Good Finds From Old Catalogs

dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Portable plug in mechanical siren

Or put it on the dash next to your throw light.


What?


WHAT?


HUH?
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Demountable system for full size beacons.

When I worked in Odessa, our competitor Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home had one of these set-ups attached to low-skirted 17 beacon that was used on a '58 Chevy wagon that was used as a backup unit. The car also had a very old Model 28 siren underhood. That car was later sold to the predominantly black funeral home, and it became their first out ambulance. The old 28 went topside flanked by a pair of single-faced Carpenter lights, and the originally-portable 17 ended up behind the siren. Made for a decent-looking rig.
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Portable plug in mechanical siren

In 1964 I was driving a '55 Plymouth Belvedere, which I used for first response. I bought one of the magnetic models of this little siren that I used only for a short time. While it had decent volume for a small siren, it had hardly any roll to it at all. I eventually replaced it with a Sireno J8A dualtone siren that went underhood; and I had a Trippe MR-1 teardrop light in the car, too.
 
i remember back in the 60's when my step father would get the J.C. Whitney catalog in the mail and the first section I always looked up was the "Lights" section. Then building my '69 Jo-han Furies.
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Demountable system for full size beacons.

i had a similar system on 3 different unmarked squads i operated between 86-93. it was set up w/an north american action lite (4 lamp beacon) that was sold by darley at one time. it was a system left over from the county traffic police dept that was used in the 70s before merging w/the sheriff's dept in 1980 during which time the traffic officers used their own personal vehicles for patrol duty (reimbursed by the county of course). the plate was transferred over whenever i got a new squad. i was often asked what the plate on the roof was for. when you needed additional lighting you just set the light up on the plate and twisted it to lock it down. there was an electrical connector on the bottom of the light that matched up w/an electrical connector on the center of the plate. when finished you just unhooked a latch thru a small hole on the side of the base of the light and twisted it back to remove it. it was a handy system, giving you the opportunity to run unmarked yet having the ability to add a roof light if needed.
 
Mndlm said:
i remember back in the 60's when my step father would get the J.C. Whitney catalog in the mail and the first section I always looked up was the "Lights" section. Then building my '69 Jo-han Furies.

What I liked about the early Whitney catalogs of the '60s is that they featured the Federal WLs, WGs and EG sirens along with the little black Jubilee siren that they sold for less than $20 then. Seems like they featured Federal beacons as well.
 
Mndlm said:
i remember back in the 60's when my step father would get the J.C. Whitney catalog in the mail and the first section I always looked up was the "Lights" section. Then building my '69 Jo-han Furies.

Before there were Dominator T/A's & Spectralux ILS's, there was...


JCW-cat.jpg
 
Ummm....wow :dielaugh: . That's really funny. Hook an alternating flasher up to Winky instead and respond to the your next call with that. It would make people do a double take.


"Was that a cat on the dash.....with flashing red eyes?!?!"


EDIT: There was one on eBay once. Here it is: 1950's WINKY THE CAT FREE SHIPPING BEST OFFER (06/16/2010)


aimages.cloud.worthpoint.com_wpimages_images_images1_1_0610_162fea8b101fbfdde3d876625c6540bab8.jpg


I'll admit though....it looks cute and silly at the same time. Is that possible :bonk: ?


EDIT, HOLY CRAP, EDIT: Somebody buy this thing and use this as additional deck lighting:crazy:!!!!


Winky The Cat Vintage Tail Lights Hot Rod Rat Rod Custom LED Sled Parts | eBay


ai.ebayimg.com_t_winky_the_cat_VINTAGE_TAIL_LIGHTS_HOT_ROD_RATc1a17cbc83671a620c0d0d681eef47d9.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Holy cow! I don't think I've seen a Winky since the very early 1980's.
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Portable plug in mechanical siren

A plastic mechanical siren? I wonder what that would sound like? It looks like a standard pitch siren, so it would be easy on the ears.
 
CrownVic97 said:
Ummm....wow :dielaugh: . That's really funny. Hook an alternating flasher up to Winky instead and respond to the your next call with that. It would make people do a double take.

"Was that a cat on the dash.....with flashing red eyes?!?!"


EDIT: There was one on eBay once. Here it is: 1950's WINKY THE CAT FREE SHIPPING BEST OFFER (06/16/2010)


I'll admit though....it looks cute and silly at the same time. Is that possible :bonk: ?


EDIT, HOLY CRAP, EDIT: Somebody buy this thing and use this as additional deck lighting:crazy:!!!!


Winky The Cat Vintage Tail Lights Hot Rod Rat Rod Custom LED Sled Parts | eBay

My grandfather talked about this Cat when I was a kid and I never believed him because he couldn't find pictures. Haha I can't believe people actually bought it. :bonk:
 
tsquale said:
My grandfather talked about this Cat when I was a kid and I never believed him because he couldn't find pictures. Haha I can't believe people actually bought it. :bonk:

I use to see a few of those cats back in the 70's . Have not seen one in quite a few years.
 
Wailer said:
A plastic mechanical siren? I wonder what that would sound like? It looks like a standard pitch siren, so it would be easy on the ears.

The little Trippe siren had the same sound as a Federal VG/O siren, but not as good of a roll as the Federals. With the small Federals there is a bit of a roll down, but with the Trippe, it was almost instant stop, which I didn't like....so I didn't use it very long.
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
Economy Flashing Light like the one used by my Dad in the early 1960s.

If I remember correctly, these were made by DoRay, but marketed under other names as well. They also had a similar single-faced light that oscillated back and forth. You're bringing back some good ol' memories, Dan.
 
dmathieu said:
1965 Darley
NEW Federal Twinsonic and


NEW Whelen CORPORAL

1965 Twinsonic? Federal Signal did not introduce the Twinsonic until late 1967.
 
W.S. Darley must have had a time machine to have gotten a Twinsonic in 1965.


I do see the date on the catalog is c1965, meaning circa 1965. Could it be that this is not an original 1965 catalog or is a compilation of catalogs and was printed after 1967?
 
VERY STRANGE!


At least most of the items and prices in the catalog seem to be perios correct, along with the prices, to what I remember in the mid 1960s. All of the pages are in the proper order.


This is copy, so maybe the printer uses the same blank for all Darley Police Supply covers. All of the pages are in proper order, etc.


The badge page shown in the 1971 catalog is not in the i965 catalog.


Strange about the Twinsonic. I think I'll contact the seller.


I do have an ORIGINAL 1961 catalog. I'll be posting ads from it shortly.
 

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