Brains
Well-Known Member
So,
We figured we are screwed already with gas prices and all so we drove an hour or two to go to a flea market. Man was that place disappointing! There were so few insulators at the market and surrounding antique stores that i was (and still am) able to remember the prices and locations of the insulators there. Lucky for us there was a rails-trails bike path not to far down the road and we went there. As we were riding down the main path there were about 5-10 poles for a distance of 6 or more miles. All bare, no insulators to be found except for a small pyres on a neighboring power line. All the poles in this area are interesting as they all used the same configuration, 10 pin, all metal with wooden cobs.When we reached near the end of the trail it moved away from the ROW and into a park. Well i had to complain about that, there weren't any insulators along the path and surely there weren't any in this stupid park. However off in the distance i saw what was a train trestle. Ahh there was still hope, i think. So I decided to walk up the small path that led up to what i thought was another set of railroad tracks. There were none, but don't cont out the line yet. The tracks were only gone, the ROW was clearly distinguishable. So i am walking and i see a pole. Well this is great as it has a straw Whitall Tatum no1 on it! I have been trying to get these things forever but they are always glued tight on the pins. Looking to my right i see a faded aqua chunk of glass but i passed it off as a busted beehive. Knowing dad wouldn't want to get down a lowly straw 154 i decide to get the chunk of glass. To my astonishment i pick it up and the words "PATENT DEC. 19-1871" are there. This wasn't just any old beehive, nor a beehive all together. It was a cd 132
In all my years (well just 1 year) of collecting i would never have imagined finding an insulator of this magnitude so i thought it was necessary that I yell out "I found a bullet" but i just said it loud because as you can imagine that wouldn't sit too well with a bunch of little kids and parents near by. Ahh, just in time. My parents were getting back right when i come out of the bushes with the insulator. Dad was as amazed as i was seeing as he wasn't really familiar with the style. (too rare for us) And the condition is impeccable! Just that flake on the base, (witch happens to be thicker one side than the other giving the insulator a lean) a small bruise on the inside of the skirt, an open bubble and a few scattered flea bites. Out cd 133.4 has a giant crack in it so this is great! The signal was just something we got because of the size and it's composition (we don't find much mud). It's a good thing that path went into that park otherwise i would have never found that line and the bullet. Were going camping there next time so we can look all day none stop
1 spot down, 3 to go.
We figured we are screwed already with gas prices and all so we drove an hour or two to go to a flea market. Man was that place disappointing! There were so few insulators at the market and surrounding antique stores that i was (and still am) able to remember the prices and locations of the insulators there. Lucky for us there was a rails-trails bike path not to far down the road and we went there. As we were riding down the main path there were about 5-10 poles for a distance of 6 or more miles. All bare, no insulators to be found except for a small pyres on a neighboring power line. All the poles in this area are interesting as they all used the same configuration, 10 pin, all metal with wooden cobs.When we reached near the end of the trail it moved away from the ROW and into a park. Well i had to complain about that, there weren't any insulators along the path and surely there weren't any in this stupid park. However off in the distance i saw what was a train trestle. Ahh there was still hope, i think. So I decided to walk up the small path that led up to what i thought was another set of railroad tracks. There were none, but don't cont out the line yet. The tracks were only gone, the ROW was clearly distinguishable. So i am walking and i see a pole. Well this is great as it has a straw Whitall Tatum no1 on it! I have been trying to get these things forever but they are always glued tight on the pins. Looking to my right i see a faded aqua chunk of glass but i passed it off as a busted beehive. Knowing dad wouldn't want to get down a lowly straw 154 i decide to get the chunk of glass. To my astonishment i pick it up and the words "PATENT DEC. 19-1871" are there. This wasn't just any old beehive, nor a beehive all together. It was a cd 132
In all my years (well just 1 year) of collecting i would never have imagined finding an insulator of this magnitude so i thought it was necessary that I yell out "I found a bullet" but i just said it loud because as you can imagine that wouldn't sit too well with a bunch of little kids and parents near by. Ahh, just in time. My parents were getting back right when i come out of the bushes with the insulator. Dad was as amazed as i was seeing as he wasn't really familiar with the style. (too rare for us) And the condition is impeccable! Just that flake on the base, (witch happens to be thicker one side than the other giving the insulator a lean) a small bruise on the inside of the skirt, an open bubble and a few scattered flea bites. Out cd 133.4 has a giant crack in it so this is great! The signal was just something we got because of the size and it's composition (we don't find much mud). It's a good thing that path went into that park otherwise i would have never found that line and the bullet. Were going camping there next time so we can look all day none stop 1 spot down, 3 to go.
