|
|
|
|
|
Trip #1 - Vermillion River - Centennial ParkRecently, I went out for a Sunday drive to look at a nearby river that was at full flood level and running through/over several trailer parks. After looking a while from the highway, I decided to go for a walk along the nearby railroad tracks that crossed a bridge just upstream of the highway. The river drops over a falls and some rapids directly under the bridge and the water was just roaring through.
Anyway, since I was walking along tracks already, I was watching the ground for old pole bases, cross arms and maybe insulators. The lines have long since been removed completely from this R-O-W, leaving only stumps where the poles once stood. All I could find along the line were shards of broken 154 DOMI-42s and other common glass. (ie 128s, maybe a 122)
Further along I noticed a another set of poles laying down in the bush away from the tracks. These turned out to be an old power line taken out of service with the poles cut and laying on the ground. Around several of them I found chunks of porcelain multiparts, but nothing big enough for me to tell anything about them.
My total haul for the hike was 2 copper tie wires and 4 chunks of porcelain with "interesting" coloured glaze on them. I did take a few pics of the raging waters for posterity. I saw 2 or 3 crossarms on the ground but they were bare.
Trip #2 - Manitoulin Island - July 6-7, 2002I spent part of the past weekend travelling around Manitoulin Island (the world's largest freshwater island) checking out antique shops and looking out for insulators. Along the road to the island there was a power line with three large porcelain multiparts on top of each pole. On a lower cross arm there was one wire on a porcelain unipart and one wire on a clear glass power piece. I couldn't tell the exact style but I'd guess something in the CD 230 - 240 range, maybe a clear Pyrex or Hemi piece. Pole after pole on this line had the exact same configuration.
I visited about five or six antique shops and only found insulators in two of them. Unfortunately, several shops from the brochure I was following seemed to have closed. In one shop they had a light aqua <> CD 102 for $10. It wasn't worth that so it stayed there. Another shop had a box of CD 154/155 DOMI-42s, a couple of CD 122 DOMI-16s, a CD 128 or two and a couple odd porcelain pieces. The highlight of the box was a CD 145 NE-Canada in light straw. It was priced at $10 and I already have one, so it stayed there too. This shop also had a beat up porcelain multipart for a doorstop outside.
Trip #3 - Barrie Antique Sale - July 13, 2002On July 13th I took a drive with my sister to Barrie for the Flamboro Antique Sale. The information said there would be 125 dealers there. We arrived shortly after 9:00 AM and started browsing through the many booths. I spotted a CD 742 M.T.Co. threadless in one of the first booths I looked in. When I asked how much, (hoping the vendor didn't know too much about insulators and that I might snag a bargain) he replied $200 (CDN). I quickly put the piece down and continued on my way.
Many booths later without seeing a single insulator, I finally came upon a booth with a display rack holding about 30 nice coloured insulators. As I started looking at them and the price tags, I quickly determined that the pricing was totally out to lunch. For example... a CD 121 B.T.Co. in light aqua for $25 CDN (a $3-5 US piece); a CD 210 POSTAL for $75 CDN (a $15-20 US piece); $40 or 50 CDN for CD 143 CanPacs. I did spot a nice CD 200 No. 2 TRANSPOSITION but the $65 price tag put me off. I later checked my PG, (not being familar with that CD) to find it was a $20-30 US piece. The only thing he had that was reasonably priced were a pair of CD 235 PYREX in light carnival at $40 each. I didn't pick them up since I already have three of those.
The same seller also had several boxes of lightning rod balls and several complete lightning rod setups, but since I know absolutely nothing about LRBs, or their value, I passed them by. I only found one other booth with insulators, and it was a box of very common pieces, priced at $6 CDN each. Nothing in the box was even worth the $6. I went back to the booth with the overpriced insulators for one more look and noticed that several were gone from the shelves including the CD 200. I didn't buy any insulators there, but ended up coming home with two blown glass fishing net floats for $20 total. I'd wanted one of those for a long time.
After leaving the antique market, we went to the Barrie Antique Mall elsewhere in Barrie. I scoured through many, many booths and only spotted a few very common insulators. Nothing here to add to the collection, but I found another nice net float for $24 which I brought home.
Aussie Deal - August 24, 2002A long time ago I received an email from a gentleman in Australia. He had seen my website and learned that I collected Australian insulators. He told me he had a collection of them, but was moving out of the country, and had to get rid of them before he moved. He was willing to send them to me for only the cost of the postage. I sent him some information so he could properly catalog his collection and eventually he sent me a list of what he had. Emails went back and forth for a while, and another collector in Australia entered the picture to get part of the collection as well.
Eventually I settled on a list of 14 that I was intertested in. I mailed a divided shipping box, with plenty of bubble wrap, plus payment for the return postage to him, and eventually the insulators arrived back here. Postage on the almost 20 pound parcel was $74 AU. The box arrived safely home with only minor bashing on the corners after travelling half way around the world and back.
The 14 insulators that I received are:
Copyright © 2007 - Doug Netzke and Micro Solutions of Sudbury