Lou Houck Rollin' Recording 208 River Ranch Rd. Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 537-5494 (830) 537-5495 [ fax ] lou@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx www.rollinrecording.com
Hi Lou/Ryan:
Thanks for the quick info. The stubby glass bottle in that picture, on the left, is what I have. OK, so I can't add that new wing to the studio but it's still cool looking on the shelf!
Because these batteries were used in rail signals, I bet my mother-in-law didn't get this at a garage sale but probably one of my wife's older siblings picked it up along the freight tracks that bordered their farm. There was a crossing signal right on their road. Actually, one quick tale for you train buffs. Those tracks were/are, I believe, owned by Conrail (now CSX). Their primary function was to go between paper mills in Lowville and Beaver Falls NY. Parked off a side street in Lowville -- still there today as far as I know -- is a snowplow engine with its own manually operated turn-around at the end of the spur. There must be another turn-around up in Beaver Falls so it can plow back and forth and return to base. These places are just off the Tug Hill Plateau, headed toward the Black River, so if you know upstate NY, you know how much snow they get in a typical winter. I only saw the snowplow engine in action once and it was an impressive sight. We were snowmobiling in the farm fields and I noticed a cloud of powdered snow moving toward the farm edge from Lowville. We zipped over there just in time to follow the plow all the way along the farm border.
Happy New Year!
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rollin' Recording" <lou@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Edison battery oil?
Hi Tom,
Here's some info from the Edison National Historical Site.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/edis/edisonia/articles/batteryoil.htm
I have a couple of these bottles myself...found them along the railroad right of way in New Mexico!
Lou Houck Rollin' Recording 208 River Ranch Rd. Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 537-5494 (830) 537-5495 [ fax ] lou@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx www.rollinrecording.com
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 6:33 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Edison battery oil?
My wife found me a really cool little glass bottle at a garage sale. It is embossed raised letters on glass, about the form-factor of a tiny milk bottle, probably holds 4 oz. It's got Edison's trademark signature on one side and the other side says:
Edison Battery Oil Made in U.S.A. -------------------- Thomas A. Edison Incorporated Bloomfield, N.J. U.S.A.
So, can someone tell me more about it? What batteries would need oil? What era would this be from? Thanks!
-- Tom Fine