My name is Daryl Richardson and I have been collecting insulators for almost three years now. I have been subscribing to the Crown Jewels of the Wire magazine for a little over two years. I have enjoyed reading the stories about other collectors going on digs and finding new pieces.

This year I got a metal detector for use on railroad right-of-ways, etc. With the help of a railroad map of Maine dated 1912, my dad and I set out on our first trip this year. Our destination was the St. Lawrence & Atlantic R.R. (originally the Grand Trunk R.R.). Our goal was to dig up the threadless insulators used over 130 years ago. 

Within thirty minutes after getting out of the truck my dad, John, spotted the top half of a sky blue CD 742 on the side of the rail bank. It was freshly broken because last fall they raised the tracks and dug the dirt out of the far side of the right-of-way that the poles were on for use as the new bed. He dug like crazy to find the rest, but no luck. Anyway, I continued north with my metal detector and after about only 10 feet I got a sounding dead between two poles. At first nothing turned up. I dug more out of the left side of the hole and guess what popped out of the coarse yellow orange sand? 

The item that rolled out of the sand almost startled me. It was a good sized cast iron pilgrim hat shaped insulator!! Inside was a threadless, clear glass insert! Some of it may have broken away. On the rounded part of the skirt were two fangs about an inch long each and in the middle was a small "hook" that kept the wire in place after it was slid down between the fangs and the side of the insulator. My dad calls it the "wolfman insulator".

Daryl Richardson of Warren, Maine holds "The Wolfman"
and a piece of a threadless CD 742!

"Hey, dad, come here!" We did a high five and danced around like crazy people. I have all the insulator books and I have never seen anything close to this. A memorable Memorial Day? I guess so! We have contacted several experienced collectors and all were astonished to hear of anything like this. I guess it's a new find. We have made a fairly good blueprint of the insulator and we have some pictures of it.. Who? What? Where? When? How many? Hopefully someone out there might know the answers. We'll be taking another trip soon, very soon, to look for more stuff. The insulator is completely solid with the exception of the crack in the front, We would be pleased to hear from anyone who might know anything about it.

I would like to thank all of the collectors who have written about their trips and digs and all of the neat things they have found. It was these very accounts that inspired me to take a small vacation from antique shops and flea markets and get into the country where these pieces have been for so long. Happy digging and good luck to all!

"The Wolfman" from the front showing the two upright 
flanges and small hook which kept the wire in place. 
The enlargement photo shows this area very clearly.

A quarter turn to the right shows how the hook projects 
out just above the skirt over the wire rest to keep 
the line wire nestled on the two flanges.

The picture of the insulator base show the glass insert and
small pin hole which accommodated a small metal pin.