Sterling Identification Help

[Batman]

Hello!

So there are a couple Sterling Model M (and one Y) sirens in my area, but I am not quite sure exactly which specific models they are (how much HP they have). Can anyone help me identify these? I'm not sure how to determine the difference between an M-5 and an M-10. How do you tell?





This one's a Model Y. I think I asked about it before and I was told it was a Y-10.


Thanks in advance!

[freebrickproductions]

The second one is a Sterling M.

[Daniel]

The Y models have a coding brake, so one cowl is longer than the other. I believe that the older sirens were all M5 models, with the larger M10 coming out in the 50's or later, but I might be wrong. N models have only one head.

[Batman]

Maybe I should've been a bit more clear. I know that the first two are M's and the last one is a Y; all I want to know is how much HP each of them have and how I can tell the difference between 5 and 10HP models for the future. Or is there even a way to tell them apart at all?

[Fanman]

Late response, but I'm with you there. I'm currently making a map of Nebraska's sirens, and I can't tell which HP sterling it is, and it's pretty frustrating.

[Snowpix]

Dude, this is a 10 year old thread.

You can't tell what horsepower an M is by looking at it. Ms also don't have the horsepower in their name, they're just Sterling Model M or Sterling Code Siren for the "Y"s. Sterling Ms have a pre-1928 design and a post-1928 design, the first pic is a pre-1928 and the second pic is a post-1928.

[HDN]

Another member here who's knowledgeable about the old Sterlings says the number at the end of the name indicates the year of manufacture, not a specific model. An M45 is a Model M built in 1945, for example.

[Snowpix]

Another member here who's knowledgeable about the old Sterlings says the number at the end of the name indicates the year of manufacture, not a specific model. An M45 is a Model M built in 1945, for example.

Yes, that applies for units built between 1945 and 1958. Anything before and after is just marked as "M"

[Batman]

It may be an old thread, but I am in fact still around, haha. At least every now and then.

Yeah there was a time when I was obsessed with making sure every siren on my map was named absolutely correctly, but as I got older I stopped caring, haha. I think I just left them as Model M and Model Y. Which ended up being correct in the end anyway, haha. At least for the M.

the first pic is a pre-1928 and the second pic is a post-1928.

Can you tell that because the second one has the vent plates over the intakes and the first doesn't? Because that's the only difference I can see.

Also I can't believe I've had this account for almost twelve years. I don't do a whole lot with the siren hobby these days, but I still have my Model A, which has followed me every time I move. It's currently chilling on my end table. Haven't run it in a while, but it is certainly a good conversation starter.

[Snowpix]

There's a few ways to tell a pre-1928 from a post-1928, mainly if you look behind the stators. The post-1928 has a large ring behind the stator where the motor cover bolts to, pre-1928s lack this. Post-1928s also have the louvred vents on the intakes, most pre-1928s do not. Some pre-1928s do have vents, so it's not foolproof for telling them apart. Those are rare though, as it became an option shortly before the transition to the post-1928 design.