Last time “Bea Lines” went to Washington, so let’s go clear across the country this time, to Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, to interview Claude Wambold. Usually I choose collectors I know well, which isn’t the case with Claude, but from all accounts, he is a nice guy and a dedicated insulator buff. So let’s find out more about him.

Claude first became interested in insulators 27 years ago. He tells us, “My first encounter with insulators was in the summer of 1968. I was vice president of rolling stock on the Quakertown & Eastern Railroad. We had a 2-8-0-type steam locomotive, one baggage car, one combine car, and seven coaches. We ran railfan excursions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. We kept our coaches in a former Lehigh Valley R. R. yard in Bethlehem. After we were finished for the day, one of the guys asked if I wanted to check out with him the remains of the pole line that skirted the yards. I asked what we were looking for, and he said ‘insulators’. I said ‘yes I would’. We found CD 145 Brookfields and ‘B” CD 152 Hemingray and Brookfield, and some porcelain, and I was hooked.

“As for what I collect, I guess I would fall in the general-specialty class. I have a general collection of colors, shapes, etc. I guess you could say that I have collections within a collection, and they would be my Pennsylvania-manufactured glass, Brookfield color and color variants, and Diamond ponies. To sum it all up, at this point in time I would not get rid of my general collection in order to specialize in one thing. I didn’t always collect what I do now. In the beginning, it was only general, and even that was hit-or-miss at times. I currently have approximately 2,100 pieces in my collection.

“As for other hobbies, I like hiking and traveling. I also collect railroad switch locks, brakemans’ lanterns, and milk and beer bottles from my area. What are my favorite insulators in my collection? This is a hard question to answer, but I guess high on the list would be one or two of my Fry Glass Company insulators. Probably the sombrero would be on the top of the list. As for my main ‘want’, this is even harder than the previous question. It would be a toss-up between a cobalt Westinghouse CD 102 and an embossed Paisley CD 132.2.”

Claude and Arlene Wambold in store with some of his furniture.

Claude is married to Arlene, and he says, “We met in the winter of 1971 at Town and Country Lanes in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. I had been divorced about a year at this time, and I was asked if I would join a bowling team. One guy had suffered a heart attack and had to drop out, so I took his place. It was a couples league. Every week when we bowled, I would see this good-looking girl on one of the other teams. I thought she was probably married or going steady, and then I found out that she was neither one. I finally got up enough nerve to ask her out for snacks after bowling one night. Soon afterward we started dating, and we were married September 30, 1972.

“Arlene shares my interest in insulators to a degree. She has gone with me on half-day hunts and has walked the lines with me when we were on vacation in Canada. She was with me when I found my CD 158.2 Boston, and caught it when I dropped it down to her. Arlene’s main hobby is antiques. She collects Moderntone depression glass in amethyst, old scales, and the ‘Open Apple’ pattern of Purinton Slipware pottery which was produced in northwestern Pennsylvania in the early 1940s.”

Claude was born December 14, 1938, in Sellersville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, about 12 miles from where they now live. He has always lived in Montgomery County, growing up in Franconia and Souderton. Later he moved to Telford, and for the past 23 years, they have lived in Perkiomenville. (Anyone who has ever-addressed an envelope to Claude knows that it takes about 20 minutes, what with two Perkiomenvilles and a Pennsylvania!) He has three children: Mandy Lou, 33; Randy Allen, 29; and Paula Louise, 26. All of them live in California, and Randy is a policeman. Claude also has four grandchildren.

Claude and Pete Donnelly at a Perkiomenville show.
June 19, 1993

As for occupations, Claude continues, “I started out working with my dad in his carpentry business. Later I went to work for American Olean Tile Co. I worked night mechanical maintenance and became head of night maintenance. I then went into heavy and highway construction, working at carpentry or truck driving. I am currently employed by Carpenters Local 1595. I also restore antique furniture and build custom furniture. Am I retired? No, just tired sometimes!”

As for awards given by the hobby, Claude has received many awards for displaying at national and local shows. Along with Steve Bobb, he has cohosted the eastern regional five times. He also does an outdoor show in Perkiomenville every June, one of the longest-running shows in the east. Nineteen ninety-five will be the 22nd year for this show. Bob Wilson started it in 1973 and had a yard-full of people with no room for expansion. Claude said he had a larger yard, and the show has been at his place ever since the second year. This past year, he has made two presentations on insulator collecting; one to a business woman’s group and the other to a retirement group.

Claude is also eastern region correspondent for Crown Jewels of the Wire, and he enjoys being able to contribute at least a little bit of the magazine. (Almost nine years ago I wrote an article for Crown Jewels of the Wire called “How to Write a Good Show Report”, and I used Claude as an example to observe in order to do it right. I stated, “To read a truly newsy, colorful, and fine piece of show reporting, see Claude Wambold’s [reports]. Here you will find interesting words and phrases,, bits of information unique to that particular show, and lots of clear photos with identifying labels. [His reports are] well written, informative, and concise. [They] tell all, and yet [do not] ramble.” (See CJ 11-86-36) He continues to write excellent show reports.

Claude and Arlene.
1992

Claude finishes his interview by stating, “One of my goals is to find more good insulators! Seriously, I hope to see our hobby grow and to continue its high standards of ethics and honesty. I do other antique and collectible shows, and hearing some of them complain about what happens in their hobby makes me glad that we have high standards. Another hope is that insulator prices do not rise to the point where we will scare away new and beginning collectors. Also, this is one hobby that has a very high percentage of honest people in it. I guess this about sums it up.”

The hobby thanks Claude for his many contributions; the great shows he cohosts, his many displays which inform the public about insulators, and his fine show reporting, and for just being a great person to know.