Looking for St. Louis (Mo.) area siren enthusiasts

[uncommonsense]

Adam, just to let you know, I was out and about today and I found a new siren. It's located in the City of St. Charles and is an ASC T-121. It's located in the St. Charles Soccer Complex on Elm Street at Hwy. 370. It can be clearly seen from 370. I had read awhile back that the City of St. Charles was adding 3 sirens to its system, so today I found one of them. I have a feeling that another one is located somewhere up near the New Town development. Just a hunch, though.

This is the first ASC T-121 in the St. Louis area that I know of.

Your hunch is absolutely correct. There is a T-121 at the entrance to New Town.

[Adam Pollak]

Jeff, I'm wondering about the Chryslers you mentioned in St. Louis. Did you hear about them from someone or from archives? I know that Chrysler published lots of ads along the lines of "Only XX Sirens to Alert the City of XX," but I think those were mainly more an effort to convince those listed cities to install the sirens, as opposed to actually advertising one of their installed systems.

I will definitely have to check out those T-121s. I'll go look through the city's meetings to see if there is any mention, and if not, I'll just call the city up as they've been friendly with sirens stuff before. I did siren drives a few weeks ago both in St. Louis County and St. Charles County and did come across a few interesting things though:

This is one of the very few yellow Whelen 4000s that I've seen in St. Louis County. It was actually strange for me to see the gray Whelen 3016s in O'Fallon, MO though, because I'm so used to seeing the yellow ones in STLCO. This is siren E-54 which is on the extreme SW corner of Ellisville at Old State Road and Ridge Road.


This was one of the last pictures I got from the day in St. Charles County from the sun going down (yay for DST now!), but I thought it looked cool with the yellow on the horn. This is the siren right on the NW corner of Lindenwood University.



This is one of of the Whelen 4000s in (and owned by) Lake St. Louis, even though there are numerous Whelen 2900s going in the city limits from the county. These are probably some of the lowest control boxes I have ever seen on an electronic siren installation. It at least makes it easier to switch batteries out every few years.


These last pictures are of the nearest T-121 I know of to the St. Louis area, other than the St. Charles ones I was just enlightened with. This one is in Nebo, IL, in that funny peninsula of land between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. I asked a resident nearby about the siren and was told that it does go off at noon everyday.

[Adam Pollak]

I almost forgot...I mentioned how I was told that there used to be an SD-10 in Ladue in a park somewhere, and I believe this might have been the location. First off, Tilles Park is the only park of any significant size that even shows up on my map. Second, I have never seen an installation like this before on a county siren. This was a different day than the St. Charles drive, but it was the last picture of the day as the light was getting really low. It's fairly close to where I live in Clayton, so I'll have to go into the park someday and look for signs of old mountings.

[FedTB]

Uncommonsense, thanks for the tip! I know the locations of every siren in the City of St. Charles and was aware that there were some gaps in siren coverage north of Hwy. 370, especially near New Town, since that all was once wide open undeveloped land that didn't need any siren coverage until recently.

There is a video of a T-121 in the 'Alert' mode on Youtube, and it's a pretty decent-sounding siren. It has a very long wind-down.

Uncommonsense, do you know where the third T-121 is located? The T-128 that was knocked down and destroyed in a storm a few years ago on Zumbehl Road at Wembley Drive has been replaced by a new T-128.

Adam, thanks for the pics that you've added. I knew that there was a yellow 4003 out that way. The other one is located at the entrance to the South County Recreation Complex off of Wells Road. Just to let you know, I have gone through the City of St. Charles minutes, from November 2006, that approved the purchase of 3 new sirens, to be added to the present system, but it gave no details as to where they would be installed.

That T-128 you have pictured at Droste Road and Raymond Drive was once the site of a T-Bolt. I have pictures of it. It was still in great shape when it was replaced 6 years ago.

I would have to agree that the the SD-10 was possibly located in Tilles Park, due to there being a 4003 there now.

Remember, the Missouri state-wide tornado drill is tomorrow at 1:30. Maybe I'll go check out one of the new T-121's.

[FedTB]

Adam, I forgot to ask, but do you know at what locations that the "numerous" Whelen 2900's are going in at within the city limits of Lake St. Louis? I was just over that way last week and didn't see any new ones. I was more over in the city limits where the new Super Wal-Mart and Lowe's are at, and I scanned the horizon for the familiar shape of the 2900's but didn't see any.

I know that St. Charles County EMA installed 4 new 2910's last year and budgeted for 5 new 2910's this year. And they've upgraded a few of their 2807's to 2809's.

