Dan’s Pere Marquette Lantern Collection
“All aboard!” A vintage Pere Marquette Conductor’s Hat.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing this morning on Fasebook Market Place. Needless to say it will be here to top -off my collection later this week.
The Pere Marquette 1225 Engine (HO Scale), with an A909, A901 and A471 Caboose with various PM freight cars.
Pere Marquette Lanterns
I love the history, and who doesn’t love the Pere Marquette 1225 in the Polar Express? The Flint & Pere Marquette started in the late 1800’s While the PM RY started in 1900. Their trains ran the rails across Michigan, Canada, Illinois, and New York. The Lanterns pictured here all have one thing in common. They all were used on the Pere Marquette Railway. I love the simplicity of design and the longevity of the railway lanterns. They served their purpose and manage to withstand the test of time. At over 100 years old, they look great restored as well as preserved and all work as they should. I would collect more roads, but decided early on that there are too many railroads and too many versions to collect, so I settled on collecting primarily the Pere Marquette. Below is probably one of the largest collections if not the largest collection of Pere Marquette railroad lanterns to date. Enjoy…
Pere Marquette Railway
Adlake Non-Sweating Round Top Switch Lamp Model 169
I’ve been looking for one for a while now, so I couldn’t pass it up.
PM embossed (1895 - 1908 Patent dates). I can’t wait to see it lit.
“Let your light shine!”
First time lighting and it’s Beautiful!
Never would have thought such a small flame could produce so much light.
1909 Adams (1 of 3)
Signs of a well-used lantern, but in great condition for its age. The Bale appears to be the right gauge wire but the wrong length. It was definitely shortened for better control, or it was all he had, we’ll never know. Nice, Square Pere Marquette logo stamped on the lid. Clear cast globe also with Pere Marquette heavily embossed. The globe is in great condition showing many wavy swirls and imperfections seen in early manufacturing. The embossed logo is a bit wavy as well. Definitely one of my favorite globes. As mentioned, I have three of this year, all in various conditions. All three 1909 lanterns share the identical logo embossed in the same location on the lid.
Unique 1913 Reliable Switchmen’s Lantern pictured with a G-Scale A984 Pere Marquette Caboose. The original owner of this lantern worked as a Lineman.
Unmarked frame with nice patina, red cast globe and bent wooden leather wrapped handle (bale).
It’s a very unique, good looking and now good working lantern! The Globe is in decent condition with some signs of wear, but mostly not visible when installed in the lantern. Surprisingly there are no fleabites, top or bottom of the globe, but it rarely needed to be removed due to the easy pinch release at the bottom to remove the fount and burner, without touching the globe. The globe doesn’t have a strong strike but it is legible, common with the red cast globes. It has a very comfortable wooden, leather wrapped bale. Fount, burner and wick assembly feeds from the bottom-up and needed a bit of work to remove the burner from the fount and the wick from the burner. It cleaned up nicely though and now works as good as new.
What? No Patent Dates?
I picked this Beauti up off Ebay the other day. I can't believe I almost passed it up. I saw it, hoping someone would grab it, thinking I have enough, but the next morning there it was still there, staring at me like a lost puppy. I'm trying to find some information on it though. I know it’s an Adams and Weslake No. 11 Double Guard Wire with Twist on Font, but it’s the only Pere Marquette Lantern that I have with no Patent dates whatsoever stamped on the lid. It has a very nice, embossed logo though! It came with an unmarked red globe, but I swapped it out for red embossed here. Any help would be appreciated.
“Pre 1895 lid. Very early pieces in the PM’s existence.” ~ Brendan Mensch
“Cunningham ‘The Railroad Lantern’, states these undated round wire lanterns were a standard model from 1890 to 1909. Cunningham lists various dating features including fixed globe seats and a patent applied for stamping.” ~ Jim Miller
1910 Dietz #39 Standard
Switchmen’s Lantern
Squat model version called the "X.L.C.R."
with an extended tall globe— nicely etched PM RR.
Unfortunately the globe came with a small crack in the side
that I think I stabilized and out of view. Still displays well.
A Rail and Road Auction Win.
“Let your Light Shine!”
Custom Leather wrapped Bale and paint on this well preserved 1913 Pere Marquette Reliable with an “O” Scale MTH #A914 Pere Marquette Caboose.
1897 “The Adams” X 2, PMRR & Pere Marquette Stamped
Two Adams and Westlake: (1) PMRR and (1) Pere Marquette Stamped lids. Older Bottom Twist-off Burners with Flat-Wire Frames and Pere Marquette Embossed Globes. 127 Years Old and both are still good as new. The one on the right with the dark patine was won in a Rail and Road Auction. (Pictured with #312 S scale and #A913 HO scale cabooses.)
1913 Reliable
w/Red Embossed Globe
Leather wrapped Bail, and holes drilled in the top lid
for heat to warm the hands. Pictured with a G Scale
Pere Marquette Caboose #A471
Lid stamp on the 1909 Lantern below.
1909 “Adams”
It has seen better days. A lot of rust, a bent frame, no burner and a broken globe stamped CNS&M RR, but it still has a lot of character left. It had to be saved it… This is a great example of why I prefer preserve over restore. Click on image to view final display.
