Fire Engines Photos

We know this type in the Netherlands. They were famous in Rotterdam, when they were on duty fighting fires after the bombing of the city, in May 1940. Great fire engines...

Added by Marcel Sloover on 25 August 2005.

What a beautiful engine! It is every fire truck collectors dream to own an Ahrens - Fox. I will continue to dream......

Added by Lt. Wayne Yanish on 21 February 2006.

Excellent!!! I have seen one fox, and have read of other's, that have pumped for over 30 day's straight without shutting down, or shutting down just long enough to check the oil.(12 to 16 quart's). These are the best built truck's ever, no question's asked.

Added by George Frankenfield on 12 July 2006.

i just wanted to add a thank you for your site, My husband is the Great-Great Grandson of Ahrens family.
Look at Hall of Flame website it is located in Phoenix, they have a few Ahrens-Fox.

Added by Karla on 09 December 2006.

auburn fire dept in auburn maine has a ahrens fox 193? it was retired in 196? its eng 4 it is the only eng 4 that dept will ever have it is housed at the center st station also rt 4 along with eng 5 3 man crew tower 1 2man crew and reserve rescue truck eng 4 still pumps water they are currently trying to collect money to restore it eng4 looks just like the one in the photo

Added by Peter M Macdonald on 15 April 2007.

Wow. This takes me back to my volunteer activities as a high school boy. The fox pumpers were very reliable. It was replaced by a seagrave triple combination in the mid forties. Thanks. This photo shows a alot of hard work done with lots of pride and reminds me of a lot of hard work fighting dump fires.

Added by Dave Frotscher on 15 January 2008.

this pumper is the type i got my fire dept licence in 1959 only it was a 1926(secondline E-26)

Added by Robert Gassaway on 25 February 2008.

The Baltimore Fire Museum web-site lists it as:

1922 Ahrens-Fox 700 gpm [2650 litres/min] KJS4 #1114, rebuilt in 1939. In 1970, she was restored back to 1939.

The ultimate in Front-Mount Pumps - the big chrome/brass ball was to take the "pulsing" out of the Piston Pump water-flow.

"KJS4" code meant she was the basic "K-2" - 700gpm Piston Pumper & Hose Car, Ahrens-Fox 4 cylinder "K" Motor, Chain Drive, BUT, upgraded with Dual Exhaust Valves, Booster Tank, Model "J" 4-Piston Pump and Shaft Drive.

Almost, as much fun, as the Dennis Model Numbers !

The A-H was also known as "The Rolls-Royce of Fire Engines"

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 06 October 2008.

I was told by a retired volunteer in Halesite, Long Island, that these were quite difficult to drive, because the front mounted pump and long hood meant that the driver sat nearer the rear axle than the front one! There are several Foxes in preservation on Long Island, really cherished by their departments, and many are fully functional. I think some older hands secretly hope an extra alarm will bring them out again one day.

Added by Rob Johnson on 04 May 2010.

With regard to the difficulty driving a Fox --first, all that weight on the steering axle and then, I read somewhere that the driver sat 13 feet back from the front bumper!

Added by Dan E. Boyd on 13 August 2010.

Please add your comments about this picture using the form below.

Comments

Your Name

Your email address - this will be shown on the page and will allow the system to notify you of further comments added to this picture.