That must be part of 'The Bay Bridge' [San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge] complex, in back-ground. Built in 1936, it is 6 months older than the well-known 'Golden Gate Bridge', which is Vermillion Orange in colour.
Sorry, Pat, I'm afraid it's a bit of a private joke really - private to us Brits I expect.
In the British TV series 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet', a group of Geordie builders/rogues sell the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge to a Native American Indian Tribe (I think in Arizona) allowing them to cross a particular deep canyon bisecting their reservation a lot quicker than they were used to. While being somewhat far-fetched, it was quite comical.
The programme is a long-running comedy drama, and an absolute classic on British TV, some say an institution.
And while the above building and setting does indeed bear a passing resemblance to Marine Fire Station in Middlesbrough, Cleveland Fire Brigade, UK, the only real similarity the above bridge shares with the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge is the colour!
Ah, yes, Yelp B. - I really got my leg pulled - taken in, but good.
About ONE (1) Nano-second after I hit the 'Send' button for the above; it dawned on me, that I could have first checked 'The Sale' out on the Web, which I belatedly did, and "Wikipedia" had all the details of the TV Show, and the fictional 'Sale' .... oh rats.
I am also a fan of interesting engineering structures; and the picture of a Double-Decker Bus being swayed across on the Transporter platform is quite something....
So, before the Marcel(s) have us both shot, for being so far OT ("Off Topic"); could someone please put in a photo of a Cleveland Fire Service Pump, posed in front of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge ? white front and all; to save our bacon?!
If you go to the Pictures that I have posted on this site, you will find the following Cleveland Appliances at or near the Transporter Bridge.
picture #14927 shows Coulby Newham's Dennis ET (C854UAJ) on an exercise at the Transporter in the late 80's.
picture #14928 shows a 1995 view of Dennis SS (H552NAJ) emerging from the current Marine Station (built in 1992) on a blues and twos shout.
picture #14929 shows Dennis SS (E725KAJ) at the original old 1940's Marine fire station back in 1987.
picture #15949 taken in 2008,shows Marine's current inhanitant Scania R247JNL standing outside.
The story about the Transporter Bridge being sold off to the United States was a load of nonsense for the TV series Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Mind you it did cause a lot of confusion and amusement on Teesside at the time (it even made the local news!) However, there were those down here who really did think it had been sold off! The programme was/is a bit of an institution in the North East of England particularly. My personal favourite however, is the 'Whatever happened to the likely lads?'series, with James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. In the opening scenes of film version of the TV series, James Bolam is rescued from a roof by a Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade AEC Merryweather 100ft TL (one of JVK---D ones) By the way Pat, I'll post a picture on the Buses section of this website showing the 500 Group's preserved Teesside Municipal Transport Daimler Fleetline Bus being carried across the river Tees on the Transporter Bridge during our annual running day (bus rally)back in 2007. To those of you in the North East, you can see this event happen again at the Transporter Bridge on Sunday 25th April 2010. If any of you North East Fire Engine enthusiasts would like to say hello then I'll be on our Trade stand.
Added by Stevie Murray on 09 February 2010.