Chrysler Air Raid Siren

[doghead]

Duck and cover video.

[media]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1528313029232126903[/media]

 

[No.2Diesel]

Hi,

Thank you Will, for starting this thread. I always try to be observant It's a great & unique piece of an American history. Next time I'm in that junkyard I'll take pics or see how much he wants for the unit. The entire engine portion is complete except that its missing the sought after side covers. Its like finding side covers for an old Oliver tractor....they're always missing.

Mount its rotating platform in a Deuce or 5ton and drive around blasting people

".......oh.........I think he wants to communicate......."

 

[m.walker]

I grew up in Detroit too Jared listening to those sirens and doing the duck and cover drills . I remember in some classes without desks they had you in a hallway sitting against a wall with face down and hands clasped to cover the back of your neck .

 

[Chow717]

wow... great posting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[wreckerman893]

Best new use for siren.

1. Observe drooling moron driving around in mobile boom box intent on annoying intelligent people.

2. Follow said moron back to his/her residence.

3. Return at 3 am with hemi-powered siren mounted in bed of deuce.

4. Test siren to utmost limits of operating range for 5 minutes.

5. Wait for paramedics to arrive to remove cardiac arrest patient from house.

6. Watch for next drooling moron in mobile boom box. Repeat process.

 

[Westex]

We had 'em in Dallas when I was growing up and I can still hear the tests in my dreams........

 

[WillWagner]

The BBQ should be interesting! Bring your ears!

 

[998Junkie]

Actually, they were originally mounted way up on a tower. When they lit, there was no warm up and nobody there to operate the throttle. There is a belt driven rotation shaft and pulley at the rear of the engine/over center clutch and a belt driven governor at the front. From what I have read, the front driven governor was what controlled the ocelation of the siren. The RPM would trigger the governor, the governor would shut the throttle off until it reached a given RPM then it would accelerate the engine again and then repeat the cycle. The assembly would also rotate as the engine accelerated and decelerated. It required no human interaction except to shut it down. Don't know if any of the attached articles mention it, but at 6' from the horns, it is at 170db. I have heard it will liquify human skin.

Chrysler air raid siren - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

VictorySiren.com™ - The Internet home of the Chrysler Air Raid Siren

I'm 45 and I remember they had one of those in a tower next to our firehouse, If I remember it had a yellow housing, they would test it once a month on thursday's...at least that was my young memory. I was 4 miles away and you knew when it went off.

The only thing louder was the rocket engine tests that Rocketdyne did about six miles away from our home...you'd think there was an earthquake.