Switchstand Lanterns

I was looking at some old pics and they showed kerosene lanterns on top of the switchstands. Did they have to light them every night or just when there was traffic in the yard at night? And on branch lines the same question.

My understanding is those oil burning switch stand lanterns typically burned 24/7. Learned this in a discussion years ago one of my wife’s late relatives who worked for the B&O, and who gave me a nice Dressel switch stand lamp salvaged when the yard where he worked was shut down in the 50’s.

The lanterns burner fount (oil pot) holds over a quart of kerosene. With the tiny flame the burner creates - about the size of a shelled peanut - a quart of kero is good for 2 – 3 days of continuous burning.

My guess is SOP when these lanterns were in use was for a yard employee to tour the yard once a day to refill founts, adjust flames, trim wicks, etc.

I've got 3 switch stand laps my self 2 are complete the 3ed is not. One has a big colored disk like ring on the out side of the lamp around the lenz for day time use.

FarmallBob is correct with his guess. A person with the title of maintainer was assigned to refill and otherwise care for the kerosene switch stand lamps.

TB Diamond wrote:FarmallBob is correct with his guess. A person with the title of maintainer was assigned to refill and otherwise care for the kerosene switch stand lamps.

Yep thats how it was done. Now if I could only find one for my switchstand...

Section men took care of switch lamps. Usually it was a guy that had been injured on the job and was to bunged up to ever do the regular section work again.

Crossing watchman jobs of yesteryear got filled the same way.

rrboomer wrote:Crossing watchman jobs of yesteryear got filled the same way.

A friend of my fathers worked as a crossing guard in Savannah, NY for the New York Central when RT 31 was just a grade crossing. He was given this job after loseing an arm in a Hunting Accdent at the most part I think he was a firemen before being demoted to that job which worked out well sents he lived 3 doors up the street from the crossing.