Handlan Tall-Globe Lanterns

Among companies other than Adams & Westlake who made tall-globe lanterns, Handlan of St. Louis was a major player. The company had a number of different corporate names over the years, each with the name "Handlan", "Buck" or both. This reflects the two key figures in its corporate history, A.H. Handlan and M.M. Buck. The earliest origins of the company date back to the 1850's, and it apparently went out of business only recently.

Handlan and its predecessors made a wide array of different tall-globe lantern models, as well as many other types of railroad lighting devices. Examples of just a few of their tall-globe lanterns are shown below.

Above Left: Handlan-Buck tall globe lantern marked "B.& O. R.R. Co." (Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.) with a clear cast globe and a twist-off fount. Above Right: Handlan tall-globe lantern marked "P. & L.E. R.R." with a clear cast globe, an insert-fount, and a fixed (non-removable) bellbottom.
Above Left: Handlan "#176" tall lantern marked "P. & L.E. R.R." with a red cast globe and a twist-off casing containing an inserted fount. The use of a twist-off casing was advertised by Handlan as having the advantage of minimizing the handling of globes. Handlan also touted the fact that the wire guards were held to the frame by being inserted through perforations in the globe holder plate, rather than being attached to the frame with metal bands like some other manufacturers' models. Above Right: A Handlan tall lantern marked "M. R.R." with a red unmarked globe. This model is similar but not identical to the example at left. Here the casing enclosing the fount is completely attached to the frame as in a true "insert fount" lantern. These two examples illustrate how subtle variations can be found in substantially similar models. Whether these variations represent railroad-requested differences or simply improvements in the basic design is unknown.
Above Left: A Handlan tall-globe lantern marked with a Pennsylvania Railroad keystone logo on the smoke dome and a red etched "Pennsylvania Lines" globe. This model has a "flat top" smoke dome and an insert-fount. It was likely produced very late in the tall lantern era, since the smoke dome bears similarities to designs used in Handlan's short-globe models. Above Right: Handlan-Buck tall globe lantern marked "Burlington Route" (Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad) with a clear cast globe and a twist-off fount.