted that style.  Adlake Reliables with the rounded top have a 1923
patent date on them.  

There are a number of books covering lanterns and lantern history plus the
long series of Key, Lock and Lantern magazines are great sources of facts
and speculation regarding lanterns and their evolution from the early days
of railroading in the 1820's to the 1960's.

The N&W and other railroads started to use the battery powered hand lanterns
for train crews in the 1953-ish to 1955 time period.  These were more
expensive than the kerosene types but were far easier to see and see with.
Plus, they got rid of the nasty kerosene smell all over everything.  In
addition, the battery lanterns did burn the users arm when signaling or
climbing car ladders.  

Also, they moved to electric powered switch lamps, Peter Gray's, in the
1920's along with the move to position lights that were electric powered for
signals and electric powered train order boards as stations were given
electrical power.

Gary Rolih
Cincinnati

 
-----Original Message-----
From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 11:01 AM
To: N&W Historical Society
Subject: Signal oil versus kerosene lanterns


The files in the links below are a 1929 memorandum sent to agents and
operators on the Shenandoah Division, N&W.  It describes the issuance of a
lantern appearing in style to be an Armspear with metal fins along the
sides, but otherwise similar to the Adlake Kero.  The file named LANTERN1
has the first page of the memorandum and the first page of usage
instructions.  The second page of each appear in LANTERN2.

http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org/ebay/LANTERN1.pdf
http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org/ebay/LANTERN2.pdf

Each file of two pages is in color and therefore exceeds 1 mb.

Aside from the instructions on use and the quantity and globe colors issued
to stations, several questions come to mind.

1)      If some stations were flag stops, wouldn't they have had an
additional green-globe lantern to be used with a clear-globe lantern, or a
green+clear globe lantern?
2)      What is the design difference between a "signal oil" and a kerosene
lantern?  This seems to be around the time that railroads shifted from
tall-globe to short-globe lanterns.  Is that the principal difference?
3)      How different is "Kerosene Oil ... Specification F-22" from the
kerosene commercially sold at present-day gas stations?
4)      If this was a "test," what was the test supposed to determine?  Does
anyone know the results?  I assume they were favorable since the Adlake Kero
and similar hand-lanterns became widely used.

This memorandum is among documents that were preserved from the Boones Mill,
Virginia station.  It would be interesting to know when these lanterns were
deployed elsewhere on the N&W system.

Best wishes, 

Frank Scheer 
f_scheer at yahoo.com

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