So these 6" bells are all over my old Elementary School. Their labels read “Stromberg, 115 volts, 0.85 amps, Type M18072A” (I can kinda make out a 72 in the picture). I have been searching for AGES on these, trying to find out any information on them. I haven’t been successful. According to the Internet, Stromberg - Carlson was a telephone company. Any info? Pictures attached
Note: after examining the type number, it looks like the scratched on number in the type number is a 70 which makes the type number M18070A
Stromberg-Carlson made telephone systems, radio equipment, and other electronics. They even were in the HiFi speaker market.
The Stromberg Electric Manufacturing Company made payroll clocks and master clock systems. The master clock systems had secondary clocks controlled by the master clock and program bells as used in schools to signal class change times.
I’m not too familiar with Stromberg, they must not have had much involvement in alarm products as it is very rare I see any fire alarms with their name on it. I’ve never seen any of their bells, but I have a horn branded by Stromberg that is just a re-branded version of the 4040.
Good to know there is another Stromberg alarm out there in existence. What I wonder is if this is by the same Stromberg as in Stromberg-Carlson the telephone company
Someone’s already mentioned that!
Apparently yes, an Alfred Stromberg was involved in both companies. Probably the same person. Here is what I found on the internet.
Stromberg-Carlson was a telecommunications equipment and electronics manufacturing company in the United States. It was formed in 1894 as a partnership by Alfred Stromberg and Androv Carlson. It was one of five companies that controlled the national supply of telephone equipment until after World War II.
Stromberg Electric Manufacturing Co. was found in 1905/06 by Alfred Stromberg to make electrical devices including time stamps, job clocks, program and secondary clocks. 1935 the firm was bought by General Time Instruments Corporation who sold it about 1965. In 1989 firm was owned by New Haven Manufacturing Company who still offered payroll recorder.
Well yes but I’ve never seen a logo quite like the one on these bells. I thought maybe it was a different Stromberg
The horn I have is labeled “General Time-Stromberg” so based on what was said earlier, it must have been made in or before 1965.
Thanks for that short history on Stromberg, I guess that means the Stromberg bells were added on in or after 1965. The school was built in 1945. The bells are no longer used, and the school bell is a Westminster chime tone over the PA. When I was in fifth grade these bells were used though, when the PA tone sounded, they went off about a minute later. They don’t do that anymore, and now they sit unused in the hallways.
Also, these 10" outdoor models are on the outside walls of the school. They’re used (at least they were used, I haven’t gone to school there in 4 years) to tell everyone to come back inside after a fire drill. The one in the attached picture is outside of the gym, but there’s another one in the back corner of the school and a third by the new wing. They’re made by Stromberg as well (I read the label during recess one time 
) but I don’t know the type number since the label is slightly corroded.
Ah yes, the Stromberg bells. One of the schools in my area has them, but they were flush-mounted behind grilles. The school was built in 1965, but I think they used a Simplex time system, as the clocks were those square silver-ish Simplex clocks with the black hands, like many of Brockton’s schools used. Currently they use a Simplex 2350 master time system.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2232/img0255v.jpg
The school was originally built with a Gamewell fire alarm system in 1965, then in the 80s they upgraded to a Simplex system with the 2903+2901-9806 horn/strobes like the one pictured, and then in 2010 they replaced the whole alarm system with a Notifier NFS2-640 voice-evac system with SpectrAlert Advance speaker/strobes. Most of the Stromberg bells are still intact, though one was replaced with an Edwards Adapt-a-bel at one point. Because it’s now used as a preschool center (it used to be a middle school), they instead ring the bells early for starting the shifts for teachers, as well as using them for non-fire emergencies (like a lockdown or something.)
Wow, there are other Stromberg bells in existence! 
Too bad they’re behind flush mount grilles so you can’t really see them. Are they also type M18070A?
I can’t really tell, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they were. I checked another pic I took of the bell, and I could make out “M18” at the start and “A” at the end. As I said, most of them are still intact (one was replaced with an Edwards bell), and since the building became a preschool center (it used to be a middle school, hence the bells) are used for non-fire emergencies and for starting a teacher shift prior to the start of the school day. This school may have actually had a Simplex clock system originally though that happened to use the Stromberg bells, hence the square Simplex clocks I’ve seen (the current master time system is a Simplex 2350 that was installed in the 80s.)
There is another school I know in Brockton where a friend of mine went that has Stromberg bells, also built in 1965, only they’re not flush-mounted. Even after the renovation in 2009, they still use several of them (some others were replaced with some kind of buzzer, to my knowledge.) The clocks may have also been Stromberg, I know they were square and they were not Simplex (though they do also have a Simplex 2350 master clock system.)
The original fire alarm system wasn’t Stromberg-branded though. Like all of Brockton’s schools built in the 60s, they used to have a Gamewell FlexAlarm system (with older-style Vibratone 450 horns and Century pulls), but during the renovation they replaced it with a Notifier NFS2-640 voice-evac system. It was formerly an elementary school, but with the renovation, it became a middle school.
The Stromberg bells behind the flush mount grilles are most likely M18070A unless they had a different type for 6" bells. This must mean that they’re pretty rare. Could you post the other picture you have of the bell please?
The Stromberg bells behind the flush mount grilles are most likely M18070A unless they had a different type for 6" bells. This must mean that they’re pretty rare. Could you post the other picture you have of the bell please?
Here ya go!
The label does indeed match the one in your photo.
Thanks! Comparing the labels, I believe that those bells are the same as the one in my picture.
They probably are.
I’m also wondering who was the original maker of these bells. Judging by the design, it’s likely they are rebranded Federal Signal bells (as Stromberg also rebranded the Vibratone 350 horns, but then again, almost everyone rebranded those!)
So i am in the middle of a demo project of an old school an ran across a hand full of the Stromberg type M18012A fire bells are they worth anything i removed them aswell as all the 1950s era fire lite Bg-5 alarm pull stations. Any info is appreciated
Hello,
I know this is a very old reply and I apologize for the bump but no more information has come out about these bells since I posted this originally and I am still desperate. If you still have the bells you pulled out of the school I would be very interested in buying them from you. Also if you have any photos that would greatly be appreciated.
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