# Awesome Railroad finds!



## Screwtop (Jul 4, 2021)

Today I hunted for several hours along an old abandoned railroad line in Kentucky. This particular stretch of railroad was in use from the 1870s, through the 1940s when coal stopped coming out of that particular area. As I was walking along the overgrown mess that is the area now, I was picking up plenty of 1930s Hemingray insulators, but these three were the ones that took the cake. 






I don't know anything about CD numbers, or how old they are, but they are not from the 1930s! The one on the left is marked Hemingray Pat. May 2nd 1893, with all drip points intact, the aqua Brookfield Beehive (I've always wanted one!) is marked Brookfield / New York, and the other one is marked W. Brookfield / New York. 

I was finding a mix of household and telephone line insulators as well, but they were broken. 







The beer bottle is a West Virginia Brewing Co. bottle from Huntington W.Va, a nearby town. The druggist bottle came from Cincinnati. Weird how that ended up all the way out here! The beer bottle is a BIM, So 1900-1905 era. The druggist is from the 1890s.


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## Cola-Coca (Jul 4, 2021)

Awesome finds for sure!


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jul 5, 2021)

Good stuff.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## bottles_inc (Jul 5, 2021)

Cool finds, great pics


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## BillinMo (Jul 5, 2021)

Nice finds.  The H.G. is probably late 1890s-1910 or so, and the same for the W. Brookfield signal.  The beehive is a hair later, probably 1903-1910.


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## willong (Jul 7, 2021)

Searching along an abandoned and overgrown railroad line that operated from the 1870's sounds like a dream day to me! Virtually nothing like that out here in western WA where the majority of our rail lines date 1890's or later.

Two advantages to western Washington woods though: no venomous snakes, and I have never picked up a single tick in wading through our underbrush. Some Salal stands (https://green2.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plant.aspx?Act=view&PlantID=33) can actually grow over head height despite what plant guides say; and it can be mightily frustrating to tunnel one's way through such jungles. In such encounters it is nice to not be also encumbered by thoughts what what might be slithering around one's feet or latching onto one's clothing!

If you find cuts and fills along the way, be sure to check the fill embankments for items discarded by the original workers as well as toss out the windows by train crew and passengers. A potato rake or small cultivator, even a pitchfork, is a good tool for raking and probing through the forest detritus. What would be really great is to encounter the crunchy feel and sound of crumbling tin cans with a trace of solder sealing a small hole in the center of the lid, a great indicator that you've located a vintage dumpsite. Ravines and gullie, as well as creek banks, were always popular disposal terrain.

Hope you find more so we can all enjoy the adventure vicariously!


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## dario (Jul 7, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> View attachment 227161
> 
> Today I hunted for several hours along an old abandoned railroad line in Kentucky. This particular stretch of railroad was in use from the 1870s, through the 1940s when coal stopped coming out of that particular area. As I was walking along the overgrown mess that is the area now, I was picking up plenty of 1930s Hemingray insulators, but these three were the ones that took the cake.
> 
> ...


You have a CD 145 BROOKFIELD, a CD 162  HEMINGRAY, and a CD 133 BROOKFIELD.  The May 2nd 1893 patent on the Hemingray is for the drip points.  The CD 133 is most likely the oldest of the 3 insulators.  They are all about 100 years old or a bit more.


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## margclearlake (Jul 7, 2021)

I was walking the Santa Fe line near, well my property near Santa Fe. found a whole bunch of Thomas Edison Battery Oils. really cool bottles with his signature done in cursive. they were so small couldnt figure out the use. seems battery oil was put over the water in the batteries to help with evaporation. seems the workers just threw them. I donated them to a railroad museum that surprisingly did not have any. 

Also found a whole bunch of the china that they used on the train. red and white, with aztecy birds and such, from Mimbreno Syracuse factory. I can just imagine the spoiled jerks throwing it off the train, there was so much of it, sherds. pretty though. donated that too.