2910's are what the St. Charles County EMA is installing now, according to the bids that I've read online 2 years in a row. They go out for bid in the month of May every year for new sirens and usually install them in December/January. If you Google something like "St. Charles County, Missouri Outdoor Warning Siren Bids" you should be able to bring up the bid notice and requirements.

BTW, I'm so used to seeing the gray 3016's out this way that when I see a St. Louis County 3016 in yellow it looks odd to me!

[uncommonsense]

Oh, FedTB, I have no idea . I actually found the one at New Town by complete accident. When I was home over winter break, a whole group of friends from college told me I "had to see New Town!" So we drove out there on the most blasted foggy day I can remember and saw that T-121 coming out of the fog--quite a sight, really. I was thinking "jackpot!" but couldn't let them know that.

I grew up not too far from Tilles Park, and I didn't ever remember a siren being in there until that 4003 showed up. Then again, I never even noticed the 4003 until it likely had been there for some time (its hidden at the edge of the park within trees). There may have been an SD-10 there, likely really (the park is massive), but Brentwood's EOWS-612 (now the location of the 2908) is down Litzinger about a mile and always wondered if that siren was supposed to cover that area. There's also a Thunderbolt hidden around in there somewhere as I recall (though I'm hazy on where that one was--I just remember taking a bizarre back-route during a road closure and getting lost in a very ritzy area, turning a corner, and finding a Thunderbolt on someone's field smack in the middle of a hidden residential area. I suppose that could have been in Kirkwood as well--I just suspect it was Ladue because I remember the roads were narrow).

I wish I had more to contribute to this thread, but I don't. I've been reading it with great interest since I grew up in and have spent the better part of my life in St. Louis. I've always considered St. Louis's siren history to be something of a great puzzle waiting to be solved. To have such a massive system of Whelens, mixed with a few Federals--I rather figured there had to be a great story there. As I'm finding out, I'm not wrong.

And I'd always wondered about those yellow 4004s. When I was in elementary school, we took a trip to Suson Park (is this one and the same as South County Recreation Complex, FedTB?), and near to its entrance, I thought I saw a siren that looked like a "squished [what I now know to be] 3016," and I guess that's what it was. Glad to know I wasn't making it up in my head.

I really am excited by and interested in this thread. Keep up the great work!

[FedTB]

Uncommonsense, it's nice to hear from another St. Louis area siren enthusiast! I'm glad you're enjoying the thread. Feel free to add more if you think of anything else.

I found the 3rd ASC T-121 earlier tonight. I was taking my son to look at a used car in St. Charles, and as we were driving along Hwy. 370 I spotted it. It's located just south of Hwy. 370, just before you get to the Elm Street/New Town Road exit. So when you're looking at it you can glance just ahead of you and see the other T-121. That's how ridiculously-close these two T-121's are to eachother! They're maybe a half-mile, if that, from eachother, "as the crow flies". This 3rd T-121 is located along a levy, situated on a dirt/rock road and next to a bridge. There is no great access to it, only for maintenance or construction-type vehicles. The other T-121 is located in the middle of a soccer park, next to a small shed or maintenance building of some kind, from what I could tell. The one with the best access, to go watch it activate on a test day, is the one located at the entrance to New Town.

These three T-121's are painted with a very glossy dark gray paint. The one that Adam has pictured appears to be an unpainted one, like it's bare aluminum.

The T-Bolt that you're referring to located in a ritzy area sounds like the one along Geyer Road in Frontenac.

I never knew about the Tilles Park 4003 until my family and I took one of those Christmastime horse-driven sled rides there about 7 or 8 years ago. All of a sudden we rounded a corner and there it was. I don't know if you remember this or not, but there used to be a white T-Bolt located on the roof of Brentwood City Hall. That was replaced by the pole-mounted EOWS-612.

Suson Park is a short distance away from the South County Recreation Center.

Adam, how did you find Nebo, Illinois? Did you just happen to be out driving around, siren hunting, and wound up over there?

[uncommonsense]

I found the 3rd ASC T-121 earlier tonight. I was taking my son to look at a used car in St. Charles, and as we were driving along Hwy. 370 I spotted it. It's located just south of Hwy. 370, just before you get to the Elm Street/New Town Road exit. So when you're looking at it you can glance just ahead of you and see the other T-121. That's how ridiculously-close these two T-121's are to eachother! They're maybe a half-mile, if that, from eachother, "as the crow flies". This 3rd T-121 is located along a levy, situated on a dirt/rock road and next to a bridge. There is no great access to it, only for maintenance or construction-type vehicles. The other T-121 is located in the middle of a soccer park, next to a small shed or maintenance building of some kind, from what I could tell. The one with the best access, to go watch it activate on a test day, is the one located at the entrance to New Town.

