Some nice weather!
So, winter's death grip on the area has finally subsided and it hit the 40's and 50's over these past two days, with more "mild" weather on the horizon (though also a bit of rain). To take advantage of this, I figured I'd try to go for a few insulator hunts. Why not?
So, with that in mind, and a sunny 40 degree day in the lineup, I went out Friday by myself to a part of the Bessemer and Lake Erie Rail Road, which is the one I've been searching most of the time (but along different parts, of course). The railroad runs from the Pittsburgh area up to Conneaut, OH on the shores of Lake Erie. Basically it was used to ship coal and iron ore to and from the ports in Erie. It was originally started as the Shenango and Allegheny Rail Road in 1867, but officially became the B & LE RR in 1897, with the construction of the big blue Bessemer bridge that crosses the Allegheny by Harmarville, as well as a ~ 3500 foot long tunnel (more on that later) in Penn Hills.
Anyways, in the past I based my hunts on this line around the big blue bridge. I first started at the bridge and started hunting North and have hunted the line all the way from the bridge to the town of Curtisville, which is near Deer Lakes Park. On the other side of the river, I have hunted the bridge to just before the North Bessemer Rail Yard, in Penn Hills. With this in mind, I decided to continue that route and check out the rail yard, as well as the pghbridges.com/braddock/0602-4481/urr_nbessemer_tun.htm. I was figuring with all the rails around the yard, there had to be some glass in there.
My dad dropped me off at a crossing of Hulton Rd, which was probably two miles from the railyard. I had already hunted this area, so I mostly just walked through until I got to the yard itself. I found a few poles at the start of the yard, some of them were packed with glass, but they were all ones I already have. Once I got to the yard itself, the poles stopped and I couldn't find any more. Bummer.
I walked through the yard until I came across an old abandoned factory. Not sure what they did there, but it looked like it had been abandoned for at least 20-30 years. I didn't go inside, but I looked in through the one door and a few windows and it was in pretty bad shape. I saw a few poles with insulators on em, but they were all higher than I could reach, and I didn't wanna climb up, so I took a few pics of what was up there and continued looking around. I saw a few insulators mounted to the wall of the factory, but I had them already (and they looked cool, so I didn't wanna take em). The factory was very neat, overall. It had those big wooden doors that you see in gangster movies that the guys always back the old trucks up to when they unload their booze lol. Neat stuff. Once I got back home I looked at the pics of the insulators on the climber poles to see that they were actually CD-257 "Mickey Mouse" cable insulators. They are very popular with collectors and VERY hard to find "in the wild". There are two of em up on this one pole. I am currently trying to figure out how to "liberate" them lol.
I continued on and the yard ended and led into the North Bessemer Tunnel. It was a pretty long tunnel, but I walked through quickly (very quickly). Right in the very middle was a big pile of ice stacked up on the tracks that appeared to be glowing bright bright blue. It was very, very strange since the tunnel was pitch black. The ice looked as if there was a black light lighting it all up. Once I got up to it, I noticed there was a vent in the ceiling that went to the outside, which was about 50-75 feet up, and the light from outside was making the ice glow. I tried to get a quick pic, but it was way too dark.
On the other side of the tunnel, I continued on down the tracks, still not finding any poles. I came to another factory which looked like a large quarry or something, with a bunch (about 8) of huge concrete silos. That place was in even worse shape than the other factory. I didn't go anywhere near that one. I did see ONE pole in the middle of the woods away from the tracks and I checked it out and saw three unidentified insulators on top, but out of my reach. The pole was also a climber, but I didn't wanna climb it alone. Might go back when I have a partner for the day.
I walked a bit down before turning around and then power walking the 4-5 miles back (seriously) to make it to where my dad was supposed to pick me up at 4. The walk back was tough.