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## Bohdan (Jul 7, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> View attachment 227161
> 
> Today I hunted for several hours along an old abandoned railroad line in Kentucky. This particular stretch of railroad was in use from the 1870s, through the 1940s when coal stopped coming out of that particular area. As I was walking along the overgrown mess that is the area now, I was picking up plenty of 1930s Hemingray insulators, but these three were the ones that took the cake.
> 
> ...



Wash the bottle before you post it!
Common sense.
Common courtesy.


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## Screwtop (Jul 7, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Wash the bottle before you post it!
> Common sense.
> Common courtesy.





It is washed. Unfortunately it was halfway buried, and it's affected with "The Sickness".


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## willong (Jul 7, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> It is washed. Unfortunately it was halfway buried, and it's affected with "The Sickness".


A lot of limestone down your way too, isn't there?


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## Bohdan (Jul 7, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> It is washed. Unfortunately it was halfway buried, and it's affected with "The Sickness".


Sure looks like mud


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## Screwtop (Jul 8, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Sure looks like mud




Look buddy, are you trying to be difficult? That is calcium deposits stuck to the bottle. Unless I tumble it, it ain't coming off.


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## Screwtop (Jul 8, 2021)

willong said:


> A lot of limestone down your way too, isn't there?





I live one mile away from a limestone quarry. Yeah we got a lot of limestone. :/


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## treeguyfred (Jul 8, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> View attachment 227161
> 
> Today I hunted for several hours along an old abandoned railroad line in Kentucky. This particular stretch of railroad was in use from the 1870s, through the 1940s when coal stopped coming out of that particular area. As I was walking along the overgrown mess that is the area now, I was picking up plenty of 1930s Hemingray insulators, but these three were the ones that took the cake.
> 
> ...


Nice finds Screwtop! Thx for sharing with us!


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## UncleBruce (Jul 8, 2021)

If it doesn't come off using an acidic type soaking it is etching cause by carbolic acid, which is formed in the ground from decaying plant matter.  As Screwtop says if it doesn't come off using the suggested washing/soaking methods it would have to be tumble polished to restore it.


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## Bohdan (Jul 8, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> Look buddy, are you trying to be difficult? That is calcium deposits stuck to the bottle. Unless I tumble it, it ain't coming off.



Still looks like mud...
and you don't know me - I'm not your "buddy".


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## Screwtop (Jul 8, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Still looks like mud...
> and you don't know me - I'm not your "buddy".




I call folks buddy when I really mean A-hole.


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## hemihampton (Jul 8, 2021)

I don't see any Mud. Looks sick, needs a tumble. Congrats on your finds. LEON.


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## Bohdan (Jul 8, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> I call folks buddy when I really mean A-hole.



What an attitude.
Your mom must be very proud... sonny.


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## Wildcat wrangler (Jul 9, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> Look buddy, are you trying to be difficult? That is calcium deposits stuck to the bottle. Unless I tumble it, it ain't coming off.



I have taken a nail buffer sanding block for acrylic nails to bottles like this and have had great results- you can control the crusty look and even the irridecense and shine. Also I have been told to use muradic acid and that will remove the deposits and etching. I had already tried the acid without show-stopping results but maybe my mix was off. But that bottle, if I had it, would get cleaned up with a nail buffer- they come in different grits.I like the way it gives me some control over the rainbow look of the patina, and I can remove the gunk I don’t want. I mean if you don’t have a tumbler!


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## Wildcat wrangler (Jul 9, 2021)

willong said:


> Searching along an abandoned and overgrown railroad line that operated from the 1870's sounds like a dream day to me! Virtually nothing like that out here in western WA where the majority of our rail lines date 1890's or later.
> 
> Two advantages to western Washington woods though: no venomous snakes, and I have never picked up a single tick in wading through our underbrush. Some Salal stands (https://green2.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Plant.aspx?Act=view&PlantID=33) can actually grow over head height despite what plant guides say; and it can be mightily frustrating to tunnel one's way through such jungles. In such encounters it is nice to not be also encumbered by thoughts what what might be slithering around one's feet or latching onto one's clothing!
> 
> ...



