Pullman Car #470’s Custom Chandeliers
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.