Federal Signal Visibar (1st & 2nd Generation?)

[solid_snake]

Hi Everyone,


Just some pics to show you my 2 Federal Visibar's.the one with clear domes has 2 independents motors and the other one with red/blue domes has 1 motor with chain driver.


I wondered if the one with 2 independents motors is the 1st generation of the Visibar or just a homemade Visibar?


Thanks!

 

[solid_snake]

and here's the video

 

[dmathieu]

2 independent motors is user made.

 

[fireball3]

It seems to me that all visibar factory were with chain


Cyril

 

[rick h.]

Great looking light bars

 

[Skip Goulet]

Cyril and Dan are both correct. Since the original VisiBars had significant chain problems over the years, I used to see a number of home-brew modifications. In another thread I recently mentioned the VisiBars that were used by the Texas Tech Police Dept. in Lubbock. Their VisiBars came with twin red beacons and a pair of CP100 speakers which were initially powered by PA20 Interceptors and eventually upgraded to PA200s. The original Texas Tech P.D. units were small Chevy Novas that came equipped with Federal 173 beacons on top and small motordriven sirens underhood. Once the chains had been replaced a number of times on the VisiBars, the maintenance people got tired of it; so they "froze" the sealedbeams on the beacons to be aimed front and rear and put an alternating flasher inline so that the two beacons alternated between themselves; and then they mounted one of the old original 173 beacons in the center of the bar. That made for an interesting light display, but I wouldn't have wanted to be the one to have done the installations on those cars since there would've been added weight to those two bars. Now that was nearly 30 years ago, and Texas Tech has upgraded to some nice LED bars. I'm not sure whose they're using since I haven't seen them up close.

 

[Captain4164]

I like the red and blue rotating in opposite directions :thumbsup:


Both are very nice bars

 

[stansdds]

Independent drives on a Twin Beacon Ray are definitely not factory jobs, but are home brewed.

 

[solid_snake]

thanks all for your answers.

 

[Skip Goulet]

I like the red and blue rotating in opposite directions :thumbsup:

Both are very nice bars

My first ambulance, a 1963 Pontiac Consort, came with twin Federal 17s on the front corners. They rotated in opposite directions like that, too. One night we had to respond down to the little town of Post, TX where they'd had a multiple alarm fire. We were there all night and went thru more O2 than you'd see in several months. Anyway, one of my friends was a news fotog, and he rode with us. When we got to Post a police escort was waiting for us. My friend took his big 16mm camera and aimed it thru the windshield and got some nice footage of the escort. What was neat was watching the beams from the two beacons cris-crossing along with the lights from the escort car; and that ambulance had a siren on the rt. fender. You could also see the reflection of our lights on the rear housing of the big siren.

 

[Maxim2Eng]

The chain on the R/B VisiBar is twisted to cause the lights to counter rotate. Lots of agencies liked that. Also the speaker mounting block is backwards causing the speaker it tip up. Louisville PD had the same problems until we showed them what they were doing wrong. Then tried to tell us it was for downtown to project the siren tones onto the high rises....


Great lights!

 

[Skip Goulet]

The chain on the R/B VisiBar is twisted to cause the lights to counter rotate. Lots of agencies liked that. Also the speaker mounting block is backwards causing the speaker it tip up. Louisville PD had the same problems until we showed them what they were doing wrong. Then tried to tell us it was for downtown to project the siren tones onto the high rises....

Great lights!

That "high rise" comment reminds me of what used to happen in Dallas when DPD still ran motorcycles. There's a certain area in downtown right off the Central E-Way that if a motorcycle cop used his siren, that shrill sound would shatter windows! Never got to witness that....thankfully.

 

[72stormer]

Looks alot like the vintage Seattle PD Visibar.

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Technically, the VisiBar was the bar only, and could be configured any way desired (as I recall, Federal set one up for SFPD with a 184 on one side and the forward steady red/rear flashing amber/split dome in a 184-housing on the driver side).


