Upon arriving Sunday morning to the annual London, Ohio show, I noticed one insulator in particular was drawing quite a bit of attention. Several people examined it after the piece came out from its secure hiding place under one of the tables. It was photographed and returned to its owner with rumor that it was already spoken for with a potential purchaser lurking near by. The specimen was a rare one indeed with only a hand full known to be in "captivity". What was a real surprise is that the object of attention was not some rare cobalt threadless or an amber screw-top Boston. It wasn't even glass! It was an M-2636 O-B marked porcelain multipart!

It wasn't that many years ago that this unit would have been scoffed as a "boat anchor" and relegated to use as a door stop or driveway marker. Thanks to Elton Gish and some very dedicated collectors, these units have not only gained respect but have been given identities beyond "large brown power piece" and have enabled collectors and dealers alike to communicate intelligently about these classics. 

The M-2636 and its close Cousins, M-2635, M-2640 and others, have always been my favorites and have long been my most sought after and coveted styles. The graceful lines and elegant flairs give these units that unmistakable early "classic" look and easily distinguish them from more modern conventional styles still seen on lines today. I was fortunate enough to have acquired several different examples of these some years ago as they have become much harder to find these days. 

Cataloged as early as 1907, these styles were pioneering the insulation of high voltage needed to run the main transmission for the earliest electric Interurban trains. These interurbans were a type of long distant trolley which sprang up in Ohio and Indiana near the turn-of-the-century. As the distances increased and more substations needed power supply, the voltage reached the 30,000 range. These tall saucer shapes with their exaggerated pin protecting flared bottom shells seemed to be the answer and hundreds of miles of three phase circuits with these units in use sprouted out like spokes on a wheel from major cities such as Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis to smaller cities around them. 

These units were probably made and used by the thousand. So what happened to them all? Why are they so hard to find? The car, bus and truck spelled the end of the interurbans by the 1930s and the rails and lines lay idle. Some lines were used as a convenient path for upgraded high voltage power lines and the rails were dismantled. The history and demise of the interurbans is a story in itself which I will leave to others but it is known that many abandoned lines during W.W. II were salvaged for the wire which was to be recycled for its importance to the war effort as strategic material. Unfortunately for the sake of expedience, instead of untying the wire, the insulators were simply smashed with a hammer and the wire would pop free. Ouch! 

These "lily shell" styles were also used on standard power transmission lines and though most were replaced with upgraded equipment decades ago a few have survived into modern times as a recent color photo attests. Fortunately, not all the specimens suffered the blows of a hammer and occasionally a lineman would save one for a flower pot or lawn ornament or just for the sheer novelty and appreciation of the graceful shape. Occasionally one will turn up at a flea market or in an antique mall after their owners no longer had a use for them. On the rare occasion that one is found it is usually resting upside down and is being peddled as a novelty ash tray, vase or candle holder. If you run across one, get it! You will have a winner.

M-2636 still in the air... and those now settled in 
"on the ground" in the collection of Dennis Stewart.

Thanks to Robert Winkler, Jerry Turner, Elton Gish and Alan Stastney for information supplied. .