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Locomotives / Technology

Insulator

Insulator

Hemingray
1871 – 1919

Glass insulators were first produced in the 1850s for use with telegraph lines. As railroad lines expanded, they needed electricity for signal devices and telegraph communication, with pole and insulator systems running along railroad tracks. The Hemingray-42 was one of the most common styles of glass insulators, with millions produced between 1921 and 1960. It came in two main styles and many different colors, with the most common being the clear teal "Hemingray blue."

Glass. H 11, Dia 9.5 cm
Steamtown National Historic Site, STEA 345