2005 >> August >> Mixed Up Mud Multipart  

Mixed-Up Mud Multipart
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", August 2005, page 6

David Adams writes, "I found an insulator the other day I feel is kind of odd and it would go into the porcelain news section of CJOW. It's a Westinghouse product with the top skirt in black marked "W" in a circle as usual. But the rest of the skirts are in the very normal Ohio Brass color of tan/black streaked. I feel Westinghouse may have used OB left overs and put their own tops on. What do you think?

"It's an M-4323. Maybe the power company contacted Westinghouse to supply their line with insulators and Westinghouse may have went the cheap way and used old OB parts?"

David, These mixed-up mud multi-parts are fun to own, but not all that uncommon. Collectors have insulators with Thomas tops and Victor and sometimes Locke skirts.

I don't really think the mix-up came in the manufacturing stage, but in the line construction stage. Evidence indicates early multi-parts were assembled on the job site. The individual pieces were shipped separately, and then assembled as the line was being constructed... most likely in the yard but possibly even in the field. Parts manufactured by different companies were mixed up, but also parts from the same manufacturer occasionally were mix & matched.

Howard



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