Today's road trip.

[steve in so la]

Not all trips are for coins & such. Today's trip was to check out a few railroad places I have researched to see what's there. As for date nails we got some as old as 1909. Got them with the detectors. Found a dead rattler on the road, still fresh, got the rattles. Saw another snake , a red racer about 4 ft long. It's not harmful and was sunning itself along side the railroad tracks. Anyone know what the pipe like item is in the pic? It's hollow and appears to be porcelain. I have seen these before and always in a railroad area.
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6d730b3127cce8c95c035273000000016108AcuGbZs0asw">
Here's some copper chemical rocks plus 2 iron pyrite rocks. These were typical loads hauled from the mines in the early 1900's in AZ. I put some of them in my railroad display cases to compliment things.

So we left at 5 am and got home at 4 pm, had a great time - went from Tucson to Douglas ,AZ and points in between. We were basically right along the Mexico border most of the day. Man, there sure are tons of Border Patrol cars, helicoptors, cherry pickers, etc out there. steve in so az
<center><img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6d730b3127cce8c95c04ca67900000016108AcuGbZs0asw">

 

[rentasquid]

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[steve in so la]

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[rentasquid]

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[steve in so la]

Don't think I have. Seen both separately used as insulators. I think the item is an old insulator that went through a hole in the wall and wires ran through it. This info was from John on another forum and makes sense. steve

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

I am stumped on the porcelain object???

 

[MI$$OURI BETTY]

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[VT Dave]

Your porcelain thing is a knob&tube wiring insulator. They were very common before the use of BX and then romex electrical cable. Each wire ran through one of these when they penetrated a rafter or wall. In those days, the wires were only coated with tar and muslin so they would wear quite rapidly where there was pressure. Nice rattle!

Dave

 

[Pete in MI]

back in the days of 2 separate wires running down the walls inside a house these insulators where placed in holes in the wall drilled for electric wires and then the wires were run through them. I have seen them on upgraded houses where old electric lines came into a house - again 2 separate wires (they didn't know what a ground was back then) each running into the house through its own insulator. You might remember seeing wiring in the old houses that looked like ladders running up the walls. This was back in those days. Maybe I can find a pic some place Steve.
If ya found the insulator ya probably found where there was once an old house. Good find Steve.

 

[Digdoug]

Interesting finds Steve. I concur with the other guys about the insulator. My first house had knob and tube wiring and man what an electrical nightmare. I was replacing a chandalier with a ceiling fan and the old insulation on the wire just flaked off it was so brittle. I had to get an electician to re-wire the whole house. In the attic each overhead light had eight wires running from it in different directions and it was impossible to tell where they were going without a diagram.

Waiting on a call from a fellow to get permission to hunt his farm this morning...wish he would hurry up and call!!

 

[Digdoug]

.........going relic hunting on the old farm!!

 

[rentasquid]

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[Mike Chgo area]

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