I have a lantern, kerosene/oil burner. The only marking is the number 927 on the bottom of the oil/kerosene tank. It has a ruby red glass which is extremely thick and short. Can anyone give me any information? I can not find any further markings on this lantern. Thanks

-- Linda Kitchens (kclk@earthlink.net), June 13, 2002

Answers

Southern Railway was one of the last major railroads to use kerosene lanterns, using them even up until the last run of its famed passenger train, the Southern Crescent, up until 1980. The "927" marking was used on some of the later runs (late 60's & 70's) of the famous lantern Adlake made called the "Kero". SR began using Adlake Keros in the mid 1920's after the demise of a competitor, Armspsear. Most early Keros for the Southern were marked "SOU. RY" in large bold letters, or "SOUTHERN RY." in smaller letters on the rim of the lid.

Early on, railroads marked their materials with ownership marks to prevent employee theft, but eventually, these markings led to a collector factor and desirability, as well as temptation, increased dramatically. The "927" was Southern's way of marking its lanterns with a code that identified the ownership, but was puzzling to the general public or collector. The exact meaning of the "927" is unknown, but general consensus is that it was either Southern's FRA (Federal Rail Administration) number or the Adlake customer list number. Either way, it was exclusively Southern Railway. Your 927 lantern, with a plan (unmarked) globe, is worth anywhere from $50- $100, depending on condition and buyer.

Hope this helps.

-- Matt Bumgarner (stealthnfo@aol.com), June 14, 2002.