Today, we visited the Devil’s Porridge Museum in Eastriggs, Scotland, to see the siren on display there which was recently posted in the UK Siren Map topic by user ‘al66class59’. In the picture that was included in the post, the siren looked to be in relatively OK condition, however evidently this photo was taken quite a while ago, as now the siren is pretty overgrown. It is speculated to be a Castle Castings siren (which I foolishly challenged, only to be proved wrong), and I was hoping to confirm this when I visited the siren via a company logo or tag, however I couldn’t find anything on the siren itself apart from the motor manufacturer information plate, which I took a picture of. I couldn’t properly see my tablet’s screen when taking the photos due to the sunlight, so the photos didn’t turn out too beautifully, but I’m fairly sure you can see most of the key details still. I also attempted to transcribe the weathered motor manufacturers plate, which I will write here. Any ‘~’s signify gaps due to illegible lettering.
B.S. 5000 ~~~~~~~.G. Motor
Brook C~~~~omp~~~~~on
Parkinson Motors
HUDDERSFIELD ENGLAND
HAWKER(?) SIDDELEY
FRAME: DNV100LH
SERIAL NO.: B340457
OUTPUT kW: 3.7
REV/MIN: 2850
V.: 400-440
A.: 7.0
Hz: 50
PHASE: 3
RATING: 34.15%
DESIGN: IP55
INSI~~~: 6
I think that this most likely is a Castle Castings as ‘al66class59’ said.
I also took a picture of my small 3D-printed table-grinder siren next to it to get a sense of scale (obviously this only works properly if you have seen in-person my siren). Before I left I tried to scoop out most of the moss, dirt and general rubble that had built up in the choppers. Heck, there was even some grass growing through it. The rotors appear to be able to spin relatively freely, however they are tied to the stator to prevent movement, but I could still turn them a small amount, and they appeared to still turn with minimal effort. The de-icing heaters really need some work, as they are mostly hanging off and the wires are in terrible condition.
I also had a very nice chat with a chap called David, who is an electrical engineer. He told me quite a bit about the motor and in turn I told him about the way the siren works, helping me analyse the siren’s condition. He also told me that he thought that there is a siren of some description near Dixon’s Chimney in Carlisle, which I will investigate further. Anyway, this siren seems to be restorable due it mostly only having light damage, so hopefully the museum will decide to do this at some point.
Thanks for reading,
-205664