BONNER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM
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Railroad Lantern
This vintage Lantern was used on the railway.  It was manufactured by Genesy Electrical in 1926.  The lantern is a great example of how sturdy items were made in the past - It still works!

During the era of steam locomotives and early diesel, distance and noise along the tracks and in the train yards made speaking or shouting useless. Any mechanism used would need to be portable, since workers on the line were always in transition. While semaphore flags were successful during daylight hours, nighttime communication required lanterns to signal to one another. Railroad workers used lanterns as a hand signaling to device, swinging them in various ways to send a message such as to stop or slow the breaks.
Kerosene lanterns became the most effective way to communicate in the dark. In fact, these lanterns were so advantageous that many rail workers continued to use them even after more modern methods were introduced to the scene. Flashlights, for example, did not provide as strong a signal, were too directional, and required batteries to be changed frequently. Additionally, lanterns could double as a heat source to stay warm on chilly nights. 

Donor: Dorie and David Schuh Bosse
​Adopted by:
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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Donors & Sponsors
    • Board & Staff
  • At Home with BCHS
    • Young Explorers (0-10)
    • At Home Historians (11 and up)
    • Connecting the Past to the Present
    • Podcast: North Idaho Nuggets
    • Historic Walking Tour
    • Historic Driving Tour
    • Covid-19 Archive Submission Form
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Sponsorship
    • Volunteer
    • Adopt an Artifact
    • Donate an Artifact
  • Exhibits
  • Education
    • School Tours
    • Traveling Trunks
    • Collection Based Research
    • Project-Based Learning
    • Bonner County Story Collectors
  • Events
  • Research
    • Preservation
    • Object Identification
    • Newspapers of Bonner County
    • Railroad Collection
  • Visit