# Alert!  Stolen sirens!



## Skip Goulet (Oct 10, 2013)

My friend Harold Welch, is a retired vollie fire chief who lives in Gorman, TX (75 mi. se of Abilene).  He has been collecting old motor driven sirens for many years, and within the past couple of months has had his entire collection stolen by his two daughters!  He has also lost 9 show tractors and several antique steam whistles.

I initially posted this on elightbars.org and the PCS website.  The daughters and their husbands fled to Antlers, OK; but it is now believed that the sirens and whistles were sold in or around the Stephenville, TX area.   I have just been informed that he has recovered 3 of the 9 tractors, but so far not a clue on where the sirens and whistles may have been sold.

Please keep your eyes out.  Their are about 50 sirens: most of them are the B&M Siro-Drifts, but there's at least one Q, two C5Gs, a C4, a big Sterling 30 SienLite, a couple of CAM sirens and at least two older Hedberg sirens.

If you spot something that even seems suspicous, please respond here.  Thanks.

I forgot to mention: Harold had spent two months at a specialty hospital in Ft. Worth. This all happened while he was laid up.


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## Achilles (Oct 10, 2013)

Skip Goulet said:


> My friend Harold Welch, is a retired vollie fire chief who lives in Gorman, TX (75 mi. se of Abilene).  He has been collecting old motor driven sirens for many years, and within the past couple of months has had his entire collection stolen by his two daughters!  He has also lost 9 show tractors and several antique steam whistles.
> 
> I initially posted this on elightbars.org and the PCS website.  The daughters and their husbands fled to Antlers, OK; but it is now believed that the sirens and whistles were sold in or around the Stephenville, TX area.   I have just been informed that he has recovered 3 of the 9 tractors, but so far not a clue on where the sirens and whistles may have been sold.
> 
> ...



Report here instead of contacting the police?


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## CFal (Oct 11, 2013)

I'll keep an ear out


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## Skip Goulet (Oct 11, 2013)

Achilles said:


> Report here instead of contacting the police?



The police and sheriff's office in Harold's area were immediately notified when he discovered the thefts. Oklahoma authorities have also been alerted.

But since we have learned that the sirens have been sold, I put up notices on some of the websites where vintage equipment is bought, sold, traded and/or discussed.

And it doesn't hurt to put it here and on other related sites.

Thanks.


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## Skip Goulet (Oct 21, 2013)

*Update!!*

I regret to state here that Harold Welch passed away last Monday afternoon, and was buried last Tuesday.  His death was caused by a coronary thrombosis.

To date, none of the sirens have been located or recovered; but the Sheriff's Office in Eastland County thinks they may have a line on some of them.

It is still believed that some of them went to Oklahoma, but it's believed that those that were sold were sold here in Texas.


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## PotatoMedic (Oct 21, 2013)

Sorry to hear about his passing.  I do hope that some can be recovered and go to his estate.


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## Skip Goulet (Oct 22, 2013)

FireWA1 said:


> Sorry to hear about his passing.  I do hope that some can be recovered and go to his estate.



Thanks for the reply.  I failed to mention in my earlier posts that four of the sirens that were in Harold's possession were mine. He was good at repairing the older coaster sirens, and I had taken those four to him at one time or another for repairs, but he went down in health before all of the repairs were complete.   And all of the estate, even what may be recovered of the sirens go to his dear friend Louise who helped him through a difficult time when he lost his wife, Beth, a few years ago.

Thanks again.


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