The Model 11 "Twin Beacon Ray" was sold as the synchronized light bar with the lights already attached. One of the selling points was the reduced power consumption as there was only one motor and 4 bulbs.


At the time, I had made my own "visibar" out of square aluminum tubing with 2 Unity RV46s with Spitfire domes and 100 watt bulbs in each. My alternator died twice....

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Hi Everyone,

I wondered if the one with 2 independents motors is the 1st generation of the Visibar or just a homemade Visibar?


Thanks!

The quickest way is to remove one light to see how it is connected. If it was a Model 11 retrofit, the stainless cover over the aluminum tube will have oval holes stamped to accommodate 1/4" mounting bolts and the aluminum tube will be tapped for the bolts. If it was a VisiBar with 2 model 14s attached, it will not have the stampings. Or, it could be someone got tired of trying to reconnect the chain....

 

[ERIC6913]

Technically, the VisiBar was the bar only, and could be configured any way desired (as I recall, Federal set one up for SFPD with a 184 on one side and the forward steady red/rear flashing amber/split dome in a 184-housing on the driver side).

The Model 11 "Twin Beacon Ray" was sold as the synchronized light bar with the lights already attached. One of the selling points was the reduced power consumption as there was only one motor and 4 bulbs.


At the time, I had made my own "visibar" out of square aluminum tubing with 2 Unity RV46s with Spitfire domes and 100 watt bulbs in each. My alternator died twice....

That is correct. The VB-1 was just the plain bar itself which the user could decide which sirens or lights to put on. Federal offered several "VK" kits for beacons and sirens, from 184's to Q's. Here are some of my own Visi-bar examples:

 

[Captain4164]

Eric, if you dont quit flashing that LA Chiefs bar in my face, when we come down to cover Station 25 or on a fire, its gonna disappear into my fire engine and come home with me!!!

 

[ERIC6913]

Eric, if you dont quit flashing that LA Chiefs bar in my face, when we come down to cover Station 25 or on a fire, its gonna disappear into my fire engine and come home with me!!!

lol, i don't live near 25 anymore, ha ha ha

 

[empire5150]

Hello everyone. Looking for some help. I just bought a visibar from a local guy that has no idea of what it is exactly and sold it to me. I was wondering what it is worth. I am putting it up for sale. Its all original with 2 blue domes. Works perfectly and has the original 2 mounting feet that sometimes go missing. I also have a red dome I would swap out for a blue if someone wants 1 red and 1 blue. Thanks for any help!

 

[Skip Goulet]

Hello everyone. Looking for some help. I just bought a visibar from a local guy that has no idea of what it is exactly and sold it to me. I was wondering what it is worth. I am putting it up for sale. Its all original with 2 blue domes. Works perfectly and has the original 2 mounting feet that sometimes go missing. I also have a red dome I would swap out for a blue if someone wants 1 red and 1 blue. Thanks for any help!

If you can, post some pictures and let us see what it looks like.

 

[Skip Goulet]

Technically, the VisiBar was the bar only, and could be configured any way desired (as I recall, Federal set one up for SFPD with a 184 on one side and the forward steady red/rear flashing amber/split dome in a 184-housing on the driver side).

The Model 11 "Twin Beacon Ray" was sold as the synchronized light bar with the lights already attached. One of the selling points was the reduced power consumption as there was only one motor and 4 bulbs.


At the time, I had made my own "visibar" out of square aluminum tubing with 2 Unity RV46s with Spitfire domes and 100 watt bulbs in each. My alternator died twice....

I missed your comment about your alternator first time around. Years ago a friend of mine ran the ambulance service in the small town of Lamesa, TX (prounced LA-Meesa, not LAmaysa). At that time his first out ambulance was a '72 Chevy wagon with the old clamshell tailgate. On more than one trip to Lubbock (55 mi) he lost the alternator on that wagon. By today's standards he didn't have all that much: a VisiBar with red and blue beacons and a CP25 speaker powered by a PA20 Interceptor and a 100-watt G.E. lowband two-way. One Saturday his alternator went on him after he had gotten into Lubbock, and right at a busy intersection. I helped him out here and there, so I was one of "his" units on the lowband channel. I had just gotten into my unit when I heard the sheriff's office trying to reach him, so after asking what was going on the dispatcher said he had broken down and where.


