Golden Glow lights

[debook]

Does anyone know when the Golden Glow lights were introduced?

These were floodlights or railway vehicle, streetcar/tram lights and I expect the patent if any relates to the reflector which used uranium glass. They were used widely at least in the 20's and 30's and earlier? Also used to replace arc lamps. Googling finds them world-wide, though mainly US but never gives useful data about when they were introduced, nor by whom!

[Tim]

Hi Frank,

Just to provide a visual for others (and myself), is the train headlamp shown on this page the type of flood light that you are describing?

http://uranglass.gooside.com/goldenlight/goldeneng.htm

[debook]

Yep. Here are some more.

http://home.mindspring.com/~railroadimages/goldenglow.htm

Here is one lit up...

http://transit.nerail.org/showpic/?2006062416265420909.jpg

I am wondering what the perceived (or measured) benefit of using a uranium glass reflector.

[Tim]

For what it's worth, I found this snippet from a book titled The Interurban Era written by William D. Middleton and published in 1961.  Unfortunately, I can't retrieve any more text.

(click picture to enlarge and read)

[debook]

That was interesting, thanks Tim. The reflector and/or lens were made from uranium glass and this tends to fluoresce yellow when excited by UV.

The earliest references seem to from the 20's - by about the 1970's the use of Uranium in glassworks had been eliminated in most places. Now, with more understanding it has come back into limited use. Most puzzling is the lack of info on these widely used lamps. The japanese one had the name on it, but perhaps these were just later productions and "Golden Glow" had just become a successful nickname. Patents etcetera being under another name or description.

[Tim]

I found a better explanation:

Glass Reflectors?Glass mirror reflectors are also used
for automobile headlights. These are generally of the so-
called "golden glow" type, which are made of a special glass
having a greenish golden color. The light reflected by this
lens is of a golden hue and is claimed to penetrate a foggy
atmosphere to a much greater distance than a white or
violet light. The back of the reflector is "silvered" in the
same way as a mirror. The source of light, of course, sends
out rays of all colors; but since the reflection takes place at
the "silvered" surface at the back of the reflector, the reflected
light must pass through the glass, and in doing so the
violet and blue rays are absorbed, while the yellow rays are
reflected.

Source: The Gasoline Automobile by Peter Martin Heldt, 1918

The source also mentions that a company called Esterline made an automobile headlamp using a Golden Glow reflector.  It would seem that ?Golden Glow? was used loosely to describe such reflectors. 

[debook]

Good library and a new lead, excellent. There would of course be a golden coloured glow from the reflector for a brief moment after turning the lamp off. In some European countries the used to use yellow headlights, must be worth checking if any of those used uranium too.

It is interesting that the use of uranium is not mentioned in either of those accounts. Probably it was not seen as significant and that Uranium just gave the required colour plus fluorescence.

It might be "Esterline Angus Instrument" who became part of Esterline technology in 1967. Esterline Angus Instrument appear to have been around since early 1900's.

[debook]

Got nothing other than Esterline Angus Instruments were set up in 1916 although Donald James Angus and partner John Esterline were working together for 2 years prior. It is not unreasonable for them to haver developed a reflector in the 1914-18 period, but finding a patent has been unfruitful. It does not help that Esterline Angus instruments are cited in various patents as being used to measure the information for the patents.

[Tim]

I think you're headed in the right direction with this.

A quick patent search for Esterline gives the inventor's name of John W. Esterline from Indiana.  Some of his patents were assigned to the "Electric Service Supplies Company" in Philadelphia like this 1915 patent concerning the mounting of reflectors.  Queering the name "Electric Service Supplies" into google patents results in numerous hits, many by an inventor named Herbert J. Graham that relate to head lamps and other forms of lighting among other things.  I don?t have time to search through them now but maybe Graham is the inventor?

[Tim]

Also found this, which confirms the Electric Service Supplies Company did in fact produce Golden Glow headlamps:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinthom/44180237/

Other companies may have made them too, and I haven't yet confirmed if ESSC was the first (or only) to do so...

[debook]

Excellent work Tim, thank you.

[JUGCC]

I (Ritsuo) am a maneger os JUGCC(Japan Uranium Glass Collectors Club).
Thank you for refering our web site on GOLDEN GLOW LIGHT as follows.
  http://uranglass.gooside.com/goldenlight/goldeneng.htm

Recently, we acquired a big train head light of US steam locomotive made by the
Pyle-National Company for the Lackawanna Railways.

It is similar to the above Japanese train light, and using uranium glass in its mirror.
Its company name Pyle-National Company is embossed on the top of the light, and this company developped the incandescent lamp for trains in 1913.

It is not sure that 1913 lamp applied uranium glass reflector or not, but the age is at least 1913 to 1920.