Vintage Adlake railroad kerosene lantern, with a red glass globe and wire caging. The lantern was manufactured by the Adams & Westlake Company of Chicago, Illinois, sometime between 1945-1965. It was originally used by NYC transit workers as marked NYCS. They were not only a source of light, but also the best means of communication when operating and directing trains, as the noisy working environments and the distance involved in train operations negated communication by speaking or yelling. Railroad lanterns were portable and were an effective light source that could be easily seen at night from a distance. As a method of communication, the railroad worker would swing and move the lantern in different ways according to what message he wanted to send. For instance, to give a stop signal, the lantern would be swung back and forth horizontally across the tracks and the signal to proceed was to move the lantern up and down vertically. At the turn of the 20th century, railroad operators used colored globe lanterns for illumination and signaling at night. The meanings of the colors were the precursors to our modern traffic light system. White was used to indicate that it was safe to proceed, green signaled caution, and red indicated “Stop” or “Danger.” In working condition, it measures 7 X 6 1/4 X 14″h.
SOLD.