When I got to the scene the contract ambulance service had gotten there and had loaded his patient, leaving him on my friend's one-man cot. So I loaded their cot into my ambulance and then waited for the wrecker to pick up my friend's Chevy wagon. I asked what had happened since this was at least the 3rd time for a blown alternator. So my logical question was "what alternator have they been putting on there?" Turns out they just used the standard Chevy alternator. So when the wrecker arrived we had the wagon taken to a local auto electric shop I had used, and had them put an 85 amp alternator on the car. Never another problem. Now when we took the other ambulance co's cot to them and retrieved my friend's one man, one of their guy's wised off about my showing up at the scene and asked if I thought I would transport. Before I could answer my friend informed them thathe had requested my ambulance and not theirs, and that shut them up! Not long after I had a similar incident with my '65 Pontiac Consort ambulance. I lost the alternator on it on a run. Turns out that someone had put a 35 amp alternator on it at some point, so I went back with an 85-amp and never had another problem.

 

[CrownVic97]

Hello everyone. Looking for some help. I just bought a visibar from a local guy that has no idea of what it is exactly and sold it to me. I was wondering what it is worth. I am putting it up for sale. Its all original with 2 blue domes. Works perfectly and has the original 2 mounting feet that sometimes go missing. I also have a red dome I would swap out for a blue if someone wants 1 red and 1 blue. Thanks for any help!

The quickest way to tell is that if one beacon has a motor and the other side does not, you have the chain-driven Twin Beacon Ray. If both beacons have motors, it's an VB-1 "Visibar" with two Model 14 beacons mounted to it.

 

[empire5150]

The quickest way to tell is that if one beacon has a motor and the other side does not, you have the chain-driven Twin Beacon Ray. If both beacons have motors, it's an VB-1 "Visibar" with two Model 14 beacons mounted to it.

Thanks for the response. Its the twin beacon ray model.....

 

[CrownVic97]

Thanks for the response. Its the twin beacon ray model.....

Nice! Good find on that one :thumbsup: .

 

[empire5150]

Nice! Good find on that one :thumbsup: .

Thank you. Any idea of the value of it for resale?

 

[Skip Goulet]

That is correct. The VB-1 was just the plain bar itself which the user could decide which sirens or lights to put on. Federal offered several "VK" kits for beacons and sirens, from 184's to Q's. Here are some of my own Visi-bar examples:

Eric: There was some discussion on another thread awhile back about the way the big red sealed beam light was attached to the skirt of the beacon as in the beacon you have above. How are they attached?

 

[CrownVic97]

Thank you. Any idea of the value of it for resale?

It all hinges on the overall condition of the bar. If it looks like it lived in a garage its whole life with little to no wear and tear, then value increases. If it had been on vehicle with some scuffs and dents throughout the bar and domes, then value may vary.


A picture can tell a lot more than descriptions sometimes. If possible, take a quick pic or two and post them up here. We can help you out way more then .

 

[empire5150]

It all hinges on the overall condition of the bar. If it looks like it lived in a garage its whole life with little to no wear and tear, then value increases. If it had been on vehicle with some scuffs and dents throughout the bar and domes, then value may vary.

A picture can tell a lot more than descriptions sometimes. If possible, take a quick pic or two and post them up here. We can help you out way more then .

Ok will do. Ill have one up tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again.

 

[CrownVic97]

Ok will do. Ill have one up tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again.

No problem, sir :thumbsup:

 

[ERIC6913]

Eric: There was some discussion on another thread awhile back about the way the big red sealed beam light was attached to the skirt of the beacon as in the beacon you have above. How are they attached?

center stud bolt.

 

[Skip Goulet]

center stud bolt.