Now see whatcha did, here…. You have me thinking about walking the rails, here- it’s flat freakin hot here, always in the summer, but this is worse-Redding heat on Steroids! Thinking the lake that’s now a creek would be a good call. Even that’s too far down for crystal hunting or rock climbing-Plus we do have a lot of the snakes with the noisy tails, with a huge spider on every rock, is what I saw, Sunday. I got over the fear of snakes, as much time as I spend climbing out there- I just watch everything so close because 1 wrong move and it’s 129’ of a Very bad fall, straight down with occasional giant boulders, before you hit the lake! But those big 
a$$ed spiders? Those freak me, for real!  I think maybe we have the same trax running thru here and up the coast, pretty much, to Alaska. But to me, I would be really happy finding 1890’ trash, too!  


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## Screwtop (Jul 9, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> What an attitude.
> Your mom must be very proud... sonny.




My mother is a 5'2 alcoholic, yeah I got an attitude, what do you want from me?


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## SMJB (Jul 9, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Still looks like mud...
> and you don't know me - I'm not your "buddy".


Screwtop said he cleaned the bottle. Why are you being difficult?


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## Bohdan (Jul 9, 2021)

Just said it looked like mud.
It still looks like mud.
Others agreed.
Why are you being judgmental?


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## nhpharm (Jul 9, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Just said it looked like mud.
> It still looks like mud.
> Others agreed.
> Why are you being judgmental?


Bohdan, I've seen a number of comments from you that in my personal opinion come across as unnecessarily abrasive or rude in response to people's posts.  Since most of our interactions here are through the computer, it's easy to jump to conclusions. Nonetheless, this forum will die without posts from members, be those posts good, bad, or ugly and it seems like responses that belittle people's posts are probably not necessary in the furtherance of a post.  Most of the bottles I find are etched very similar to the one that was posted and nothing short of a tumble will "clean" it.


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## Bohdan (Jul 9, 2021)

Just said it looked like mud.
It still looks like mud.
Others agreed.
Why are you being judgmental?


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## Screwtop (Jul 9, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Just said it looked like mud.
> It still looks like mud.
> Others agreed.
> Why are you being judgmental?




What others???


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## SMJB (Jul 9, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> What others???


The guy's a troll. Forget him.


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## zsmith333 (Jul 9, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> View attachment 227161
> 
> Today I hunted for several hours along an old abandoned railroad line in Kentucky. This particular stretch of railroad was in use from the 1870s, through the 1940s when coal stopped coming out of that particular area. As I was walking along the overgrown mess that is the area now, I was picking up plenty of 1930s Hemingray insulators, but these three were the ones that took the cake.
> 
> ...



Beautiful finds. What camera did you use? Photo nerd here 


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## Bohdan (Jul 9, 2021)

Screwtop said:


> What others???



Tired of your whining.
Goodbye.


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## hemihampton (Jul 10, 2021)

hmmm.


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## Screwtop (Jul 10, 2021)

Bohdan said:


> Tired of your whining.
> Goodbye.





You're a funny troll, acting like you're the reasonable one.


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## Screwtop (Jul 10, 2021)

zsmith333 said:


> Beautiful finds. What camera did you use? Photo nerd here
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




An aging Nikon D2500.


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## embe (Jul 10, 2021)

Nothing wrong with a bit of patina when showing newly found bottles (in my opinion).  Gives it some character.  

If it was all cleaned up he'd probably want to argue whether or not you found it by the Railroad.  Can't win with some people.


