On August 10, 2011, the Friends of the 457 were excited to accept donation of a signal lantern with commemorative markings for the Minneapolis & St Louis RR #457. Recently, David Bublitz from St. Ansgar brought his cousin Jerome Lenz from Minnesota, who is a railroad collector, to Mason City to see the 457. Mr. Lenz said he had acquired a signal lantern sometime ago that had the 457 engraved in the top along with the date on the number plate that he'd bought on E-bay from someone in Duluth.
Commemorative Lantern
The 457 Commemorative Lantern
Top of Lantern
The top of the chimney is marked "No. 39. RAILROAD"
M&StL Markings on Lantern
The brass band with "MINNEAPOLIS & ST LOUIS RAILWAY DEC 1912 52307" and brass 457 numbering.
Lantern Disassembled
The flaired, bell bottom is removed for filling the kerosene resevoir and adjusting the wick.
He felt strongly about returning the lantern to the Friends. The lantern was presented by Lucille Bublitz of St. Ansgar, who will celebrate her 100th birthday in 2012, which is also the Centennial Year of the 457's birth.
The exact history of the lantern is unclear and is currently being researched for additional information. Here's what we can determine so far about the lantern itself;
The lantern was purchased by Jerome Lenz of North Branch, MN in about 2003 through Ebay from a person in Duluth. It did not have a globe or wick assembly. Mr. Lenz provided a modern tall globe reproduction marked "W. T. Kirkman No. 39 R.R." and a Kirkman Convex wick assembly. The lantern is clean and restored and lacquered. It appears to be a steel brakeman signal lantern with a flair base. The top of the smoke vent appears to be painted brass. The unique, two-wire globe construction identifies it as being made by the C.T Ham Manufacturing Co. started in 1886 in Rochester, NY and went out of business in 1914. Ham's assets were later acquired by Deitz Lantern in 1915, and some old stock may have been available through Deitz for a time. The markings visible on the lamp are on the top, "No. 39. RAILROAD". On the base, "PATENTED DEC. 26, 1896" is faintly visible, and "DEC 98" is stamped onto the latch strap. This appears to be stamped after manufacture. What is clear is that this lamp is contemporary to the building of the 457 which occurred in 1912, Schenectady, NY.
The history of the connection with the 457 is unknown at this time. The lamp is decorated with a brass band circling the smoke vent that is lettered "MINNEAPOLIS & ST LOUIS RAILWAY DEC 1912 52307" which is the date and number on the builder's plate of the 457. On the lantern hood, three brass tacks numbered 457 are pressed through the metal and soldered from beneath. We speculate that this is likely a commemorative lamp for the 457 rather than an individual, since no person's name is on the lantern, but rather the significant engine numbers. Was it created to observe the delivery of the locomotive, or it's retirement? Did the M&StL have a tradition of assigning a lantern to an engine? Was it an employee's personal lantern? Who knows??? Help us solve the mysteries that come with this excellent gift!
Regardless of the history, the lamp is a wonderful addition to the 457 legacy and will be a valued treasure to the Friends of the 457. Many THANKS to the Lenz and Bublitz families for their generosity!