Today, Nick came to town and we hopped in the mickey mobile and drove to Echo, PA, where I had seen some insulators on poles when I was younger (around 14-15) and where my pap first told me about them. I couldn't remember what was there, really, so we figured we'd check it out. I remember there were lots of them, though, so I figured we'd find some. Unfortunately, while there were lots of poles, the insulators were mostly the same type and not really worth the effort (of walking through crusty snow). We took a few, Nick a couple and then I took one green CD-145, and then we hopped in the car, checked out a few more places along the line (nothing) and then drove back to the New Ken area.
We had two hours or so to kill before dinner at JnS, so we stopped at a few places along the Bessemer Line (again) where I had left some glass that Nick didn't have yet. First we stopped to try to get a cable top CD-252, the ones with the THICK wires on em that made em nearly impossible to get off. When I got mine it took 45 minutes to get it off. There were about 5 of em out there, ONE didn't have any wire at all, so we tried for that one first. It was very high and on the edge of a little bridge, by a cemetary. There was a concrete wall there, but the insulator looked like it would clear it when it fell. Of course, it didn't. It came down after 5 minutes or so of effort and hit the concrete dead on and somehow 1) didn't shatter and 2) stayed on the concrete ledge. It did break, however, in two places on the base. We walked down a few poles and tried to get one of the ones with the wires off. It took awhile, I almost got my grabber pole stuck on the wire, but we eventually got it off. Woot.
We walked down to the big blue bridge to just check it out before turning around and heading back to the car. We had about an hour left so we drove down the road a couple miles and stopped by some other insulators that I previously had left due to not being able to reach em (before I had the grabber pole). They were 162.3's and I remembered there were a few of them right in a row by this old sewage factory. We found them pretty quickly and got them, as well as a CD-147, a CD-145 HG CO and a CD-145 CREB. We got three CD-162.3's as well, all Brookfields. I kept two of the 162.3's, one for me and one for Jake, and I kept the CREB and Nick got the rest. Not a bad day.
Following that, we came back here and changed real quick and then went to JnS for some pizza. Noice.
Now I am sore and tired and it's late, so I'm going to bed. At some point in this upcoming week I wanna head back out to the factory and scout out those Mickey Mice. They have old wires on them so I wanna ensure that they are all terminated, and I also wanna find a way to safely climb the pole (maybe get some climbing gear) before I try to get em. I dunno, though, we'll see.
Goooodnight.
So, with that in mind, and a sunny 40 degree day in the lineup, I went out Friday by myself to a part of the Bessemer and Lake Erie Rail Road, which is the one I've been searching most of the time (but along different parts, of course). The railroad runs from the Pittsburgh area up to Conneaut, OH on the shores of Lake Erie. Basically it was used to ship coal and iron ore to and from the ports in Erie. It was originally started as the Shenango and Allegheny Rail Road in 1867, but officially became the B & LE RR in 1897, with the construction of the big blue Bessemer bridge that crosses the Allegheny by Harmarville, as well as a ~ 3500 foot long tunnel (more on that later) in Penn Hills.
Anyways, in the past I based my hunts on this line around the big blue bridge. I first started at the bridge and started hunting North and have hunted the line all the way from the bridge to the town of Curtisville, which is near Deer Lakes Park. On the other side of the river, I have hunted the bridge to just before the North Bessemer Rail Yard, in Penn Hills. With this in mind, I decided to continue that route and check out the rail yard, as well as the pghbridges.com/braddock/0602-4481/urr_nbessemer_tun.htm. I was figuring with all the rails around the yard, there had to be some glass in there.
My dad dropped me off at a crossing of Hulton Rd, which was probably two miles from the railyard. I had already hunted this area, so I mostly just walked through until I got to the yard itself. I found a few poles at the start of the yard, some of them were packed with glass, but they were all ones I already have. Once I got to the yard itself, the poles stopped and I couldn't find any more. Bummer.