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## willong (Jul 13, 2021)

Wildcat wrangler said:


> Now see whatcha did, here…. You have me thinking about walking the rails, here- it’s flat freakin hot here, always in the summer, but this is worse-Redding heat on Steroids! Thinking the lake that’s now a creek would be a good call. Even that’s too far down for crystal hunting or rock climbing-Plus we do have a lot of the snakes with the noisy tails, with a huge spider on every rock, is what I saw, Sunday. I got over the fear of snakes, as much time as I spend climbing out there- I just watch everything so close because 1 wrong move and it’s 129’ of a Very bad fall, straight down with occasional giant boulders, before you hit the lake! But those big
> a$$ed spiders? Those freak me, for real!  I think maybe we have the same trax running thru here and up the coast, pretty much, to Alaska. But to me, I would be really happy finding 1890’ trash, too!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I don't like to admit it. However, since I had no say in the matter as a child, I'll 'fess to growing up in California. I loved hunting quail and rabbits with my father and his friends there. Even before I got my first shotgun at age nine, I would go along on the trips to act as a birddog and retriever. I cringe today, thinking of some of the brush tunnels I would crawl through! On one trip, when I too was hunting, I picked 21 ticks off my body, one of which had already embedded.

Being away from that hot country more than five decades, I've grown considerably more tolerant of both snakes and spiders. Spiders generally only bother me now in Fall, when it sometimes seems one cannot take more than half-a-dozen steps in the woods without having to push through another clinging web, often with a fearsome looking spider clinging near its center, stretched across the path.

I actually found myself concerned for the survival of a little garter snake in the backyard over the past Winter when I did not see it again this Spring. It has unusually rich, red stripes, and is thus distinguishable from others of its clan. Last year, it appeared repeatedly in a bit of weeds growing where I have some fence panels stacked. I finally spotted it again about two weeks ago, somewhat removed from that site. I was actually relieved to see the little critter! That said, I still sometimes jump back if a snake slithering near my feet catches me by surprise. I see no reason to fret over, or try to shed, ingrained survival habits. I inherited some acreage in northeastern WA, and I recently bought acreage in Montana, east of Missoula. Rattlesnakes are possible in both locations. Unfortunately, the dreaded ticks are more than possible!

Good luck with your low-water explorations. I can't think of anything else that might put a positive spin on extended drought. I almost drowned in Lake Isabella when I was eight years old. I heard back then that the impoundment had flooded a gold rush-era town. I only learned in recent years that the tale was true when I saw an article about foundations of the town, which dated from the mid-nineteenth century, becoming exposed in mudflats far from the regular shoreline due to extended drought.

Falls are probably among the biggest outdoor killers, maybe followed by heat stroke in your region and hypothermia where I live.

Take care!


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## Wildcat Wrangling Kat (Jul 17, 2021)

willong said:


> I don't like to admit it. However, since I had no say in the matter as a child, I'll 'fess to growing up in California. I loved hunting quail and rabbits with my father and his friends there. Even before I got my first shotgun at age nine, I would go along on the trips to act as a birddog and retriever. I cringe today, thinking of some of the brush tunnels I would crawl through! On one trip, when I too was hunting, I picked 21 ticks off my body, one of which had already embedded.
> 
> Being away from that hot country more than five decades, I've grown considerably more tolerant of both snakes and spiders. Spiders generally only bother me now in Fall, when it sometimes seems one cannot take more than half-a-dozen steps in the woods without having to push through another clinging web, often with a fearsome looking spider clinging near its center, stretched across the path.
> 
> ...