Nice. Do you have any pix of that beacon lit up? I've seen a number of pix of the CA beacon, but never lit up with the steady burn red on.

 

[ERIC6913]

Nice. Do you have any pix of that beacon lit up? I've seen a number of pix of the CA beacon, but never lit up with the steady burn red on.

sorry, no

 

[empire5150]

Sorry about the quality....

 

[CrownVic97]

Wow, Empire! That is a nice Twin Beacon Ray you picked up. Picture quality...pssh, who cares? We can see it just fine. :thumbsup:


I can tell right away that yours is a newer version of the TBR. The newer Federal Signal logo is on the name badges and endcaps of the bar, telling me that this is a mid-70s until end-of-production Twin Beacon Ray. Another thing is the rotator assemblies. Early TBRs have full-cast lamp holders, while the mid-70s and onward had the skeletonized-type lamp holders. Federal did this to reduce weight and cost of making these parts. Your bar has a skeletonized assembly on the driver side, and full-cast on the passenger. This means at some point in this bar's time of service, parts were swapped out to keep it running on the rig and a full-cast lamp holder assembly must have been in the parts box.


The tubular-style mounting feet and brackets with the bent-L type shape are used with hook-on gutter clamps that fit on older cars and trucks. I also see that you have 3 out of 4 rubber pads for the bottom of the mounting feet. If you can find a 4th one, that part of the bar will be complete.


The crossbar itself is in good shape. Remove the electrical tape and the gunk usually associated with it off the stainless steel sleeve and it'll look better. The dome retaining bands and the domes themselves are in good shape too. I can see some of the black paint peeled away on the endcaps and mounting parts, but that happens with age and wear. The wiring usually came out the bottom of the cross bar where the slots for the mounting brackets slide into, but it's not a huge deal to worry about.


Overall, your Twin Beacon Ray is a 7.5-8/10. A price of $150-$175 (in my opinion. It can vary with other folks here) is fair to ask for it, with the spare red F2 dome you mentioned thrown in the price range.


Hope this gives you the help you needed, Empire. I instantly think of "Smokey and the Bandit" when I see a blue/blue Twin Beacon Ray. I'm surprised Buford hasn't found his lightbar in your basement yet :crazy: :haha: !


Also, very nice collection of Twins, Aeros, and a 374 Signal Stat. They look great .

 

[stansdds]

Too bad it has mismatched lamp holder assemblies, otherwise, this would be a truly awesome model 11.

 

[empire5150]

Thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it. I found this locally listed simply as "twin blue beacons" on CL. I took the drive (1.5 hrs) and found this. The guy hooked it up to a battery and it worked perfectly (needed 1 bulb). I picked it up for 100.00. Thought it was a great deal though Im surprised of the value of it, I thought it would be worth more. I did not know of the "visibar" at the time, I just thought 'cool, the bar says federal signal too"! LOL. I also picked up the red 4 bulb signal stat beacon in the pics from him for 50.00 and another federal signal model 14 (6 volt) with a red dome for 25.00 and a twinsonic 12x red, red for 100.00. All good deals I think. He has another twinsonic 12x red, red for sale for 100.00 (im considering). The cool thing is that the twinsonic I got from him only ended up costing me 20.00 after I sold the mounts for 80.00 on feebay! Been very lucky lately finding these bars at amazing prices......

 

[empire5150]

Wow, Empire! That is a nice Twin Beacon Ray you picked up. Picture quality...pssh, who cares? We can see it just fine. :thumbsup:


I can tell right away that yours is a newer version of the TBR. The newer Federal Signal logo is on the name badges and endcaps of the bar, telling me that this is a mid-70s until end-of-production Twin Beacon Ray. Another thing is the rotator assemblies. Early TBRs have full-cast lamp holders, while the mid-70s and onward had the skeletonized-type lamp holders. Federal did this to reduce weight and cost of making these parts. Your bar has a skeletonized assembly on the driver side, and full-cast on the passenger. This means at some point in this bar's time of service, parts were swapped out to keep it running on the rig and a full-cast lamp holder assembly must have been in the parts box.


