Strange Federal Q siren base

[Paul Steinberg]

I found a Federal Siren marked Q2BS at Carlisle this spring, and what makes this one strange is that there is no rear cover on the siren, and it does have a rear band cover with a data plate on it that reads Q2BS... I know that what the Q2 is, and the the B refers to it having a brake. I have never seen one marked with the "S" designation. Also the mounting base is different than any others that I have ever encountered. I am thinking that this has to be an early siren, since it has a full screen behind the "F" on the front cover...

[Jerry Jacobson]

Could have been mounted on a Seagrave or Crown fire truck where only the rotor and grill showed through the nose of the truck.

[Todd Merrifield]

Originally Posted by Jerry Jacobson

Could have been mounted on a Seagrave or Crown fire truck where only the rotor and grill showed through the nose of the truck.

That's what I was thinking..."S" for Surface mount.

[John ED Renstrom]

my thought to on that. as if it set in thee would be no need for the rear cover. the flat mount sounds like a fire truck to.

[John Dorgan - Deceased - 1938 - 2012]

The base is the standard three bolt base in current production making it a late model siren. Pre Warfield motor, so probably from about the late 80s.
JD

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

Originally Posted by Todd Merrifield

That's what I was thinking..."S" for Surface mount.

I've never seen a Q with one, but in the past when Federal has used an "S" in the model name of a siren, it stood for the special small motor. It could also stand for "special build".

[Kevin O'Connell]

As Joe said, it's a post-1981 base with a Prestolite motor. It could have been made from 1981 to 1995. Early Qs had the cutout behind the logo. That changed in 1981 also. I have no idea what the "S" means, but if it's on a nameplate attached to the brush cover the siren is definitely for semi-flush mounting.