Another view of Thunderguts (and I have absolutely no idea how she got that nickname. See also picture #12165.
Picture added on 05 November 2008
Comments:
TheFireman, Lou Angeli - ya gotta see this Aerial.... have a look at where they stuck the Driver.
If you are not familiar with British Leyland Buses, and other Double-Decker Bus designs, some interesting thoughts come to mind:
"We wanted the Driver to have maximum all-round visibility"
"The Driver can check the Engine Oil and Coolant Levels, right from his seat"
"Uh, the budget is a bit tight - 3 guys in the crew, so that needs only one-and-one-half Cab-widths to accommodate them - we will save on the other half"
"In the event of a crash, only the Driver gets there first"
With that syren[siren] wailing into his left ear - I bet every Driver, after his first run with the rig, had a long and serious discussion with his Officer, about how often and how long, he was going to blast that #@&%$# !! thing....or, could you tell the veteran Drivers, by their being stone-deaf on left side...(;>)
All kidding aside - glad to see this unique rig safely in preservation, and still a runner.
W-e-e-l-l: picture #2604 has an interesting Pumper; where the Hoseman/Pump Operator is in a pulpit which is mounted ON the front bumper, along with the Front-Mount Pump. The Driver is behind, in a conventional truck cab - 1970's International Lodestar/Superior.
Like Ian's Dennis; it was built for a purpose - chasing grass/grainfield fires on the Great Plains of the American Mid-West.
With Fire Apparatus Manufacturers getting absorbed into vast international corporate entities; to crank out uniform products (eg "Euro-Toasters" et al) for their large market: really get to appreciate all these different-looking machines, with their character and charm.....so glad, for each one getting preserved.
And, John; tell us the story of those Air Force Jets..... was it 2 "Jet Jockeys" trying to figure out that strange-looking, red, moving, object at ground-level ?!
If you are not familiar with British Leyland Buses, and other Double-Decker Bus designs, some interesting thoughts come to mind:
"We wanted the Driver to have maximum all-round visibility"
"The Driver can check the Engine Oil and Coolant Levels, right from his seat"
"Uh, the budget is a bit tight - 3 guys in the crew, so that needs only one-and-one-half Cab-widths to accommodate them - we will save on the other half"
"In the event of a crash, only the Driver gets there first"
With that syren[siren] wailing into his left ear - I bet every Driver, after his first run with the rig, had a long and serious discussion with his Officer, about how often and how long, he was going to blast that #@&%$# !! thing....or, could you tell the veteran Drivers, by their being stone-deaf on left side...(;>)
All kidding aside - glad to see this unique rig safely in preservation, and still a runner.
Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B
Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 06 November 2008.