RAILROADS OF NEVADA

David Myrick, in 1962, wrote two large books (about 450 pages each) about the railroad lines in Nevada. The book are... well... about railroads. But it was along Nevada's railroads that many fabulous insulators were originally placed in service. The illustration above is of the Tonapah Railroad, a late-comer with construction not begun until 1903.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                  

But many of the photographs are of interest to insulator collector. Below is an 1867 picture of the Central Pacific Railroad. Note the single glass insulator mounted square on top of the pole. The shape is hard to make out. Does anyone know what threadless insulator the CPRR used in its earliest construction?

The picture above was taken in 1871, and shows a railroad siding at a place identified as the Humboldt Station. Clearly identifiable on the poles is the insulator you would most expect to find on the Central Pacific. Notice the projections below the cross arms. The railroad used, throughout much of its portion of the transcontinental route, the metal encased Brook's ramshorns. Many of the insulators bear the railroad's initials: CPRR.

Below is an 1860's picture of two work trains on a siding east of Reno. Again, the poles reveal ramshorn insulators under the crossarms.

Because of the popularity of railroads, you can expect to pay a healthy premium if you seek to purchase these out-of-print books from a bookseller.