I was given this in a really bad state with more rust than lamp, but after a LOT of stripping, rust removal, stripping again, more rust treatment and a respray it's looking a lot better. It needs 3 more glass panes and the wick adjuster doesn't work so I'm probably not going to light it but it's quite cute in a wierd kind of way. This was much more difficult to fettle than any pressure lantern I've worked on!
I like that, fine fettle. I am thinking of branching out in that direction myself (once the current Petromax fixation is sated!)
I’ve got one I was given some time ago, I think it’s complete. I believe these lamps sat in box on track end buffers, perhaps someone has more info?
It's a signal lamp, sits behind the spectacles (coloured glass) on semaphore signals to give a green, yellow or red aspect at night. semaphore signals - Google Search Note the green aspect glass is actually blue but shows green due to the lamp flame being yellow.
@DP2 Thanks, all makes sense. Interesting point about the blue/green. I used to live in Japan, the Japanese refer to a green road traffic light as blue. I wonder if that goes back to pre electric or railway related days?
No, the signals show a green aspect and is always referred to as green. Blue is very widely used to refer to colours that are not blue, I have a cat who is officially blue and white but she is actually grey and white.
To be perfectly honest it was such a pain in the ass to strip and de-rust with so many nooks and crannies, hinged doors and glass channels, changes in level and separate pieces I couldn't face cleaning the inside as well... and if I do light it, it'll only get black again so i decided not to. If I had a sand blaster I might have painted everything but that's a project I'm still working on.
Lidl get them in about twice yearly. I have one (maybe even two - one to connect to a compressor and the other self-contained) but I've never had a rusty lamp / time / space / inclination or whatever, all at the same moment to get either out of the box and give them a try...
But the ALDI has a compressor too... Lidl has a lot of air tools. You can order maybe via the webshop of lidll.
The coloured "green" glass on railway signal lamps is blue, as when the yellow paraffin flame shines through it appears green.
That's exactly what I said in my post but in a slightly diffrent way. Interestingly there are very few paraffin lit signals left even on heritage railways due to the risks involved with climbing ladders regularly to replace or service the lamps.
No the risk is still there but exposure to the risk is vastly reduced as ladders only need to be climbed occasionally rather than every few days - risk management works, it's not all 'red tape' as some would have you believe.
In the long line of lamps to fettle, here’s my signal lamp. It has a different handle to yours Colin, perhaps been changed? @ColinG. @DP2
Hey Steve, that's identical! Someone has probably made a new handle because frankly the original is a royal pain in the ass to take off. Yours also has all it's glass panels which is nice - I still need to make 3 replacements for mine, then it's on to the second of the two railway lamps but that one is more involvedand needs me to remove puttied in glass which isn't going to be easy!
They certainly have character, these old railway lamps. They worked for their living too, how many hands must have used these lamps over the years....
Hope you’ve invested in a good pair of protective gloves Colin if you’re going to use that rust removing gel again.
