H4695.3

05/24/92
20 in HIGH x 11 in WIDE x 7.5 in DEEP
(50.80 cm HIGH x 27.94 cm WIDE x 19.05 cm DEEP)
Gift of Southern Pacific
H4695.3


Railroad material. Description: switch lantern, SP Co., May 24, 1892, inscribed Mills. From the History Information Station: Object: Caboose lantern, marked "Wells Patent, May 24, 1892. Southern Pacific Railroad. History: Hung from the last car of a train, the caboose lantern was a vital communication device on night trips. Like the flags which flew from the caboose by day, the lantern glowed green while the train was moving and red when it was stopped. If men had to work around the train, a blue light was hung to warn oncoming locomotives of trouble. According to railroad lore, a train was nothing but a string of cars until a flag or signal lantern was hung from the caboose.

Used: railroad | California | Southern Pacific Co.?

Bookmark and Share