First of all, that’s so beautifully written. You moved from 1 extreme to the other, it sounds like! Shock therapy. Do u prefer Washington or Montana best? All I know is I am thinking more and more about packing up all the cats and my stuff and moving from my hometown where my dad grew up, and grandpa was an engineer on the dam even. Deep roots and property & home to sell I would need the right set up for 14 cats plus litters of kittens- most inside unless they are hopeless pissers! And am outside set up for those ones. But I could set up elsewhere. I would have to find a state where my cats - many 75% African serval, are legal. A state where I could own a full blooded serval would be icing on the cake…. So more research needed. Some place where the lakes not evaporated and there is water to float such a boat on! Lol! Where in Cali did u live? Or did I ask u that before and forget? Well it’s not the place that it was growing up, for sure. And the mountain my dad gave me will end up burning, I would betcha! For 3 years now there are fires that burn right up to it and then get put out. (Whew!) the last one burned the town called Ono, nearest town it was, on its March out to the creek property. Then living in Redding forever, well the heat is just a touch less than Death Valley! It was a cool 115-117 all last week. I noticed it was 99 degrees at midnight so it does cool off at night! (Practically parka weather!) But that’s getting old, the older I get. Snakes are not too freaky to me but they are always too close like crawling over my foot. I picked 1 up and played with it for 30 minutes when I was 6, so that’s a life long deal, I guess. But spiders- well they have a lot of legs and are fast and creep to places and hide and run after me,a lot- truth be known, there is not much that scares the hell out of me, but spiders and dentists made that list! (Said the girl who chose to get all her teeth capped really, really perfect. 11 crowns 2 days ago and all the bottom teeth plus 2 more on The top, aug. 5…Still fear dentists!) I probably won’t adjust to the spider thing any time soon. Have a great weekend! Kat


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## Wildcat Wrangling Kat (Jul 17, 2021)

willong said:


> I don't like to admit it. However, since I had no say in the matter as a child, I'll 'fess to growing up in California. I loved hunting quail and rabbits with my father and his friends there. Even before I got my first shotgun at age nine, I would go along on the trips to act as a birddog and retriever. I cringe today, thinking of some of the brush tunnels I would crawl through! On one trip, when I too was hunting, I picked 21 ticks off my body, one of which had already embedded.
> 
> Being away from that hot country more than five decades, I've grown considerably more tolerant of both snakes and spiders. Spiders generally only bother me now in Fall, when it sometimes seems one cannot take more than half-a-dozen steps in the woods without having to push through another clinging web, often with a fearsome looking spider clinging near its center, stretched across the path.
> 
> ...



First of all, that’s so beautifully written. You moved from 1 extreme to the other, it sounds like! Shock therapy. Do u prefer Washington or Montana best? All I know is I am thinking more and more about packing up all the cats and my stuff and moving from my hometown where my dad grew up, and grandpa was an engineer on the dam even. Deep roots and property & home to sell I would need the right set up for 14 cats plus litters of kittens- most inside unless they are hopeless pissers! And am outside set up for those ones. But I could set up elsewhere. I would have to find a state where my cats - many 75% African serval, are legal. A state where I could own a full blooded serval would be icing on the cake…. So more research needed. Some place where the lakes not evaporated and there is water to float such a boat on! Lol! Where in Cali did u live? Or did I ask u that before and forget? Well it’s not the place that it was growing up, for sure. And the mountain my dad gave me will end up burning, I would betcha! For 3 years now there are fires that burn right up to it and then get put out. (Whew!) the last one burned the town called Ono, nearest town it was, on its March out to the creek property. Then living in Redding forever, well the heat is just a touch less than Death Valley! It was a cool 115-117 all last week. I noticed it was 99 degrees at midnight so it does cool off at night! (Practically parka weather!) But that’s getting old, the older I get. Snakes are not too freaky to me but they are always too close like crawling over my foot. I picked 1 up and played with it for 30 minutes when I was 6, so that’s a life long deal, I guess. But spiders- well they have a lot of legs and are fast and creep to places and hide and run after me,a lot- truth be known, there is not much that scares the hell out of me, but spiders and dentists made that list! (Said the girl who chose to get all her teeth capped really, really perfect. 11 crowns 2 days ago and all the bottom teeth plus 2 more on The top, aug. 5…Still fear dentists!) I probably won’t adjust to the spider thing any time soon. Have a great weekend! Kat


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