Dan’s Pere Marquette Lantern Collection

Aug 24

Written By Dan Waltz

Pere Marquette Lantern Collection — **Pere Marquette Lanterns**

I love the history, and who doesn’t love the Pere Marquette 1225 in the Polar Express? The Flint & Pere Marquette started in the late 1800’s While the PM RY started in 1900. Their trains ran the rails across Michigan, Canada, Illinois, and New York. The Lanterns pictured here all have one thing in common. They all were used on the Pere Marquette Railway. I love the simplicity of design and the longevity of the railway lanterns. They served their purpose and manage to withstand the test of time. At over 100 years old, they look great restored as well as preserved and all work as they should. I would collect more roads, but decided early on that there are too many railroads and too many versions to collect, so I settled on collecting primarily the Pere Marquette. Below is probably one of the largest collections if not the largest collection of Pere Marquette railroad lanterns to date. Enjoy…

**What? No Patent Dates?**

I picked this Beauti up off Ebay the other day. I can't believe I almost passed it up. I saw it, hoping someone would grab it, thinking I have enough, but the next morning there it was, still there, staring at me like a lost puppy. I'm trying to find some information on it though. I know it’s an Adams and Weslake No. 11 Double Guard Wire with Twist on Font, but it’s the only Pere Marquette Lantern that I have with **no Patent dates** whatsoever stamped on the lid. It has a very nice, embossed logo though! It came with an unmarked red globe, but I swapped it out for the clear embossed. Any help would be appreciated.
“***Pre 1895 lid****. Very early pieces in the PM’s existence.” ~ Brendan Mensch*
“Cunningham ‘The Railroad Lantern’, states these undated round wire lanterns were a standard model from 1890 to 1909. Cunningham lists various dating features including fixed globe seats and a patent applied for stamping.” ~ Jim Miller

Unique Switchmen’s lantern. 1913 Reliable
with Red Embossed Globe

Unmarked frame with nice patina. The frame has September 21st, 1909 engraved where the issue number should be, as if it where a hire in date, possibly a retirement gift, or even possibly given to the family after death on the job (speculation only, one will never know). A good working lantern in great shape! Globe is decent condition with signs of wear, mostly not visible when in the lantern. Surprisingly no fleabites! Not a strong strike but legible, common with the red cast globes. Very comfortable wooden wrapped bale. Fount, burner and wick assembly feeds from the bottom-up and needed a bit of work to remove the burner from the fount and the wick from the burner. It cleaned up nicely and now works good as new.
This is my 24th Pere Marquette lantern, and probably my last. 24 seems to be a good number to stop and ponder, research and enjoy. There is a lot of history, and a lot of stories behind each and every one. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed collecting them.

Lantern above: Has the date September 21st, 1909 engraved where the issue number should be, as if it where a hire in date, possibly a retirement gift, or possibly given to the family after death on the job (speculation only).

1910 Dietz #39 Standard
Switchmen’s Lantern

Squat model version called the "X.L.C.R."
with an extended tall globe—etched PM RR.
*A Rail and Road Auction Win.*

***Let your Light Shine!***

(Custom Leather wrapped Bale and paint on this well preserved 1913 Pere Marquette Reliable with an “O” Scale MTH #A914 Pere Marquette Caboose)

**1897 “The Adams” X 2, PMRR & Pere Marquette Stamped**

Two Adams and Westlake: (1) PMRR and (1) Pere Marquette Stamped lids. Older Bottom Twist-off Burners with Flat-Wire Frames and Pere Marquette Embossed Globes. 127 Years Old and both are still good as new. The one on the right with the dark patine was won in a *Rail and Road Auction.* (Pictured with #312 S scale and #A913 HO scale cabooses.)

**Pere Marquette stamped 1913 Reliable Lantern**

Red Embossed Globe. Leather wrapped Bail and holes drilled in the top lid for heat to warm the hands. Pictured with a G Scale Pere Marquette Caboose #A471

**Lid stamp on the 1909 Lantern below.**

Adams 1909 Pere Marquette Lantern — **1909 “Adams”**

It has seen better days. A lot of rust, a bent frame, no burner and a broken globe, but it still has a lot of character left. It had to be saved it… This is a great example of why I prefer preserve over restore. ***Click on image to view final display.*** I replaced the broken globe with an etched Pere Marquette globe and purchased a 1909 burner/fount to go with it.
(Another Adams 1909 in better shape is pictured below on the left 1908 on the right.)

**Reclaimed by Nature**

Nature will find away and prevail when things are abandoned.
1909 “Adams”

**1909 and 1908“Adams”** Nice clean Strikes on the Lids and Globes. Love the square logo design, and brass burners. Some pitting, but overall beautiful lanterns for the collection.

Three of my favorite restored pieces. Cleaned to as close to factory condition as possible. (2) 1913 Reliables and (1) 1908 Adams (middle). They are beautiful to display and hard to believe well over 100 years old.

Three PM's in the late 1800's with twist off founts. Three of my oldest. (2) 1897 and the one in the middle a Pre-95. 1890 - 1894 (no Pat. Dates)

My favorite lanterns are the ones that tell a story and these two do exactly that. I cleaned them up, but I didn't wash away the story. They are preserved rather than restored. (2) 1913 Reliables. The comfortable leather wrapped bails, to the holes drilled in the lid to warm their hands, the paint used to protect them from rust all tells a lot about the life on the rails in the early days. Lanterns were a very important tool back in the day, every slight modification had its purpose. Now, they are works of art, filled with stories and history.

1897 Adams: Burning some left over oil from New Years. I don’t like long burns with the embossed globes, so I replaced the embossed globe with a clear Kirkman for now. Just thought I’d share. Enjoy….

While the lanterns were great for giving off light and heat, the different colored glass globes gave off signals for the trains to operate at night. Each color has its own meaning. For example; White (clear) - Safe to proceed. Green - Proceed (white and green could be used together in certain circumstances). Yellow (Amber) - Proceed at reduced speed. Red - Stop or danger ahead, and Blue meant that men were working in the area. Pictured with a HO gauge or the Pere Marquette 1225 hauling freight.

Pictured above: Adam Westlake (AW, Adlake, Adams) Reliables (1912 double guard Reliable, many 1913 Reliables), 1897/1908/1909 Adams, Adlake 100, 200, 250(s), Kero(s), a Dietz #39 Standard (Bell bottom) and two Adams 1897, all with embossed/etched and/or stamped with PM(s), PMRY(s), PMRR(s) and/or Pere Marquette. All railroad, dead-flame lanterns have original burners & founts with either wire, leather wrapped, or wooden bails.