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Bessemer and Lake Erie Hubbard by Lee Brewer
This was found in a pole at an intersection on the back roads of NW PA around 1999 while hunting along the "Bessemer and Lake Erie" tracks. The pole was old and had some glass insulators still on it (I was primarily hunting these!). Unfortunately I never found another. The 57 probably represents the year, and the 30 would most likely be the height of the pole...or a sequence number. To read more about the Bessemer and Lake Erie check this link out: http://www.lundsten.dk/railfan_pa/ble/
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/B&LE.jpg
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http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/1917(40)NPVARIETIES.jpg
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Oddities in
Pole Nails by Scott Weed
The strangest thing about these nails is the fact that totally different companies used a copper Hubbard nail, then went to a flat indent nail....and then back to a Hubbard nail, and each year the nails are very similiar. Though there are no known GE1931 or LB1930 being pulled.......I like to believe they are out there waiting to be pulled. I recall seeing a HW1929 Hubbard nail in a nailers collection, but cannot remember who's collection.
1929 Hubbard
·
GE
(Galveston Electric)
·
Long
Bell
·
Texas
Creosote
1930 Potosi Type
·
Texas
Creosote
·
GE
(Galveston Electric)
1931 Hubbard
·
Texas
Creosote
·
Long
Bell
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/question.jpg
The above nails have always been a point of curiosity for me. What are the GE nails? They probably belong to the "Galveston-Houston Electric Railway" which was an Interurban line which ran from downtown Houston to Galveston from 1911 to 1936. To the best of my knowledge most of these nails came from a street that runs north to south right by downtown Houston and through the Medical Center. For an interesting article check out this link: http://www.tamug.tamu.edu/rrmuseum/RAILROADS.htm Another interesting point...do the TC nails belong to the Texas Creosote Company? If so, it is odd there were 2 completely different nails used in 1929.
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Large Girard Hubbard by Lee Brewer
In the town of
Girard, PA, my friend Dave Heise and I were once walking
while looking for insulators. I walked by a telephone pole and a
Girard
nail was just about falling out of the side of it (1998 or 1999).
I reached
for it and it about fell into my hands. I wondered what someone
had pounded
a large headed nail into the pole for - I was thinking to hang a garage
sale
sign up or something like this. I then saw what it said.
This was the
first I had ever noticed a Hubbard nail of any sort. We kept
walking and
found another. We decided, after getting back to the car, to
cruise the
small town and see how many more we could find. After cruising
the whole
town (a couple of times - slowly - its a small town!), we found a total
of
4. I went back there a few more times to see if we had missed any
of them
and have never uncovered another. I have even looked to try to
find where
they might have taken all of the old poles (a lot were replaced and I
suspected this is why we found no more of the nails) and discarded
them, but
I was unable to locate them. I have yet to understand why a small
town like
Girard would want to have Hubbard make a die for them since it has
always been such a small town. This is probably one of the
unsolvable mysteries we
will never know the answer to!
http://nailhunter.ehost.com/hubbards.htm
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Here is an interesting item that was on ebay recently. It didn't sell, but I thought it was a unique item. The seller said it appeared to be an OLD Lake Shore(Michigan Southern??)Railroad Yard Date Spike.Meas. approx. 8 1/4"L and top pad meas. approx. 4 1/4" across.Features cast aluminum top with embossed 38(year?)and embossed LAKE SHORE on bottom.Spike is cast metal. Check out the pictures:
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/53_12.jpg
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/b9_3.jpg
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If you have any questions, stories, or pictures...Please email me at nailnotes@sbcglobal.net or Rolland Meyers at rolland@rollandmeyers.com
Thanks, Scott
Here is an update for the Summer Nail Show.
SUMMER DATE NAIL SHOW IN PERRY , IOWA
********************************************************************************************
DATES: AUGUST 4-5, 2006 (FRIDAY AND SATURDAY).
LOCATION: ELKS LODGE - PERRY, IOWA. 150 MILES EAST OF OMAHA – 40 MILES FROM DES MOINES
ACCOMODATIONS: SUPER 8 MOTEL (1-800-8000) OR (515-465-5653) Call for reservations
HOTEL PATTEE (515-465-3511)
THERE ARE ALSO ACCOMODATIONS IN GRIMES AND BOONE, IA
Americinn Lodge & Suites Grimes, IA 515-986-9900
AmeriHost Inn & Suites Boone, IA 515-432-8168
SHOW HOST AND CHAIRMAN: LARRY HARVEY SHIRLELARY@PRAIRIENET.NET
Map for Perry, Iowa ====> http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=elks+lodge&csz=perry%2C+iowa&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=
********************************************************************************************
Extra currulicular activities
There will be some flyers with information for a train trip to the Boone & Scenic Valley RR station on Thursday or Saturday available at the show.
********************************************************************************************
and finally and interesting note from Bill Bunch on the Lake Shore spike auction on ebay:
Scott:
the Lake Shore item... looks to me to be some kind of boundry marker. I have seen a number of these with company logos... Coca Cola, etc.. They all seem to have a similar back. It might be some sort of surveying marker also. Lake shore & Michigan Southern RR as long merged into the NYC by 1938. Probably was the maufacturer's name. Lake shore Foundry or something like that..
Bill
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THE
NEXT TIME YOU GET A 1960 (12) 2 ½ X ¼ ROUND RAISED NAIL
LOOK AT THE SHANK. THE McCLOUD RIVER
RAILROAD OF
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/McCloudPGE.jpg
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/McCloudPGEshanks.jpg
ROLLAND
A. MEYERS-rolland@rollandmeyers.com
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This is in response to an article in July's Nail Notes on an auction that was on Ebay for an "Old Lake Shore Spike":
On July 13 while hunting nails on the Great Northern Line that once ran from Butte to Helena Montana we came across an L9 nail. We found it at the bottom of a 300 foot slope on the north side of tunnel #9. We also got 19 other Great Northern Letter Nails and 14 nails from 06 to 09. This is probably the only L9 that has been found on the Great Northern in the last 20 years.
Charles &
Cheryl Johnson
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/Bernice.jpg
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/BerniceL9.jpg
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/BerniceShank2.jpg
http://facstaff.uindy.edu/~oaks/NailNotes/BerniceL9intie.jpg
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A BLATENT PLUG HERE FOR A COUPLE OF
NAILS I AM LOOKING FOR TO FINISH OFF PART OF MY DUQUESNE LIGHT COMPANY
SET (PITTSBURGH PA AREA). THESE ARE THE 1”
ALUMINUM HUBBARDS. IN THE DLCO HEIGHT
NAILS I NEED THE 60 AND IN THE YEAR NAILS I AM LOOKING
FOR THE 80, 83, 85, 86 AND 87. IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE I HOPE I CAN FIND
SOMETHING TO TRADE FOR THEM. THANKS. ROLLAND
A. MEYERS rolland@rollandmeyers.com
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check out these interesting links:
http://www.gnrhs.org/index.htm
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This next link is a small article about the LONG BELL LUMBER COMPANY. I am really interested in the History of these particular nails, more so since I found out I share the same last name with the founder! Abner Weed.
http://nailhunter.ehost.com/lbhistory.htm
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If you have any questions, stories, or pictures...Please email me at nailnotes@sbcglobal.net or Rolland Meyers at rolland@rollandmeyers.com
Thanks, Scott