Luxmen Lighting
From Replication, to Restoration, Fabrication, Design, and Finishing. We have Researched and Developed many authentic methods and designed to create authentic style Lighting.
Restoration of the “Torch Lake” Headlamp
The “Torch Lake,” a Mason Bogie engine with a fairly interesting history. Residing in Henry Ford’s Museum for many decades, and now kept fully operable, the Museum wanted to take their headlamp back to full oil operation, with a proper center draft burner and reflector re-Nickel Plated, along with a general cleanup and restoration of…
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Rare Sherburne Railroad Wall Lamp
A Very Rare Wall Lamp turned up, a Sherburne #3 Wall Lamp made exclusively as a Railroad Wall Lamp. The history of this lamp is unknown, only found in an estate sale about 10 years ago, and in private collections since. The Lamp has the original Ormolu (24K Gold Gilt) Finish on the castings and…
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Railway Express Agency Stencil
After finding a rare brass Railway Express Agency Stencil in St. Joseph, Missouri, I decided I wanted to offer a copy of the stencil for people to restore their wagons etcetera was marked with this stencil. The artwork, and most every imperfection was captured perfectly in 3-D, imported, and hand drawing into a 2-D laser…
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Post & Company # 6 Railroad Wall Lamp Restoration
Here is a Post & Company # 6 Railroad Wall Lamp I just restored for our collection. Although the fount is marked Adams & Westlake, I have only yet found the lamp in a Post & Company Catalog from the 1870’s or so. It’s possible Adams & Westlake resold this lamp, and soldered their badge…
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Quality Lighting Looks Good Anywhere
After seeing 1880’s railroad lighting, a customer commissioned a custom railroad chandelier to match their kitchen’s color palette. This unique blend of aesthetics makes the chandelier the crown jewel of the kitchen, inviting admiration and adding a touch of historic charm.
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Locomotive Cab Lamps for D&RG #168
Built for the D&RG #168 Steam Locomotive restored at Cumbres & Toltec. I built two of these lamps for their water sight glasses. The Lamp is solid brass with a copper crown and was electrified for easier use in the locomotive. Contact us if you are interested in Custom Functional Replicas or similar. It is…
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Dressel #586 Coach Lamp
From a Single Photo of the interior of the Denver & Rio Grande Pullman Car #470 and from this single catalog page, I was able to replicate 2 matching chandeliers about as accurately as I could without having an original in hand. Thankfully these lamps share some common parts with others, but some parts of…
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Custom Cab Lamps
The Jewelry of the Steam Locomotive. Jewelry is relatively small and detailed, and meant to Awe the Viewer. I think this fits that category. Nickel Plated Solid Brass, Solid Color Red Glass, and completely hand built in the United States, this authentically styled fully operatable oil lamp is designed for use lighting the Brake Gauges…
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Blake Patent Conductor’s Lantern
This is one of the rarest and most desirable Conductor’s Lanterns that exist, the Blake Patent Wristlet Lantern, patented 1852, and made to rest on your forearm while taking tickets to allow the use of both hands. Very few survive, both because it was a little quirky and because in a fixed globe lantern, if…
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Handlan U.S.L.H.S. Canal/River Lamp
This Handlan #125 River Channel Lamp marked “U.S.L.H.S.” (United States Light House Service) was missing its fount, had very rough paint, was electrified at one point with a junction box welded into the exhaust chimney in the top of the lamp. The customer, who has had this lamp in the family for decades, requested a…
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Craftsmanship
At Luxmen Lighting, we focus on restoring and crafting high-quality railroad oil lamps. Made from heavy brass and bronze, these lamps were built to endure railcar conditions while offering exceptional brightness. We use traditional techniques and materials to maintain their original design, whether restoring an antique or building a replica.
Historical Accuracy
As collectors of antique railroad lighting, we prioritize historical accuracy. Utilizing our collection of rare catalogs and committing intense research, we replicate lamps to within 99% of how the originals were built. We do not like cutting corners in our replication as each time you do, it diminishes the feeling of authenticity. When in the course of a restoration of a railcar, finding original lamps is not possible, we have taken only 1 photograph and 1 catalog to replicate an Entire Chandelier, and it is the spitting image of it. (That is our #586 Center Lamp if you are interested in looking at it.)
Our Thought Process
If asked to design a lamp from scratch, our top priority is ensuring it looks like it could have existed in the era it's set in. We use authentic components such as oil lamp burners, fuel caps, and soldered construction to achieve this. Replicating these lamps is crucial because originals are rare, and finding multiples for thematic settings or restaurants is nearly impossible. For clients seeking matching, historically accurate lighting, we offer custom designs that meet their needs with both authenticity and craftsmanship.
Latest Project
The Minnesota Transportation Museum is restoring James J. Hill's Private Railcar, the A-18. The original Adams & Westlake Fleur De Lis Pattern Chandeliers are long gone from a revamp of the coach in the 1920's/30's so to take the car back to how it was built in 1899, these Chandeliers, the highest quality pattern you could purchase back in the day, need to be replicated. We have scanned what pieces and parts we have found, and have to model the rest to have them cast, machined, and then assembled, polished, and finished. It is no small task.
Lamp shown in Rendering is a Work in Progress and no yet complete.