Help with identifying L&N railroad gas lamps Louisville & Nashville RR

I have had zero luck identifying these lamps other than they are L&N railroad lamps and that they were originally gas lamps converted to electric. Each lamp has 3 glass panels etched with L&N, they weigh about 15lbs each. Any help is greatly appreciated! I'm looking for possible age and where these might have been originally placed...at a station or? And whether or not these have any value before they get turned into side lamps on my barn! Thanks in advance!

 

It came off of a building, probably a station from the looks of it. They're not junk; railroad geeks would pay big bucks for those with that frosted glass. They'll need rewiring, but some rail nut would be all over them.

 

They look like heavily tarnised brass on the exteriors (don't try and clean them). Check them with a magnet to be sure.

If you can determine if they are, in fact, from L&N Railroad, people will be very interested, as evelyb, mentions. Yes, depot and could even had been at company headquarters.

The time period is probably in later half of the 1800s. But gas lights were still widely used through the mid 1920s. Once electricity was mainstream (and safe), they probably converted them to get more mileage. They may have still been hanging during WWII since they probably would have been scrapped if they were lying around someplace.

 

I checked, not brass. I'll post a few more pics

 

In which part of the country did you acquire them? Might be helpful in finding if they were from a depot local to you.

 

They're still saleable even if they're fantasy pieces, but if they're converted gas fixtures the metal at least is the right age.

 

If you can post them in the thread, and at full size, it would be better. Thanks.

 

Thanks guys for your input. I bought these here in Florida. The owner I bought them from used to work for CSX railroads.

 

Those are really nice lights. If you can locate an old photo of a depot with them, you could help your cause. I would spend a little time doing some research.

Is that a porcelain keyed socket that's been painted silver?

 

I like the "Flickering Light bulb" - last time I saw those were from Spencer Gifts (Midway Mall, Elyria, OHIO) in the 70's when there were still "black light" posters!. Didn't know they still made those!

 

I'll check the sockets and see if they are ceramic. I've done a fair bit of research on trying to find anything similar to the lights but nothing that matches the Victorian style of lights, but agree that they were either building mounted or mounted to a tall post.

 

@Gunrunner You may want to contact this place and give them links to your fixtures:

Filson Historical Site -->

 

Seconded. If those are legit, they'll probably take them off your hands so fast....

 

The light sockets are indeed ceramic or porcelain. I did contact Filson, the agree with everything stated here but I would have to pay them to research old schematics and blueprints to find out exactly where they would have been installed at. The beginning rate is 70.00 an hour...

 

nice of them to offer........

 

Scratch that! Depending on your ambition level, you could always try a large metropolitan library that has a robust research section that you can peruse.

Probably were converted to electric quite some time ago, given the porcelain socket bases.