I walked through the yard until I came across an old abandoned factory. Not sure what they did there, but it looked like it had been abandoned for at least 20-30 years. I didn't go inside, but I looked in through the one door and a few windows and it was in pretty bad shape. I saw a few poles with insulators on em, but they were all higher than I could reach, and I didn't wanna climb up, so I took a few pics of what was up there and continued looking around. I saw a few insulators mounted to the wall of the factory, but I had them already (and they looked cool, so I didn't wanna take em). The factory was very neat, overall. It had those big wooden doors that you see in gangster movies that the guys always back the old trucks up to when they unload their booze lol. Neat stuff. Once I got back home I looked at the pics of the insulators on the climber poles to see that they were actually CD-257 "Mickey Mouse" cable insulators. They are very popular with collectors and VERY hard to find "in the wild". There are two of em up on this one pole. I am currently trying to figure out how to "liberate" them lol.
I continued on and the yard ended and led into the North Bessemer Tunnel. It was a pretty long tunnel, but I walked through quickly (very quickly). Right in the very middle was a big pile of ice stacked up on the tracks that appeared to be glowing bright bright blue. It was very, very strange since the tunnel was pitch black. The ice looked as if there was a black light lighting it all up. Once I got up to it, I noticed there was a vent in the ceiling that went to the outside, which was about 50-75 feet up, and the light from outside was making the ice glow. I tried to get a quick pic, but it was way too dark.
On the other side of the tunnel, I continued on down the tracks, still not finding any poles. I came to another factory which looked like a large quarry or something, with a bunch (about 8) of huge concrete silos. That place was in even worse shape than the other factory. I didn't go anywhere near that one. I did see ONE pole in the middle of the woods away from the tracks and I checked it out and saw three unidentified insulators on top, but out of my reach. The pole was also a climber, but I didn't wanna climb it alone. Might go back when I have a partner for the day.
I walked a bit down before turning around and then power walking the 4-5 miles back (seriously) to make it to where my dad was supposed to pick me up at 4. The walk back was tough.
Today, Nick came to town and we hopped in the mickey mobile and drove to Echo, PA, where I had seen some insulators on poles when I was younger (around 14-15) and where my pap first told me about them. I couldn't remember what was there, really, so we figured we'd check it out. I remember there were lots of them, though, so I figured we'd find some. Unfortunately, while there were lots of poles, the insulators were mostly the same type and not really worth the effort (of walking through crusty snow). We took a few, Nick a couple and then I took one green CD-145, and then we hopped in the car, checked out a few more places along the line (nothing) and then drove back to the New Ken area.
We had two hours or so to kill before dinner at JnS, so we stopped at a few places along the Bessemer Line (again) where I had left some glass that Nick didn't have yet. First we stopped to try to get a cable top CD-252, the ones with the THICK wires on em that made em nearly impossible to get off. When I got mine it took 45 minutes to get it off. There were about 5 of em out there, ONE didn't have any wire at all, so we tried for that one first. It was very high and on the edge of a little bridge, by a cemetary. There was a concrete wall there, but the insulator looked like it would clear it when it fell. Of course, it didn't. It came down after 5 minutes or so of effort and hit the concrete dead on and somehow 1) didn't shatter and 2) stayed on the concrete ledge. It did break, however, in two places on the base. We walked down a few poles and tried to get one of the ones with the wires off. It took awhile, I almost got my grabber pole stuck on the wire, but we eventually got it off. Woot.
We walked down to the big blue bridge to just check it out before turning around and heading back to the car. We had about an hour left so we drove down the road a couple miles and stopped by some other insulators that I previously had left due to not being able to reach em (before I had the grabber pole). They were 162.3's and I remembered there were a few of them right in a row by this old sewage factory. We found them pretty quickly and got them, as well as a CD-147, a CD-145 HG CO and a CD-145 CREB. We got three CD-162.3's as well, all Brookfields. I kept two of the 162.3's, one for me and one for Jake, and I kept the CREB and Nick got the rest. Not a bad day.
Following that, we came back here and changed real quick and then went to JnS for some pizza. Noice.
Now I am sore and tired and it's late, so I'm going to bed. At some point in this upcoming week I wanna head back out to the factory and scout out those Mickey Mice. They have old wires on them so I wanna ensure that they are all terminated, and I also wanna find a way to safely climb the pole (maybe get some climbing gear) before I try to get em. I dunno, though, we'll see.
Goooodnight.