1983 SoCal Edison Model 120 assembly pictures

[Duderocks5539]

Not really on ARS a whole lot anymore, but there are some guys on here still from the old board that discussed about them who aren’t in the Facebook group, but for those who haven’t seen them on the siren enthusiasts Facebook group, I just received these in the mail from the designer about a month ago. Here are Model 120s being assembled and being crated up to be transported to SONGS for installation in 1983. Based on my gatherings on the whole timeline of the siren, these pictures were likely shot around May 1983 as iirc based on research and overviews I’ve done, the first 16 or so Model 120s that were installed were installed in June/July 1983, with the remaining 5 installed around 1988.

In these pictures, you can see 7 units and the assembly, and for once extremely clean and detailed photos of the head up close.

[BGE1012AUS]

Wow, that is actually surprisingly cool, how big is the model 120 compared to a cyclone or Similar siren? Such as a 3T22/2T22?

[JasonC]

Why did they choose to build custom sirens as opposed to buying units from Federal or ACA like all of the other plants did?

[Model L]

Why did they choose to build custom sirens as opposed to buying units from Federal or ACA like all of the other plants did?

They originally had bought sentries, which massively disappointed them in coverage. federal was advertising that the STL-10 would produce 120 Db at 100 feet and would effectively cover the entire EPZ of the SONGS plant, however this was nearly immediately noticed to be false. being they had been disappointed twice and didn't want to waste any more money, they designed a siren that specifically met their needs. originally they had planned to replace all of the STL-10s but ended up only replacing some. and of course, all of them were ripped out when the plant got Whelens, and none exist aside from this one that are known. curry county got some of the STL-10s, but they have discontinued use of and since have removed most of them, similar to Tillamook and their sirens from Trojan. additionally, the remaining units are inactive, and are extremely rusty to the point of missing horns. part of me thinks the Model 120 would have held up much better.

[carolinasignalco]

looks like somebody welded those suports on there with a pair of sunglasses..

[Duderocks5539]

Wow, that is actually surprisingly cool, how big is the model 120 compared to a cyclone or Similar siren? Such as a 3T22/2T22?

They are 60" by 75.5". The horns are what really make them look big, but are only 5 feet tall and a little over 6 feet in diameter.

[Duderocks5539]

Why did they choose to build custom sirens as opposed to buying units from Federal or ACA like all of the other plants did?

additionally, the remaining units are inactive, and are extremely rusty to the point of missing horns. part of me thinks the Model 120 would have held up much better.

When the STL-10's were still in service for SONGS, although I could only find one good picture of them, they looked to be in really good condition still, at least one of them in a 2001 image of location SC-07 at the San Clemente pier which at the time in 2001, the STL-10s were specifically 19 years old, and also looks to be the original paint as well with just some little spot rust. Once they went to Oregon though, they just got destroyed likely due to the costal air up there being way more harsh. The Sentries from what I can tell were installed in August of 1981, but removed and replaced by the STL-10s in May 1982.

The system has a pretty confusing timeline, and when I figure it all out entirely, I can post the entire timeline of the system from 1981 to 2020, as well as maps of each. I also saved a ton of newspapers from throughout the history of the system.

[Model L]

Would definitely be interesting! I'm working with some of my friends up here on something similar for the trojan system. luckily there is slightly more documentation and some of the original sirens are still in place, unlike SONGS.

yeah, our coastal air *EATS* sirens. I have a picture of an Ex-Trojan model 2 that was installed in tillamook county that has a shroud that is basically nothing but rust. this siren of course was removed in 2015 or 2016, one of the last to go from tillamooks anti-siren motives.

[championsiren]

yeah, our coastal air *EATS* sirens. I have a picture of an Ex-Trojan model 2 that was installed in tillamook county that has a shroud that is basically nothing but rust. this siren of course was removed in 2015 or 2016, one of the last to go from tillamooks anti-siren motives.

This one?

Wow, that sounds fun. I bet a Darley wouldn't survive 3 years up there You all know how crap Darley was at designing shrouds. I can also agree because my 60 year old (wow, it's really that old this year? I'll have to set it off for its sixtieth birthday ) Darley was nothing but rust when I got it... and it wasn't even near the Susquehanna!

[Model L]

thats one of them... I think that one was in manzanita, heres my picture, from one in rockaway.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2YeYQ ... OfzgK8PC7w


(as a note, both of these model 2s were from the Trojan nuclear power plant siren system. they were bought by coastal towns when the plant was decommissioned, and were largely taken out of use in 2012 when new FCC regulations required all of the radios to be upgraded.