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#2760      Unmarked.     Bell shaped ebonite insulator.       Brown.

  Lot # 2760
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Details
  • Lot # 2760
  • System ID # 630693
  • End Date
  • Start Date
Description

#2760      Unmarked.     Bell shaped ebonite insulator.       Brown.

The insulator itself stands 4-1/2 inches in height.

An amazing rarity from Great Britain.  This historical, early relic was once part of Keith Neal's collection, later purchased by Marilyn Albers after Keith's passing, and still later became a part of the Jim & Lis Bergman collection after Marilyn passed.

Keith Neal, who resided in England, was born in 1905.  He was fascinated by trains as a child, and prior to 1916 diverted some of his attention to telegraph lines.  By 1916 he had gathered his first insulator, and shortly thereafter started collecting them.  By the 1920's, he had already gathered many fine, early examples!

Keith wrote two books in the 1980's which document various early types of insulators used in Great Britain.  This insulator appears on page 66 as Figure 89 in Neal's book titled Searching For Railway Telegraph Insulators.  He describes it as  "Early bell-shaped insulator made of ebonite by Siemens, c. 1855-60." 

Ebonite is a hard, durable material with excellent insulating properties, obtained by vulcanizing a mixture of rubber, sulfur and other materials for long periods of time.  It became a popular means of insulation in the 1850's and 1860's.

The strong vulcanite material is only 1/16 inch thick at the lower skirt!

The insulator is complete with original iron mounting pin, which is cemented into the interior pinhole. Judging from the appearance and date of production, one can speculate the pinhole is likely threadless.

The iron pin extends 5-1/2 inches below the pinhole, complete with iron nut on the threaded end of the pin.  A turned wood display unit is included in the lot.

Insulator remains in exceptional condition!  Iron pin has surface rust.

From the collection of Jim & Lis Bergman