Dietz Vesta, At Last!

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Since becoming addicted by the lantern bug, I have been wanting a nice Dietz Vesta to round out my tubular lantern assortment. Now normally these lanterns go for a bit beyond my budget for such things as they bridge both the lantern collecting hobby and railroad enthusiasts. My luck finally struck on Christmas eve with my single bid of 24.99$ (19$ for shipping) landing me this example.

For those who may not know; The Dietz Vesta (and similar style lanterns made by other brands) were used as a means of signalling switching locomotives at night in railroad freight yards across N. America. While not intended to put out a lot of light, like a No. 2 Blizzard, they were built to survive the rough and tumble life of work on the rails. To my knowledge, there were two main styles of Dietz Vesta lanterns. A "short" and a "tall" version. Both used the same globe and (I believe fuel tank) with the main difference being in the chimney design. The shorter version was introduced later as a cheaper and easier to produce version of the rail yard favorite.

This particular lantern is a 1941 example made in Syracuse NY. Most Dietz Vestas were originally purchased under contract by New York Central RR (later New York Central Systems) and stamped NYCS accordingly as this one is. Overall the lantern is in great condition with only a dented in lower cage. The globe is original/correct and marked for the Vesta and sports the "Corning No-Nex" Cnx mark. Corning No-Nex was an early form of the popular Corning Pyrex. Thanks to Lanternnet.com for the info!

The following pictures were taken upon my intial "as received" disassembly and inspection.