SIDE PIN PROFILE:

BRIAN ORR

I started collecting insulators when I was eight years old, and am now almost 16. My grandmother and I would walk the tracks by my uncles when we were on vacation many times. I had always picked up the railroad spikes, and dad was getting tired of hauling them home. One time he told me, if was going to pick up stuff at the tracks, pick up something of more value, like insulators. I've been collecting ever since. The next time we went we found a few insulators. I remember it was like yesterday, my first insulator I found was a CD 155 corrugated base, Hemingray 45, with a BB ding on the skirt, I still have it, and it is still "as found" I have never cleaned it.

Fast forward three years. Its now 2001 and CSX Transportation has removed the pole line, and there were insulators all over the ground, Hemi 16's 19's 20's 40's and 42's. Also found were Whitall Tatum No 1's. All common, but neat to an 11 year old. A section of line about 5 miles form my uncles house we found CD 133 Brookfields, 145 Crebs and pieces of CD 127's.

Of the many hunts my dad and I have been on, the most memorable was at an abandoned railroad in Indiana. It was abandoned in if I remember correctly the early 1970's. by now it is covered with trees. The rails are gone, and it is a difficult terrain, due the steep slopes one must climb to get up top the rail bed. As it turns out this railroad had two lines. One on the south side, which was a POWER line, not sure of the voltage, but I think it may have been 7.2kV. It used 9kV arrestors. The other side was the communications/ signal lines, with 4-armed poles. The section we have searched used CD 240.5 Pyrex's on the primary, and on the secondary deadends it used CD 1070 Hemingrays. On the 4 armed line side we found CD 214 WT's, CD 145 H.G.Co.s and Hemingrays, Brookfield Crebs, and we also found a few CD 190/191 Two Piece Transpositions. I since learned that we haven't been the only ones to search this line, a few other collectors have said they searched other parts of this same line that runs from Indianapolis, IN to Colombus, OH. I've been told that on the 4-armed side threadless and very early threadless glass have been found by digging, so I think that will be our next hunt.

Another very memorable trip was to the Hemingray Factory in Muncie, IN in 2004. We originally only planned to take some pictures of the old office buildings but then dad suggested we walk around back, and see what there was. I found an Ice green glass block, and many insulators. I found 3 Hemi blue, smooth base 42's a Hemi 21, an almost complete CD 238.1 we also got a MINT crackled hemi 12, mint as in missing no glass, and it is Jade in color. Also found were D-990's and D-510's. My mom also found a 162 H.G.CO. In dark purple and about 75% of a light purple CD 162.

My main specialty is The Hemingray Glass Company, with small sub-collections of Pyrex and foreign insulators, and lately I've taken a liking to big substation stuff, I have an HUGE arrestor sitting behind my grandparents house where it's displayed. Most of my foreign collection has been obtained by trading insulators to a Lineman I know who works for Western Power in Western Australia. I have amber AGM's, and some Cobalt blue porcelain and other neat insulators, from Japan, France, New Zealand, and China. A Lot of Australian insulators were imported. However I can't stick to my main specialty, there are always that insulator that "I just have to have". We all know the feeling. One of those cases was a CD 235 carnival Pyrex I got in an antique shop.

My largest purchase of insulators was about a year ago. I bought about 1000 insulators from a bar owner that my uncle happened to know, all for just $50. There were CD 112 brookfields, 102's 145, Crebs, Am tel tolls, A CD 153 no name along with a lot of porcelain. The best find was and aqua CD 230.1 Hemingray D-512, that I found in the bottom of a bucket, and it was MINT.

Collecting insulators Came together with another interest of mine. Power lines! Since I was 3 years old, I'd sit and watch the linemen work around the neighborhood. I have my own backyard pole line, built almost entirely with real line stuff, brought to me by linemen I know. One of the Linemen I know let me borrow "the Lineman's and Cableman's Handbook", and I've learned a lot about line work from it. I'm going to be a Lineman at the power company, Consumers Energy Starting in only a few years. I have already gotten to work on a substation, when it had to be completely rebuilt due to a transformer failure, and will get to go on trouble calls with some linemen friends this summer. I've also already been offered jobs to work for power companies all over the US, and in Australia, when the time comes. 

Looking for Colored CD 230's and CD 168's, and 2 piece Hemi tramps. Drop me a line if you have any of the above, or if you just want to chat:

Hemingrayinsulators@yahoo.com

Good Collecting, Brian Orr

CONTEST WINNERS.... Each of the four young insulator collectors shown below won a CD 734 McMicking threadless insulator (as shown) in the Crown Jewels essay writing contest. Their essays will be published, one at a time, starting next month.

ADDITIONAL WINNERS... These young men also participated in our writing contest. They will each receive a CD 102 BTC of Canada / Diamond pony in royal purple (as shown). Their contest entries will also be published in Crown Jewels in the coming months.