The tubular-style mounting feet and brackets with the bent-L type shape are used with hook-on gutter clamps that fit on older cars and trucks. I also see that you have 3 out of 4 rubber pads for the bottom of the mounting feet. If you can find a 4th one, that part of the bar will be complete.


The crossbar itself is in good shape. Remove the electrical tape and the gunk usually associated with it off the stainless steel sleeve and it'll look better. The dome retaining bands and the domes themselves are in good shape too. I can see some of the black paint peeled away on the endcaps and mounting parts, but that happens with age and wear. The wiring usually came out the bottom of the cross bar where the slots for the mounting brackets slide into, but it's not a huge deal to worry about.


Overall, your Twin Beacon Ray is a 7.5-8/10. A price of $150-$175 (in my opinion. It can vary with other folks here) is fair to ask for it, with the spare red F2 dome you mentioned thrown in the price range.


Hope this gives you the help you needed, Empire. I instantly think of "Smokey and the Bandit" when I see a blue/blue Twin Beacon Ray. I'm surprised Buford hasn't found his lightbar in your basement yet :crazy: :haha: !


Also, very nice collection of Twins, Aeros, and a 374 Signal Stat. They look great .

Just an FYI/UPDATE, I pulled the visibar down off the wall to see what you mean about the lamp assemblies and they are both identical. One of them is not the skeletonized model you thought it was. They both have full cast lamp enclosures. Does this up the value?

 

[CrownVic97]

Just an FYI/UPDATE, I pulled the visibar down off the wall to see what you mean about the lamp assemblies and they are both identical. One of them is not the skeletonized model you thought it was. They both have full cast lamp enclosures. Does this up the value?

I guess the way the bar was sitting up there and clarity of the picture threw me off a little. Yes, the value does go up a little since they are both the full-cast assemblies. Thanks for sharing that update with the forum, Empire .

 

[hyperjohnny]

Wow, Empire! That is a nice Twin Beacon Ray you picked up. Picture quality...pssh, who cares? We can see it just fine. :thumbsup:


I can tell right away that yours is a newer version of the TBR. The newer Federal Signal logo is on the name badges and endcaps of the bar, telling me that this is a mid-70s until end-of-production Twin Beacon Ray. Another thing is the rotator assemblies. Early TBRs have full-cast lamp holders, while the mid-70s and onward had the skeletonized-type lamp holders. Federal did this to reduce weight and cost of making these parts. Your bar has a skeletonized assembly on the driver side, and full-cast on the passenger. This means at some point in this bar's time of service, parts were swapped out to keep it running on the rig and a full-cast lamp holder assembly must have been in the parts box.


The tubular-style mounting feet and brackets with the bent-L type shape are used with hook-on gutter clamps that fit on older cars and trucks. I also see that you have 3 out of 4 rubber pads for the bottom of the mounting feet. If you can find a 4th one, that part of the bar will be complete.


The crossbar itself is in good shape. Remove the electrical tape and the gunk usually associated with it off the stainless steel sleeve and it'll look better. The dome retaining bands and the domes themselves are in good shape too. I can see some of the black paint peeled away on the endcaps and mounting parts, but that happens with age and wear. The wiring usually came out the bottom of the cross bar where the slots for the mounting brackets slide into, but it's not a huge deal to worry about.


Overall, your Twin Beacon Ray is a 7.5-8/10. A price of $150-$175 (in my opinion. It can vary with other folks here) is fair to ask for it, with the spare red F2 dome you mentioned thrown in the price range.


Hope this gives you the help you needed, Empire. I instantly think of "Smokey and the Bandit" when I see a blue/blue Twin Beacon Ray. I'm surprised Buford hasn't found his lightbar in your basement yet :crazy: :haha: !


Also, very nice collection of Twins, Aeros, and a 374 Signal Stat. They look great .

Like this one?

 

[empire5150]

Like this one?

Yes.