The Siren Board

Hello everyone. I just picked up a model 2 that was on top of a small firehouse for a very long time and I was wondering if anyone could help me date it. I'm guessing pre-50s since it's still the "long legged" version and has 2 large brushes? Any way to narrow down it down further? I'd like to restore it, but I don't know what color it was originally.

My first siren. Haven't ran it yet, but it seems like it's all there. Should be able to straighten most of the tin and slow down the rot on the rolled lips with some por-15 / paint.

Here's some pics

Ye olde Type 2. Late 40s-early 50s would be correct, 4 brush model. Hope they are in good condition, siren looks clean overall.

Synther wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 25, 2023 1:27 pm

Ye olde Type 2. Late 40s-early 50s would be correct, 4 brush model. Hope they are in good condition, siren looks clean overall.

Awesome.

I assume the brushes are impossible to find? They seem to be in decent shape.

It's a Federal Enterprises Type 2, Enterprises models were made between 1948 and 1955. Good find!

Tested it today. She fired right up with a little grease. Sounds great.

Nice siren! I'm happy to see it still runs. Maybe someday there will be a single-phase Model 2 in my life, though I had no idea the old Model 2s drew 25 amps at full load! Are even the modern ones like that?

HDN wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 27, 2023 2:59 am

Nice siren! I'm happy to see it still runs. Maybe someday there will be a single-phase Model 2 in my life, though I had no idea the old Model 2s drew 25 amps at full load! Are even the modern ones like that?

I'm going to measure the inrush when I get this all sorted out. 25A seems optimistic if I'm honest because I haven't blown any breakers yet.

I have everything taken apart and am working on getting it wired a little safer and a quick coat of paint. Motor was in decent shape. Brushes were about half gone and needed new leads. The tin cover unfortunately won't be able to be straightened...the rolled edges are rusting out of them and I would be doing more damage than good trying to straighten.

Great addition! Good to see a vintage model 2. Thanks for posting this, please keep the thread updated for us!

I wonder if the 25a was the stall current? Could have been a oper-rated spec to keep smaller firehouses with limited current back in the day from hooking it up a circuit that would not provide enough current. We may take a 100 or 200a household breaker for granted now, but we need to keep in mind alot of buildings back in the 30s and 40s were sometimes lucky to have 30-60a service!

If a full repaint is in order, I do highly recommend mediablasting all of the shroud and internal parts. This will effectively stop the rust in its tracks, and provide a clean surface to apply paint. With some filler primer and sanding, you could get it looking near-new

From what I see, the metal on the shroud is deteriorating, yes, but I don't see any cancerous rot that would turn the thing into Swiss cheese after blasting. You may have some good pitting, and a few small holes/tears. Those can be repaired/filled in

I'm going to measure the inrush when I get this all sorted out. 25A seems optimistic if I'm honest because I haven't blown any breakers yet.

I've seen a few Model 2 owners on YouTube just plug their single-phase 120V units into what looks like a 15A power outlet. That's why the 25A rating surprised me. Based on that, it would make sense to me that it would be the stall or locked rotor current.

Figured you guys might be interested in the progress I've made. Got her tins painted and clean up a bit.




Also working on a fun controller for it with Allen Bradley switches and a 30A relay.