Coleman 427 Canada , November 1927 Which generator is originally installed in this Coleman 427 ? Q99 or R55 ? Until when was the Q99 still installed at the factory ?
Hi @Reinhard is this for your nice lantern in the gallery there? i don’t have the PLC but i believe it should state what generators were used? there should be dates for the introduction of the r55 ? i did find a post by Neil regarding generators on the 427k saying either were fitted, but perhaps that will muddy the waters? perhaps the lighting door is a clue as to what was used?
My understanding is that the R55 generator came out after 1927 (in ?1929). The generator used in 1927 would be the Q99. Cheers Tony
@Reinhard I just refreshed my memory by re-reading a section of Neil McRae’s Pressure Lamp Catalogue. On P71 Neil says: “The R55 generator seems to have been introduced … by June 1929.” Cheers Tony
I would believe the Q99 generator would have been originally assembled on a Canadian Coleman 427, dated November 1927. The application patent that represented the Coleman R55 generator was the US2069779, which was filed in May 18, 1934. Granted on 11 May 1937. Inventor: Boyd W. Tullis. (PDF attached). It could be possible that they had introduced the R55 on earlier dates(some mentioned 1929) but I do not have conclusive evidence. The 1930 Coleman Parts Catalog No.22 (effective date September 1st.) had no mention on the R55 generator, be it on the 427 or as a separate item. Only the Q99 was official. (PDF attached). In the 1940 Coleman Products Catalog for Dealers, No. S15A, you can see that the R15 was already an official part on the Coleman 427. (PDF attached). So, I'm more inclined to believe that the R55 was only made official (for USA products) in or after 1939. It is possible the official use of R55 started earlier(perhaps around 1934) for Canadian products but again, I don't have sufficient evidence to validate that. Official means: - "factory assembled". - "not inclusive of later retrofits". ***Like the Petromax, anything could be possible with Coleman. i.e.,: actual availability and usage of parts before the patent dates. I have no evidence on this either.
@MYN I think it very unlikely that Neil McRae came to the conclusion of 1929 for the R55 generator without evidence. As I said above, the 1927 Coleman 427 would have had a Q99. But I would defer to the views of @coleman54 and @Toby Garner on when the R55 appeared on the streets. Tony
@Tony Press Yes, it is possible that the R55 had already been circulating since 1929. I believe Neil wouldn't mention it in the PLC without at least some convincing evidence. Perhaps it wasn't yet factory-assembled on the 427. Maybe it started off on other models first.
The Coleman R55 is shown in the Coleman shipping records handwritten by Hiram Strong: began shipping in bulk June 1929. . The first Coleman gpa to have the R55 as “standard “ equipped was the no. 480 hot ray heater started shipping September 1929. The first design was a similar version in the same time frame as the AGM on their radiant heater and 256 lamps and 287/288 lanterns. The Coleman applied for patent in 1932 not granted till 1934, was a different constructed design. Before it was granted the design was changed again to a jumbo type tube body to give more space for carbon build up, a big aid for kero models. . R55 was an available upgrade from that point (June 1929) for Instant Lite lamps 117,118,119 lanterns 220,228 and also Quick Lite lamps and lanterns. . R55 began as standard equipment on L427K , L427 in Toronto and US 1935. . @Tony Press @MYN
This Canadian Coleman 427 from November 1927 only fits an R55. With a Q99 , the loop would be positioned directly behind a pole.That can't be right.
Thanks for chiming in, @coleman54 I've forgotten about the earlier generator described in the patent US1958400A. Yes, it looks like the predecessor to the fatter one.(same inventor). That'd be another piece of evidence that the R55 had be in circulation before the patent date.