Reclaimed by Nature
Nature will find away and prevail when things are abandoned.
1909 “Adams”
Train Collectors Association (TCA 2000) Made by Charles Ro Manufacturing (USA Trains) for the 2000 TCA Convention #46, held in Grand Rapids, MI. A beautiful custom G Scale Woodside Caboose with working Markers (Lanterns)!
1909 and 1908“Adams” Nice clean Strikes on the Lids and Globes. Love the square logo design, and brass burners. Some pitting, but overall beautiful lanterns for the collection.
PMRR - It’s Hammer Time!
Early to mid 1900’s Pere Marquette Railroad Track hammer/chisel with wood handle 4Lbs. 8.6oz. 15" Long, shown here with a Pre-1895 Lantern.
Three of my favorite restored pieces. Cleaned to as close to factory condition as possible. (2) 1913 Reliables and (1) 1908 Adams (middle). They are beautiful to display and hard to believe well over 100 years old.
Three PM's in the late 1800's with twist off founts. Three of my oldest. (2) 1897 and the one in the middle a Pre-95. 1890 - 1894 (no Pat. Dates)
The Pere Marquette 1225 still sidelined 6/28/25
My favorite lanterns are the ones that tell a story and these two do exactly that. I cleaned them up, but I didn't wash away the story. They are preserved rather than restored. (2) 1913 Reliables. The comfortable leather wrapped bails, to the holes drilled in the lid to warm their hands, the paint used to protect them from rust all tells a lot about the life on the rails in the early days. Lanterns were a very important tool back in the day, every slight modification had its purpose. Now, they are works of art, filled with stories and history.
“Let your light shine!” 1897 Adams: Burning some left over oil from New Years. I don’t like long burns with the embossed globes, so I replaced the embossed globe with a clear Kirkman for now. Just thought I’d share. Enjoy….
While the lanterns were great for giving off light and heat, the different colored glass globes gave off signals for the trains to operate at night. Each color has its own meaning. For example; White (clear) - Safe to proceed. Green - Proceed (white and green could be used together in certain circumstances). Yellow (Amber) - Proceed at reduced speed. Red - Stop or danger ahead, and Blue meant that men were working in the area. Pictured with a HO gauge or the Pere Marquette 1225 hauling freight.
Pictured above: Adam Westlake (AW, Adlake, Adams) Reliables (1912 double guard Reliable, many 1913 Reliables), 1913 Switchman’s with wood bale, Pre-1895/1897 (2)/1908/1909 (2) Adams, Adlake 100, 200, 250(s), Kero(s), a Dietz #39 Standard (Bell bottom) and two Adams 1897, all with embossed/etched and/or stamped with PM(s), PMRY(s), PMRR(s) and/or Pere Marquette. All railroad, dead-flame lanterns have original burners & founts with either wire, leather wrapped, or wooden bails.
Other PM, PM RY or PM RR Memorabilia
Pictured here is a step ladder used on the Pere Marquette Railway along with a Smudge Torch (PM RY embossed on the bottom) used for melting ice and an Oil can (PM RY embossed on the bottom) used on the engines. The ladder (PM RY Stenciled on both sides) is extreme sturdy (compared to today’s models. Steps are higher and farther apart.), made of oak and supported by a wide center leather strap. I use it for display as pictured.
PM RY Galvanized Oily Rag Waste Container
Repurposed and used as a waste basket in my home office. This item is fully functional with a little surface rust and some minor dents that could probably be bumped out, but I tend to like to leave things the way I find them, minus the dirt and grime of course. I’ll clean them up, but I like to leave the stories (the wonder) in them whenever possible; preserved rather than restored is my preferred choice and it usually ends up being one of my favorite finds.
Size: 24”T x 20” Diameter. Estimated date: Pre-1920 (There is no foot pedal to open lid hands free, and T hinges instead of the continuous piano hinge in later models.)
My entire collection of Pere Marquette Railway lanterns to date (13qty 8/23/24). More have been added since and are add to the carousel above. (Update 24qty as of 3/23/25).
PMRY, 1923 Adlake 250 with etched red globe. Displayed with O Scale Pere Marquette Caboose A986
The Adams Family with their cousin Dietz.: Added hooks to the cabinet doors to display the “double guards” together. From left to rIght: Adams 1897, Adams 1897, Dietz #39 Standard 1910, Adams 1909, and a Adams 1908
Lionel ‘O’ Gauge #A909 Pere Marquette Caboose
Finally found my nemesis. This was a hard one to find and even harder to get once you do. Got lucky and found this one, brand new in the box on Ebay.
A Family Portrait
It’s getting harder and harder getting up and down the stairs in my old age. I used to be more agile. (My collection of Pere Marquette Lanterns 6/29/25)
Click on image for larger view.
A photo I took of the Pere Marquette 1225 (December 2023). It hangs proudly in our living room. It took First Place in the Best or Steam photo competition (Huckleberry Railroad & Crossroads Village 2024). Two 1913 Adlake Realible Lanterns with embossed globes bracket the photo. The Polar Express train displays on the shelf below. More info here.
The sign is almost not legible on the old Pere Marquette viaduct in Grand Blanc, MI
Plaques on both the North and South Side of the Bridge.
