Tue Jul 18, 2023 8:20 am
There are tons of misconceptions that I know of, that I'll list here. I used to believe many of these things, until further research was done alongside other enthusiasts.
(This will be updated and added to over time, by the way. Hello from November 2024!)
-Sterling Model Ms and their names.
Most people think they're "M-5" or "M-10" sirens, which just isn't the case. Sterling never used the horsepower of their sirens in the Model M name, and were just simply referred to as the Model M. Names such as "M-3", "N-5" and "Y-10" are also incorrect. The single headed Ms don't have any special designation, and the Model Ms with brakes were known as Sterling Coded Ms or Sterling Code Sirens.
There is one caveat to this, as when Sentry Siren produced the Model M between 1972 and 1986, they did refer to it as the Model M-5 and Model M-10 depending on if it was a "shortrotor" or "longrotor" model. But this only applies to Sentry-built models. Sterlings are always just "Model M".
-Sterling Model VX sirens and their names.
Most of the community thinks these are "K" sirens, such as the "K-5" or "K-2". I believe this was due to somebody misreading the tag on one of these sirens. However, these have been confirmed through various sources to be the Model VX, with known models being the 2V8, 3V, 3VX, 5VX, and 7.5VX. "VX" doesn't stand for anything as far as we know, and the X isn't a stand-in for any numbers. We're still learning more about these sirens.
-The FS Model series sirens and their names.
A lot of people don't know the difference between the different models, assuming the units with taller housings are Model 7s while the smaller ones are Model 3s and 5s. In reality, it's more complicated. There were 3 sizes in the Model siren series, with distinct housing styles. The C1 1/2 is the smallest and rarest, came only in 3HP, and thus is always a Model 3. It had a short housing with no A-frame or eyebolt, with a skirt that was thinner than the top rainshield. The C2 1/2 was more common, and could be either a Model 3 or a Model 5 depending on the motor it used, and had a housing with a skirt that was as wide as the rainshield. The C3 1/2 is the most common and the largest, with the wider skirt. It could be a Model 5, a Model 7, or even a Model 10 depending on the motor. You really can't tell what a Model siren is unless you read the tag, only the size. The different sizes had different sized rotor/stator assemblies, as well as the housings. Another thing is that a taller housing doesn't make it a higher horsepower siren. It likely means the siren is a single phase unit, as the single phase motors Federal used tended to be taller than the three phase motors and required a taller housing.
The C1 1/2 is extremely rare since it was discontinued in the 1950s, while the C2 1/2 made it to the mid 1970s. The C3 1/2 lasted all the way from 1953 until 1987, which is why it is the most common.
-Church carillon bells being mistaken for WS-1000s.
A ton of churches use Atlas speakers of the same model used on the WS-1000, which causes a lot of people to think they're Whelen sirens. In reality, they're just electronic bells to summon people to worship. Only a handful of actual WS-1000 units are known to exist, and they're pole mounted, not mounted on roofs.
-Whelen WS/WPS-3000 sirens being called WS/WPS-3016s.
Whelen never referred to these sirens as the "3016". In all literature and documentation, these are only referred to as the WS-3000 or WPS-3000. The confusion likely stems from the WS-2000, which did have names like WS-2016. Since the WS-3000 only had a single model with a fixed number of drivers, Whelen didn't do the same with it.
-The difference between a HOR Super Sirex and a Sirex.
These are actually two separate types of sirens. The Super Sirex was the huge rotational horizontal siren with the large intake cones, while the Sirex was essentially a vertical, omnidirectional version of the Super Sirex. They shared the same chopper/stators and could be 9, 10, or 7/10 port. To add to the confusion, some Super Sirexes were rebuilt into Sirexes when the rotators died.
-The 7/10 2T22 "prototype".
This never existed, and was merely an illustration that was supposed to generally depict the siren, although it wasn't completely accurate. The 2T22, as its name suggests, was ALWAYS a 10/12 siren. If it was 7/10, then it'd be a 2T17.
-The T-128's age.
Most people think it was a purely ASC siren that was created in the late 1990s, but it's in fact older. It was created by ACA in 1993, although it was never put into production under ACA as Hormann decided not to produce it after buying ACA. It would be later produced by Excel Alerting Systems and finally ASC.
-Mobil Directo port ratios.
A lot of people think that the BN44E could only be 10/12 dual tone, with the 8-port units all being converted gasoline units. In truth, the BN44E could be either 10/12 dual tone or 8-port single tone from the factory. This is proven by the active 8-port unit in Memphis, TN, which was installed years after the gasoline units were, and historical photos show it always having been electric. The gasoline BN52/BN54 units on the other hand were never dual tone. This misconception tricked me for a long time.
-Biersarch & Niedermeyer's name.
While most people know the company as B&N, the actual abbreviation that the company used in all advertisements and literature was actually BNCO, short for Biersarch & Niedermeter Company.
Last edited by
ArxCyberwolf on Thu Nov 28, 2024 5:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Just a wolf, siren enthusiast and railfan.
Rewrote almost the entire ARS Wiki, former admin of the CDS Wiki
Proud owner of an FS&S Model L, Sterling Type F, and soon a mini FS 500AT!