Hmm--that's how I got to New Town when I went in January and I'd swear that third T-121 wasn't there when I drove out that way. Then again, I was the one driving and it was alarmingly foggy, so I may have not been paying close enough attention.

St. Charles seems to have a thing for placing its sirens close together. Granted, this is the county's system, but its sort of mystifying to drive out there and see all these Whelens so close together. When I drive Page to Upper Bottom, I get off at Upper Bottom and go left. I hit a 2806 (I think) at the first stoplight, then see a 2810 over a hill not too far from there, and finally at Jungs Station, see a 280x (never did count the cells) off to the right. They are all probably within a mile radius with each other (and the siren off Jungs Station and the 10 cell model I see over a hill can't be more than 3/4 mile apart).

The T-Bolt that you're referring to located in a ritzy area sounds like the one along Geyer Road in Frontenac.

That sounds about right come to think of it.

I never knew about the Tilles Park 4003 until my family and I took one of those Christmastime horse-driven sled rides there about 7 or 8 years ago. All of a sudden we rounded a corner and there it was. I don't know if you remember this or not, but there used to be a white T-Bolt located on the roof of Brentwood City Hall. That was replaced by the pole-mounted EOWS-612.

I've seen a lot of talk about that T-Bolt, but that was well before my time. We had a family friend who was a Brentwood cop, so we went to the Brentwood City Celebration/Parade/whatever it was they held. I have pictures of me around 3-4 years old at the parade, and that would have been a good 16 to 17 years ago. The EOWS-612 was present in those pictures and that's all I ever remember being there. I'm 20 going on 21, so I'm sure the T-Bolt was gone before I'd ever have remembered it.

Suson Park is a short distance away from the South County Recreation Center.

Then that is what I remember. Sort of closes that little mystery in my book. Then that's a very old 4004--maybe one of the earliest ones produced. We went to Suson Park in preschool (as I think more and more about it, we never went there in elementary school), and that's probably a good 16 years ago!

Aside from that siren (then not knowing what it was), the first 4000-series siren I ever remember seeing and could think critically about (and the first one that gave me a lead to find siren manufacturers on the internet as a result of the big "WHELEN" name on the control box--all of St. Louis's older Whelens with the yellow boxes do not have anything on them) was when a badly tipping Thunderbolt was replaced by a 4000 series along Clayton Road in Town and Country, right before Ballwin.

Thanks again for all the info. Again, keep up the great work!

[Adam Pollak]

So Jeff, I called the city of St Charles today, and he did confirm that there are 3 new sirens and only those three, along with the T-128s, the 1 2001, and the 3 Whelen 4000s, which are all owned by the city of St. Charles. I also asked him about the T-128 that came down and he said that was from a hit-and-run driver that was never found. The siren was scrapped a while back....too bad because I'm sure it would have been at least some use. If nothing else, it would have been cool to have.

Frontenac has 2 Thunderbolts up, the one that you mentioned off Geyer and Clayton (visible from US 40 (when it's open)) and the other one is further south on Geyer before the first kink in the road. Here is a picture of the other T-Bolt (again, sun setting, not so great lighting)



I also found out recently that Kirkwood also had independent control over its T-Bolts and the one Whelen 4000 with the city. They are all set off with the county's tones, but just the ones within the city limits can be set off by Kirkwood PD is desired.

Uncommonsense, there is a 3016 on the West side of Suson Park, but about the same distance east, there is also a siren, C-1, which is a Whelen 4000 like you mentioned. It also happens to be a yellow one, which would fit the theme of the older ones being ordered yellow.


Jeff, as for the Whelen 2900s I mentioned in Lake St. Louis, those are actually Whelen 2800s of smaller size. You are right though in that the new sirens going up are all, if I recall correctly, Whelen 2900s. The one 2807 I saw was at Green Tree Elementary, but I'm sure there are more scattered around the city. As a note, St. Peters is also switching over its sirens to 2001s. At the St. Peters Golf Course there was supposed to be a Thunderbeam, but when I was there the other week, there was a 2001 in it's place. In the picture, you can still see the CD yellow box from when the T-Beam was there.


As for Nebo, IL....and all those other random small towns.....I really get around. If you ever get a Facebook profile, I have a Cities I've Visited Map that you can zoom into and see where I've gone. I update it whenever I do a siren drive to a new place.

[uncommonsense]

Yes--that T-Bolt you show is the one I was thinking of.
Same thing with that yellow Whelen.

I'm especially intrigued about Kirkwood having independent control over its sirens. I never knew that nor would have had any reason to suspect that. Very interesting, and needless to say, very different.

Thanks for your info, Adam. Much obliged!