Editor's Note: At the 2003 National Insulator Association convention, Carver Mead and Barbara Smith displayed what porcelain insulator expert Elton Gish described as "the most incredible display I have ever seen." Carver and Barbara received so many awards for the exhibit, they were featured on the cover and in the color centerfold of the August, 2003 issue of Crown Jewels.

The exhibit featured newly discovered insulators from a powerline known as the Kern River Line, located in south-central California. Elton described the line in detail in "Porcelain Insulator News" in the September issue of Crown Jewels. Collector Jim Barton followed up the articles with a letter containing more information on the Kern River line. He writes...

"I thought you might like these pictures. A segment of the old Kern River line still runs just a few miles from where I used to live (Van Nuys, CA). Even in the heavily urbanized San Fernando Valley, some of the original towers still remain! These pictures were taken along appropriately named Edison Boulevard. The location is in Burbank, barely more than two miles from both Disney Studios and Warner Brothers. 

The line is a mixture of the 1906 towers and newer wooden poles, although I think even some of the wood poles are pretty old. As you can see in one picture, the two circuits diverge, with one going south along Hollywood Way and the other east on Burbank Boulevard."

The original insulators used on the Kern River line were large, heavy multi-parts identified by collectors as M-4800's. Prior to Carver & Barbara's discovery, only one example was known, an insulator manufactured by Thomas. They found one Thomas and two brand new discoveries: a M-4800 made by Victor, and another made by New Lexington. All were damaged and had to be repaired.

As you can see, the poles nowadays contain modern suspension insulators. To find out what Carver and Barbara have been up to this winter, see page 23.