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Crazywarriorman
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Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:27 pm

Busgeek71 wrote:
Crazywarriorman wrote:That's cool. Chicago got some of Federals first thunderbolts. Thus explaining why that one is a tic-tac-toe horn. In addition to the tons of federals, they had five Chryslers and 5 Sirex's too. As far as I know there's one Sirex left in south side and a couple old ones scattered throughout the city.
Happy 1000th post! Wow, imagine how all those sound together. That would have to be scarier than Cushing, OK's system.
Thanks! Yes it would've been scarier than hell!
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freebrickproductions
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Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:41 pm

Busgeek71 wrote:edit: I found another one in utterly awful condition, complete with missing chopper cap.

Link
I noticed that there is the reminates of stripes left on the horn. :)
It seems like all of the bumblebolts that have been found are out of service... :(
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Crazywarriorman
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Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:55 pm

Here's the one at the airport
Image

And here's the one mentioned above that's missing the chopper.

Image
There is also one around Union station somewhere but I can't find it. Brendan Ahern knows tons about Chicago's sirens. I'm sure when he sees this thread he'll be able to tell us some more.
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Brendan W
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Sat Jan 05, 2013 11:22 pm

Not all of Chicago's 'bolts were at fire stations or schools. There is (or was) one on top of a Glass Factory at Pualski Rd. and Wrightwood Ave.
http://goo.gl/maps/H1TQ3

Thanks to Brendan Arnherm for the information
Last edited by Brendan W on Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ACAP10
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Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:05 am

I actually work for the company that owns the building at Midway that has the Tbolt on it. It's an old fire house, but now serves as a ground service equipment maintenance shop. It is indeed a jailbar Tbolt. It faces west now, so the wind must have blown it. It is definitely not active anymore.

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Notre.Dame1003
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Sun Jan 06, 2013 2:08 pm

A few more...

Thunderbolt atop O'Keeffe School on the south side:
Image

Thunderbolt on a vocational school on the NW side
Image

STL-10 atop an elementary school in Oriole Park
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Brendan Ahern
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Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:21 pm

There are definitely still some sirens out there, but not a whole lot. Most were on fire stations and schools, but there were at least a few on private businesses like warehouses. Not sure if this was because these buildings were a few stories high, or because they already had 3 phase power running to them. Or both. It is VERY difficult to get information on the old system. It has been dead since the early 90's, years before the new system went in. Most sirens have been removed. Very few, if any active fire stations have sirens on them, most that do are abandoned. Also, a good few fire houses have been replaced in the 80's. So a lot of those sirens went with them. The siren by Diversey and Pulaski is actually not on the old Macy's warehouse. It's a quarter mile south of there on a glass company at Pulaski and Wrightwood. There was also a tbolt on the roof of Enterprise Oil and 32nd and Western Ave. It literally was at eye level while traveling south in I-55, since it was installed long before I-55 was even built. I don't know if it was a jailbar because whatever sort of screen was it in, was gone. It was removed around 2009 when the owners replaced the roof.

As far as sirens downtown are concerned, good luck. I would say that was one area that they pulled them all out, since a lot of them were on some older low rise buildings that were privately owned. The city is absolutely no help in acquiring info from, since they are abandoned sirens, they keep no records. I would also say that most people who were heavily involved with the old system are probably retired by now.

Fletch
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Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:46 pm

It would be cool to put together a map of the system from when it was at its peak in the '60s.

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Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:51 pm

Fletch wrote:It would be cool to put together a map of the system from when it was at its peak in the '60s.
I have a work in progress one. It only has the Midway Int'l & The glass factory Tbolts on it, though.

http://goo.gl/maps/rk2Hz
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Brendan Ahern
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Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:59 pm

It would be cool, but very difficult. There are no records to indicate where all the sirens were. And most are gone...

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