Dennis Kunkle
 
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New guy first post /UPDATE/VIDEO

Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:42 pm

The museum that I work at has a siren off of a hotel in town. Here's the info in the records:

Originally manufactured by the Bierasch and Niedemeyer Company, which began manufacturing sirens in 1942 as part of a civil defense contract awarded by the Army.
Tested on Monday, September 18, 1953 at 12:15 pm by Greater York Civil Defense. One of the East's loudest air raid sirens. Sunday, September 24, 1953 was the biggest air raid rehearsal to date, a three-hour simulated attack on the area. Monday, September 18, 1953 was to merely ensure that the siren is all set to do its job on the 24th. During the first dry run, the siren was heard at York Hospital, atop Queen Street hill, and close to Emigsville. Over 2,000 workers participated in the Greater York area air raid test alert on Sunday, September 20, 1953, which did not interfere with church services. The "incident" was centered at Memorial Stadium - York suffered some 250 causalities when an atomic bomb was dropped on West Market Street at 12:53 pm. The bomb, which burned and destroyed simulated buildings McCrory Stores corporation, P. Wiest department store, Trinity First Reformed church and W.T. Grant company department store, actually was exploded in the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium. The CD network called in hospital and medical units, fire police, and other activists from a 100-mile area when the alert went off. About 500 pieces of mobile equipment was in use. Traffic was stopped and citizens were called upon to take cover. The siren was set on the wobble to see if greater coverage would be gained. Shortly after the explosion in which 250 Boy and Sea Scouts from York-Adams area became "causalities", a decontamination squad of men dressed in rubber boots, gas masks, and other protective clothing arrived on the scene with Geiger counters to test the area for radioactive elements. Fire fighting apparatus from companies including Rex, Laurel, Rescue, Lincoln, Victory, Reliance, and Grantley fought the fires. The casualties were evacuated to William Penn Senior High School, Phineas Davis Junior High School, and Jackson and Devers Elementary Schools. From the evacuation centers, the victims were taken to York and West Side Osteopathic hospitals. Others were flown in CAP planes to hospitals in Lancaster and Columbia. On the wobble means that the siren's horn dips up and down as it makes it circuit around the horizon.
The upper horn is missing; is this common? Can one be found? How about an owner's manual? Lots of question!
Last edited by Dennis Kunkle on Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: New guy first post

Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:01 am

Are you talking about the Gas powered Mobil-Dericto in Culver City CA? that's been inactive for years.
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Re: New guy first post

Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:57 am

Welcome to The Siren Board! Sorry to say but unless you're able to find another Mobil Directo siren which you can get parts from, it's pretty much impossible to find a horn. And there are currently no known siren manuals for the Mobil Directo either.
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Re: New guy first post

Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:23 am

Dennis Kunkle wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:42 pm
The museum that I work at has a siren off of a hotel in town. Here's the info in the records:

Originally manufactured by the Bierasch and Niedemeyer Company, which began manufacturing sirens in 1942 as part of a civil defense contract awarded by the Army.
Tested on Monday, September 18, 1953 at 12:15 pm by Greater York Civil Defense. One of the East's loudest air raid sirens. Sunday, September 24, 1953 was the biggest air raid rehearsal to date, a three-hour simulated attack on the area. Monday, September 18, 1953 was to merely ensure that the siren is all set to do its job on the 24th. During the first dry run, the siren was heard at York Hospital, atop Queen Street hill, and close to Emigsville. Over 2,000 workers participated in the Greater York area air raid test alert on Sunday, September 20, 1953, which did not interfere with church services. The "incident" was centered at Memorial Stadium - York suffered some 250 causalities when an atomic bomb was dropped on West Market Street at 12:53 pm. The bomb, which burned and destroyed simulated buildings McCrory Stores corporation, P. Wiest department store, Trinity First Reformed church and W.T. Grant company department store, actually was exploded in the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium. The CD network called in hospital and medical units, fire police, and other activists from a 100-mile area when the alert went off. About 500 pieces of mobile equipment was in use. Traffic was stopped and citizens were called upon to take cover. The siren was set on the wobble to see if greater coverage would be gained. Shortly after the explosion in which 250 Boy and Sea Scouts from York-Adams area became "causalities", a decontamination squad of men dressed in rubber boots, gas masks, and other protective clothing arrived on the scene with Geiger counters to test the area for radioactive elements. Fire fighting apparatus from companies including Rex, Laurel, Rescue, Lincoln, Victory, Reliance, and Grantley fought the fires. The casualties were evacuated to William Penn Senior High School, Phineas Davis Junior High School, and Jackson and Devers Elementary Schools. From the evacuation centers, the victims were taken to York and West Side Osteopathic hospitals. Others were flown in CAP planes to hospitals in Lancaster and Columbia. On the wobble means that the siren's horn dips up and down as it makes it circuit around the horizon.
The upper horn is missing; is this common? Can one be found? How about an owner's manual? Lots of question!
You could go to West Shore Services in Allendale, Michigan. They don't have any Mobil Directo parts but you can probably find a used Allertor horn which is very similar. You could also make one out of sheet metal.
I have an unhealthy obsession with mini sirens.
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Re: New guy first post

Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:37 am

allertor horns are fibreglass which iirc doesnt mix well with sheet metal. you could look into making one, or finding one off an abandoned siren, of which there are very few.
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Dennis Kunkle
 
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Re: New guy first post

Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:31 am

Here's a pic of the unit on top of the hotel before we received it in 2007. Right after we got it, a bunch of unauthorized work was done to it (a long story). Anyway, the shroud over the engine is gone :evil: . The part that spins to make the sound was removed, sand blasted and reinstalled in new bearings. Some welding repairs, new plugs, wires, distributor cap, etc. It has just sat around in storage since then. My volunteer and I are revisiting it.

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Dennis Kunkle
 
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Re: New guy first post

Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:03 pm

Since these were under Army contract, do you think that what's left of the paint is standard Army green? I was at a sheet metal shop today (a place that mostly makes custom HVAC ductwork) and they could make the sounder horn in a very similar shape. It would in no way impress a purist but would give a museum visitor a better understanding of what the siren is supposed to look like. That's why I'm asking about the color.

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Re: New guy first post

Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:19 pm

Well in San Bernardino, CA there is a gas Mobil-dericto and in Culver city CA here 4117 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA 90230. and in Meqon WI there is a abandoned one
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Re: New guy first post

Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:09 pm

Holy mother of Jesus Christ, what a find! This is now the fourth gas Mobil Directo in existence!
As for the horn, it may be possible to have it custom-made. The engine cover shouldn't be too hard to fabricate, just a piece of rolled metal. (Not sure if you're saying that only the top part of the engine enclosure is gone, or if the entire engine enclosure is gone?)
Keep us informed as to the progress of this unit!
Last edited by Jared H on Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:23 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: New guy first post

Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:16 pm

Dennis Kunkle wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:03 pm
Since these were under Army contract, do you think that what's left of the paint is standard Army green? I was at a sheet metal shop today (a place that mostly makes custom HVAC ductwork) and they could make the sounder horn in a very similar shape. It would in no way impress a purist but would give a museum visitor a better understanding of what the siren is supposed to look like. That's why I'm asking about the color.
They were usually painted yellow.
Greetings from Saint Paul, Nebraska!

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