BR tail lamp. Some help needed

[Juan]

Hi. I'm a lamp collector and I participate on a forum similar to this one, but obviously referred to old light systems.

Sometime ago, a British member posted a question about an old wick lamp which was given to him but nobody could give him an answer about the use, the origin or whatever.

It seems to us a train tail light but it is just a guess. Any help would be welcome.

I'm sorry but I don't know how to insert an image so I inserted the link to our lamp forum.

http://www.be-back-later.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3812

Best regards.

Juan

 

[Old Timer]

Happily, I think I can answer your question.

This type of lamp would have been used in a level crossing gate lamp. The gate would have swung out away from the railway and thus it would have been a level crossing that was not protected by signals.

The type of crossing would have had a crossing keeper and the gates would have been maintained closed across the roadway until someone wanted to use the road.

You can tell this because the lamp only illuminated in one direction. It also has a guide at the back onto which it slid and this retained the lamp in position when the gate was opened and closed.

Level crossings where the gates lay across the railway always had gate lamps which displayed a red light along the track when open, and along the carriageway when closed.

This type of lamp unit is not from a tail lamp as they consisted of a rectangular closed "tray" which contained the paraffin. These slid in and out of the tail lamp, which had runners on the floor of the lamp to guide and retain the wick unit.

 

[jimrbrobinson]

Old Timer - now that makes sense to me. I couldn't say what it was, but didn't think it looked right for a tail lamp on rolling stock. I'll be honest I'd been trawling for old photos thinking it could have been some other sort of signalling lantern, or maybe a marker lantern for the position of one of those mail-bag frames or something along those lines, but found nothing corresponding. I hadn't thought of crossings, but the orientation of the lamp to the hanging bracket makes sense to me. Thanks!

 

[E&W Lucas]

Nothing so technical I'm afraid. It's the burner from the inside of a loco lamp. Some of the old loco types are inserted from the top. The shield around the flame is to stop them blowing out (which they soon do if it is missing). Eastern or Southern lamps are of this type.

Post that on the National Preservation forum, and someone will probably be able to give you a definitive answer.

 

[Juan]

Thank you all for the quick answers and for the interest in doing so. I posted them on our forum.

Thanks again.

Juan