Last Update:  October 25, 2011
Railroad Trainmen Electric Lanterns Series
Conger Lantern Company
Copyright © 2004-2011 All Rights Reserved
The Conger Electric Lantern Company was started by Charles W Conger who lived in The Dalles, Oregon in 1917 when he filed for this first patent,  number
1277549, for an electric battery powered Lantern that you’ll see below in a photo. I don’t know if this is his first electric lantern, but it’s certainly one of his
earliest.

The company probably started around this period as a few different models and versions were introduced throughout the early 1920s and 1930s.  Conger
made several variations, selling them in moderate numbers.   During this period, the vast majority of lanterns that were sold and used were still the oil lantern
type.   Conger never made any oil fired lanterns and concentrated entirely on battery operated lanterns, mostly for railroad use.

But after WW2, the demand for battery operated lanterns began to skyrocket as companies came out with newer and better designs.   The Conger Lantern
Company was looking to produce something entirely different than the other models.   One of the biggest complaints of railroad workers was the weight of the
lanterns.  They wanted something as light as possible.  But it also had to be durable.   And railroad companies, who often purchased these lanterns for their
workers, wanted something that was cheap, but cost effective.

Conger would come out with an entirely new design in 1950 that would cause it to be the most desirable and produced metal railroad lantern ever.  It was a
lantern designed by John Schilling and Forrest Jones, presumably employees of Conger Electric Lantern.   It was patented by 1953 and would remain in
production through the early to mid 1980s, almost unchanged.

While it shared the appearance of other designs, it has some major distinctive features that set it apart and helped it become as popular as it was. First of all,
it was smaller and lighter than most other lanterns on the market. This one feature is probably what made it among the most popular lantern of all time with
trainmen. The stainless steel body and plated, lid, cage, legs and face plate all were very rust and corrosion resistant. It was an extremely simple design and
the switch was very simple and easy to operate. It also could be completely disassembled in just a few minutes, without any tools. It was also cheap. Cheap
and easy to manufacture and cheap to buy. In the 1970s, they were around $7. Around $30 in today's dollars.

It’s one major disadvantage was that the thin body and lid were easily dented, sometimes to the point that the battery would not fit, but otherwise these dents
were purely cosmetic and did not affect the function one bit. Another disadvantage was that the handle could not be easily adjusted into various positions
other than up. The wing nuts have to first be loosened, then the handle positioned where you want it and then the nuts tightened again.

One way to tell an earlier model from a later model is took for a zip code on the face plate. At some point, Conger began to add the zip code 97220 to the face
plate, next to Conger Electric Lantern, Portland, Ore. If yours has the zip code, my guess is that it was probably made in the 1970s and possibly even the late
1970s. The patent number 2653218 should be stamped on all models produced after 1953. If yours says patent pending, it was likely made prior to 1953.

Conger apparently was sold off to Star Headlight and Lantern around 1982. My guess is that Star only bought the rights and maybe the stamping machinery
to make the lanterns.  Conger of Honeoye Falls NY was born.  Honeoye Falls, NY was the headquarters of Star Headlight and Lantern until recently, so the
Congers that were produced after 1982 were essentially produced by Star Headlight and Lantern, most likely at their facility. They will look exactly like other
Congers, but will be marked Conger Lantern Company, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472. USA. Some have commented that these versions have poor welds and are
of a lower quality that the original Congers.

Star had been manufacturing its own plastic railroad lanterns since 1976, but the Congers were still very popular with railroad workers.  When Conger went
out of business, Star saw an opportunity to continue to capitalize on the demand and offered both it's plastic lanterns and the Conger style.   Star also made a
very popular all steel lantern that was discontinued at some point in the 1970s.   This lantern was fairly heavy and while extremely durable, not as popular with
crews due to its weight.

Exactly when the Conger Lanterns ceased being produced by Star, is a bit of a mystery.. Star was still advertising Congers for sale by 1985.   By 1990, Star
dropped the Conger trademark all together, but still had Congers in stock as of 1993 and was continuing to sell out its remaining stock at that time.
Some sources indicate that the Cumberland General Store catalog still sold these until very recently, which was most likely new old stock from Star.

The most common question for anyone who’s acquired one of these is what bulb does it take. The base is small bulb screw thread, E10. Beyond that, any 6
volt or nearly 6 volt bulb with an E10 base will work. No. 407 are low wattage bulbs for battery conservation. 502 is the standard bulb for this light type. No.
425 is higher wattage and No. 157 is among the highest wattage incandescent bulbs that I could find. Its globe is a little bigger but fits just fine. I like to equip
my lights with 157 bulbs in the reflector housing (which is essentially the flashlight part of the lantern) and 425 bulbs for the signal socket.

Battery is just a standard 6 volt big square lantern battery. The battery case is very tight in the Congers, so they will not fit any battery that is even just a few
millimeters larger than the standard lantern battery. For example, my rechargeable 6 volt batteries will not fit the Congers.
Conger Related Patent Documents and Drawings
Basic History of the Conger Lantern Company
In 1920, Conger made some revisions to his
original design and had those revisions
applied to his original patent, which it was in
1922.
One of the first patents by Charles Conger is
shown here, issued in 1918.   Below you'll
see a rare version of this lantern in our
collection
Almost 30 years later, Charles Conger is probably gone,
but a brand new design was applied for patent in 1950 with
patent issued in 1953.  This would be the design that put
Conger on the railroad lantern map.
Conger Related Advertisements
All of these ads show the earliest versions of the Congers and likely date from the late teens to early 1920s.
An early ad from 1956 showing
the new modern Conger.
Congers of Our Collections