Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
What is this?
Old 06-21-2014, 10:05 PM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
What is this?

I need some help in identifying an antique. I haven't seen the object in person, I just have these two photos. Three hours in to my internet search, I'm still stumped.

I used the Google image tricks imoldernu describes here:
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...his-66338.html
None of the similar images were anywhere in the ballpark.

The vents, what may be soot stains on the inside and the shielded red glass piece suggest it is a lantern of some kind, lit up by a flame. So it either was designed for portable use before batteries were common, or it dates to before it's original home was wired for electricity.

I don't think it's railroad brakeman's lantern, because it has no handle. Unless the handle was originally mounted to the "ears" on the body and is missing...

The pictures I found of a R.R. switch lantern all seem to have both a red and green display at 90-degree angles. Same with caboose lights, I think. This lantern looks like it only points in one direction.

"C. U. R 18 - 6 - 40" is the identifier on the tag.

The two "typewriter key" buttons on the top are very puzzling...

Any help would be appreciated.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg picture 1.jpg (98.2 KB, 48 views)
File Type: jpg picture 2.jpg (106.6 KB, 40 views)
__________________
No doubt a continuous prosperity, though spendthrift, is preferable to an economy thriftily moral, though lean. Nevertheless, that prosperity would seem more soundly shored if, by a saving grace, more of us had the grace to save.

Life Magazine editorial, 1956
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 06-21-2014, 10:07 PM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
pb4uski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,264
It looks like a thingamajig to me.
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.

Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
pb4uski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2014, 10:15 PM   #3
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,645
Those ears were probably for the handle, like a leather strap. The two levers on top may lift and lower the discs which could be a red and green one.
aja8888 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2014, 10:28 PM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888 View Post
Those ears were probably for the handle, like a leather strap. The two levers on top may lift and lower the discs which could be a red and green one.
Could be, but doesn't the position of the levers suggests a travel distance less than the diameter of the discs?
__________________
No doubt a continuous prosperity, though spendthrift, is preferable to an economy thriftily moral, though lean. Nevertheless, that prosperity would seem more soundly shored if, by a saving grace, more of us had the grace to save.

Life Magazine editorial, 1956
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2014, 10:33 PM   #5
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,645
Looks like the levers change places in the slot so the movement may be linear and the discs on a pivot.
aja8888 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2014, 06:21 AM   #6
Recycles dryer sheets
keegs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: In a van down by the river
Posts: 407
looks like some kind of port side light..
keegs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2014, 06:25 AM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Nemo2's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
Quote:
Originally Posted by keegs View Post
looks like some kind of port side light..
Seconded.
__________________
"Exit, pursued by a bear."

The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
Nemo2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2014, 07:21 AM   #8
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,763
I "inherited" a rr lantern and did some research on it. Think I remember one like this. There look like there are a few parts missing though, the handle, the len's that would cover that front funnel, the wick plate. Also could it be a miner's lantern?
splitwdw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2014, 02:26 PM   #9
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
I'm going with the idea that it's a conductor's signaling lantern with a mechanism that changes the reflector from red to some other color. aja8888's explanation makes sense, although I can't quite picture how the pieces fit together or operate.

It must be an unusual model. I scanned through 2000 eBay pictures and only found one other lantern that had a mechanism for alternating colors through a single lens. It had a simpler design with the color lenses rotating around a vertical axis, using a sliding knob to change the colors.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg $_1.JPG (28.5 KB, 145 views)
File Type: jpg $_2.JPG (23.1 KB, 145 views)
__________________
No doubt a continuous prosperity, though spendthrift, is preferable to an economy thriftily moral, though lean. Nevertheless, that prosperity would seem more soundly shored if, by a saving grace, more of us had the grace to save.

Life Magazine editorial, 1956
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2014, 03:23 PM   #10
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 10,252
18-6-40 could be 18-June-1940.
C.U.R. could be someone's intitials.

OK, it's a casket lantern … available only in Europe during the WWII and used for burials during blackouts.
j/k
LOL! is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-29-2014, 07:03 PM   #11
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Htown Harry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,525
Well, it must be pretty unique, whatever it is. (It's definitely not a stop light as listed.)

It sold today for $110 in a City of Houston online surplus auction.
__________________
No doubt a continuous prosperity, though spendthrift, is preferable to an economy thriftily moral, though lean. Nevertheless, that prosperity would seem more soundly shored if, by a saving grace, more of us had the grace to save.

Life Magazine editorial, 1956
Htown Harry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-29-2014, 08:12 PM   #12
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Rustic23's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lake Livingston, Tx
Posts: 4,203
Looks like a lantern, and the two pedals on the top could change between a red and green reflector when punched down.
__________________
If it is after 5:00 when I post I reserve the right to disavow anything I posted.
Rustic23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-29-2014, 08:54 PM   #13
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 1,688
C.U.R. stands for Central Uruguay Railway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Uruguay_Railway


(Of course, it could also stand for a lot of other things as well.)
__________________
Budgeting is a skill practised by people who are bad at politics.
traineeinvestor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-29-2014, 09:44 PM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rustic23 View Post
Looks like a lantern, and the two pedals on the top could change between a red and green reflector when punched down.
I think so - my searching found references to 'classification lights' on trains - a single lantern with switchable colored lenses to identify the train (like if it is a 'special' train, running off-schedule or something).

-ERD50
ERD50 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:48 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.