The #91 1/2 Chandelier, as seen in the Adams & Westlake Catalog, was special ordered with bronze trim on certain components like the oil tank top, cross tube, burners and more, making this lamp Especially difficult to assemble and polish. This lamp is headed to Ridgway, to be paired with an antique lamp of the exact same trim configuration. and installed in D&RG Coach 252.

The full set of Cab Lamps are on their way back to the Penna. Railroad #331 (Formerly Leviathan #63) The Star Barn at Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown, PA. After a few years of service, a few flashes from relatively low flashpoint fuel, and general use, they needed some servicing. We found out just how much heat is transferred from the bulkhead to the lamps through the Brackets, causing normal lamp oil to flash and shoot out the top. Lesson Learned They will be used in normal scheduled service for their intended purpose. Left to Right, 2 Water Gauge Lamps, 1 Steam Gauge and General Illumination Lamp, and finally a Brake Gauge Lamp that illuminates both the Train and Locomotive Brakes. All lamps other that the steam gauge lamp get red or yellow colored glass to reduce the output and to filter the blue light out, as to not ruin night vision. Though it didn’t need servicing during the major overhaul, we did restore the kerosene headlamp for the locomotive as well, getting it rebuilt and well tuned.

Here’s an Authentic Baldwin Locomotive Gauge Lamp that would be mounted in the cab. The burner has two wick raiser wheels to make it easier to be able to adjust the wick. The lamp is in Great Condition, but the best part, is what I believe to be the original bracket from the cab of the locomotive. Out of all of the Cab Lamps I’ve seen, maybe 5 dozen or so, only 3-4 have had brackets with them, this being one of them. This lamp is going to a home with a Baldwin Locomotive appropriate for such a lamp. We deal in both original and replica Locomotive Cab Lamps, Passenger Car Lamps and Hardware, and more. Let use know if you have a project we can help with.

One of the most complicated projects I’ve completed was the replication of a chandelier from a single good photo, and an alright illustration from a catalog. This project took over 2 years, and required drawing the entire lamp in a CAD software before casting individual parts in bronze and making the entire assembly come together. None of this model of lamp are known to exist. The image descriptions tell more of the story. The only known photo of the interior of this car when new, a builder’s photo, showing the 2 lamps. Thankfully the high resolution image was provided, and a close up of the lamp shows much of the detail. Photo Cumbres and Toltec Collection. Photo Courtesy of Taylor Rush. The Restored Narrow Gauge Pullman Sleeper #470. This is what I had to work with, this one photo. Thankfully, the crossarm, the burner and tank portion was common to other lamps, and I had 2 to spare for this replication. The shades were Railroad Specific, but common enough I could find 4 of them over term of the replication. The Shade Holders were common to a Wall Lamp, of which we had 4 of. We dissected those 4 wall lamps, and made a modification to allow their use on these lamps. We had 2 of the other miscellaneous metal spinnings, and the center locking assembly, but the Leg casting, the flower capture nut, the center draft tube arms, and the shade holder arms all had to be fabricated from scratch, this photo being the only good reference. The Finished Chandelier, Almost fully assembled. This project took just over 2 years from start to finish.… The 2 Lamps installed in the car. A Catalog page for that specific lamp. this was the only other visual reference to the design of the lamp, and showed critical components in the center, that the photo taking along the lamp didn’t show. Original draft pan, which was common to another model of chandelier offered by the maker. Replicated Smoke Jack that recesses into the ceiling. Bottom Crossarm Cap, Also Replicated in Solid Brass. My Fiancée and I sat for a few hours with the outline of the arm, and pencil drew the artwork of what we saw in the photo to get it Absolutely Perfect. Some interesting shapes and designs are present, of which we had no previous reference, like the odd starfish 1/3 of the way up the arm. One of the finished Bronze Legs, with a shade arm, and florette nut. Shade Arms, and Florette Nuts, not yet polished. Florette Nuts. After Designing these nuts, printing a master, silicone mold, wax patterns, and casting them, then machining them, and polishing them, each nut likely cost a few hundred dollars, but nothing on the market of lamp parts would come close. Accuracy is often not inexpensive. Center Master Rings. Holes will be drilled, Steel locking arms and springs fabricated to work exactly like the originals. They work by locking the lamp crossarm in with 2 steel spring loaded locks that wrap themselves into a groove. A Twist Handle, opposite of the pivots for the locks, has a 180 degree double eccentric, which pushes both locking arms away from center when turned 90 degrees, unlocking the crossarm.

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 the entire lamp body. The insert, the part that slides into the body which holds the reflector, tank, and burner, was original, and has been cleaned and polyurethaned to help preserve it. It had to be held together with brass rods glued in holes to support the wood, some wet rotting had occurred over the 100+ years this wood has survived. The wood base of the headlamp body was too far gone, and was replaced with clean straight grain red oak. After chasing a number of leaks in the original tin oil tank, the museum decided to commission a new tank in solid brass. That was then paired with a new oil collector assembly with a drain port, a cross tube, and a railroad Acme Postal Burner. All solid Brass and Bronze, and Nickel Plated to prevent oxidation and improve reflectiveness. The Original (to the body) Copper Reflector had a Star Insignia on the flange, and I believe notes the maker Star Headlamp and Lantern Company, though no other markings were found. The Copper was Re-Nickeled and high polished. The body had damage from years of use and as much of it as possible was corrected. The Door that hinges open was rusted out, and expertly replicated and melded with surviving original parts to keep it as original as possible, but you can’t keep 100% of it when it’s already rusted through. A Hundred other smaller things were done to help restore this lamp, and keep it preserved for time to come, but now that this project is complete on my end, she will be reunited with Torch Lake. The Museum plans to repaint and re-stripe the headlamp, that is why I have left it in primer. Thank You Henry Ford Museum for having me rebuild this piece back into a proper oil headlamp, and Thank You for wanting to taking it back to oil. Oil Headlamps are less common than the number of surviving steam engines, and the number of those operational is even fewer.

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 tarnished brass body. The fount is not original, it is a copper replacement that came with it. The Burner is a Macbeth marked burner which was sold by a glass company. The reason this would occur is because Macbeth took over as the Quality Glass Maker post 1900, and if a Railroad was already buying chimneys from them, and they needed some burners, why not throw that on the order? Recently acquired as well, an original Sherburne Railroad Catalog. Complete and in good condition, this is a rare Catalog and I am glad to add to my collection. Using the Catalog Page, I identified the missing brass smoke bell, and realized I had one lone smoke box of the exact design in my collection. It will be cleaned up and paired together on a display board in the future, but what a neat lamp to come upon. A little more history for you, Sherburne, the business founder, was an employee for a time of Williams & Page. Is it unknown if he was disgruntled about a design or method, but he went off to start his own railroad hardware business in Boston, Mass. They would also do business as “Star Brass Mfg.” and this catalog uses both names. The hole pattern on the wall of the lamp is 1 7/8″ C on C left to right, top to bottom C on C of 3 5/8″. Smoke Bell is 1 15/16″ on Center.

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 cut stencil pattern. This stencil can be purchased or rented, and more work like this can be done for many applications. Stencil is 30″ Long over all, capital letters are about 1 7/8″ Tall and small letters about 1 5/8″ Tall.

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.

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 our Specialty.