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Federal Thunderbolt Siren

The Thunderbolt siren is a discontinued electro-mechanical warning siren that was once manufactured in the United States by Federal Signal Corporation. The Thunderbolt siren consists of three major components: the blower, rotator and siren chopper. The blower, which is made up of a motor-driven Roots-type supercharger, supplies the large volume of air for the siren head. It is housed inside a large rectangular box typically found at the base of the siren head. The blower is connected to an air standpipe which pumps 250 cubic feet per minute of air at 6-7 psi up to the siren head. The rotator is a motor-driven gear unit which rotates the directional horn/projector to direct the sound in all directions. The chopper is located in the cylindrical housing that the horn/projector attaches to at the top of the siren. The siren chopper motor in the Thunderbolt siren is actually the same siren motor used in the Federal's Model 2 siren. The siren chopper in the Thunderbolt operates in the same manner as any conventional siren. As the chopper rotor spins air pulses are generated by the rapid opening and closing of the chopper openings. This generates the sound the siren makes. The primary difference in the Thunderbolt siren is that the air supplied by the blower is pumped through the siren resulting in a greatly increased sound volume and distinct sound generated by the Thunderbolt siren.

The Thunderbolt siren is operated by a control panel called an RCM Panel. This panel consists of the three relays that switch the three components of the siren on and off. The RCM panel also has a time delay relay and circuit. This time delay section keeps the blower and rotator operating in the attack signal while the siren chopper motor is switched on and off which produces the up-and-down pitch of the attack signal. With the blower and rotator operating as the siren motor is switched on and off the Thunderbolt maintains a high level of sound output. An additional important feature of the RCM panel is a transformer in the siren/chopper electrical circuit. This transformer has seven different voltage taps from 120 volts up to 240 volts. This allows the top pitch of the siren to be changed as desired when the siren is installed. A siren with the chopper connected to the 120volt transformer tap will sound at a lower top pitch than a siren connected at the 240volt transformer tap.

History[link]

Watch a Federal Signal Thunderbolt 1003 in alert mode

The Federal Thunderbolt was the siren of choice by many Civil Defense authorities and emergency management agencies from the early 1950s through the late 1970s. The main marketing point of the Thunderbolt by Federal Signal was the fact that the siren, since it uses a blower to move air through the siren rotor, maintains a high sound output at all siren pitches when the siren is in operation. Normally aspirated sirens lose sound output because of the reduced air flow through their rotors as the siren runs down during the coast down during the wail or attack signal. Since the Thunderbolt was introduced in 1952 during the beginning of Cold War tensions as primarily an attack warning siren the high volume during all phases of the attack signal was stressed in advertising the siren by Federal. The attack signal was a series of wailing tones to alert of immediate danger. One of the most distinguishing features of the Thunderbolt siren's sound is the dramatic volume in the down-pitch phase of the signal. It's usually this part of the signal that carries the farthest and is the most "attention-getting." [1]

With the discontinuation of federal matching funds for civil defense equipment in the late 1970s-early 1980s the sales of the Thunderbolt siren declined. The Thunderbolt was a very expensive siren to purchase new. The January 1, 1979 Federal Signal Price List lists the price of a new 1000 Thunderbolt siren from $6684.25 up to $7716.75 depending on the model. In addition to that the necessary control panels to operate the siren were $837.00 for the main motor control panel and $236.00 for the additional control panel needed to operate the 1003 model of Thunderbolt.

Federal's development of new types of sirens also led to the end of the Thunderbolt. In Late 1988, Federal Signal introduced a new single-tone siren called the 2001 Series [2]. This siren can utilize a DC (battery) backup power feature, enabling the siren to be operated during a power failure, operates on only 2 motors, and requires far less maintenance. As the Thunderbolt only operates on AC power, the introduction of the 2001 Series spelled the end of the Thunderbolt siren, and Federal Signal phased out the Thunderbolt series, as well as many other of its sirens, by 1990.

Models[link]

The Thunderbolt was first produced by Federal Enterprises (now Federal Signal Corporation) in 1952 and its use continued through the Cold War.

There were 3 models manufactured, most of them producing approximately 125dB sound pressure level at 100 feet (30 m):

• Model 1000, a single-tone siren capable of two signals (alert and attack). (126dB at 100 feet)
• Model 1000T, a dual-tone version of the 1000.
• Model 1003, a dual-tone version with the added capability of producing a fire signal with solenoid valves.
• Model 2000, A Single tone thunderbolt 1000 with a gasoline powered Roots Blower

The "System 7000" line [3] was a generator back up version of the Thunderbolt. These were available as 3 separate models:

• Model 7012, a single tone siren capable of two signals (alert and attack).
• Model 7022, is the same as Model 7012, but is dual tone.
• Model 7026, which uses a dual-tone Thunderbolt siren to produce six siren signals: wail, pulsed steady, steady, alternating steady, alternating wail, and pulsed wail.

In popular culture[link]

• In 1959, Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert J. Quinn ordered his fire chief to sound the city's fire alert sirens (all Thunderbolts at the time) at the moment the White Sox won the pennant, prompting many unaware citizens to be alarmed of an air raid or nuclear attack.

• In the 1994 film Forrest Gump at the very beginning, a B series Thunderbolt siren can be seen on the roof of the Savannah College of Art And Design. It takes place in Savannah, Georgia.

• In the Film Goldfinger, A Thunderbolt 1000T is seen on the roof of a Fort Knox Administration building when Pussy Galore's Air fleet flys over while spraying the base's troops with nerve agent.

• The siren was featured in many Civil Defense films including one from the early 1950s titled "Let's Face It" (a close up of a single tone B series 1000 painted black and yellow sounding the alert signal. [4]

• In the 1951 Civil defense film Duck and cover, A Thunderbolt can be heard in attack mode.

• In the 1993 movie Matinee, A single tone 1000 can be heard during the air raid drill scene.

• In the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a dual tone Thunderbolt siren can be heard when Indy is in the Nevada Test Site before the bomb explodes.

• Some episodes of Storm Stories feature Thunderbolts going off.

• In the 2007 movie Transformers (film) a Thunderbolt siren is briefly seen In the part where Bumblebee is captured.

• In 2011 The "History Channel" show "American Restoration" featured a restoration of a Thunderbolt 1000T for a museum in Nevada.

• In the first part of the 2011 IDW comic Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, a Thunderbolt siren is seen wailing to warn of Godzilla's arrival.

• In a radio ad for the 2011 film, "The Darkest Hour," a Thunderbolt 1000T/1003 can be heard in Attack mode.

Gallery[link]

• Thunderbolt 1000 Siren (Topeka, Kansas).jpg

  A Thunderbolt 1000AT in Topeka, Kansas

• Siloam Springs Arkansas Sirens.jpg

  Disconnected & Replaced Thunderbolt 1000 (Pictured Left) in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Notice its replacement, an American Signal Corp. T-128 under the water tower.

• Thunderbolt logo 1003 unit.JPG

  A later Thunderbolt 1003, showing the Federal logo used 1976 onwards.

• 

  Thunderbolt 1000 still in service

• 

  1003 Thunderbolt. This model has an additional solenoid box at the base of the horn that allows this siren to generate a Hi-Lo signal.

See also[link]

• List of cities with Thunderbolt sirens

External links[link]

• Civil Defense Museum has a number of mp3 audio files of Thunderbolt sirens.
• a Thunderbolt 1000 sounding the Alert signal
• a Thunderbolt 1000T sounding the Alert signal
• a Thunderbolt 1003 sounding the Steady Fire (hi-lo) signal