Ex West Sussex Fire Brigade Austin K4 Merryweather TL as seen in August 2009. Picture of this appliance in somewhat better condition can be seen at picture #12632
Picture added on 02 March 2010 at 09:22
Comments:
Thanks Stuart for sending this picture in of our old West Sussex Austin/Merryweather K4 TL.Its a real shame seeing it in this condition now knowing what it looked like just afew years ago when doing the rallies,etc.I hope someone going to do something with it before its to late.Pete.
Added by Pete Matten on 02 March 2010.
Looks a lot lot better than the Austin on Anglesey. Andrew.
A very worthy picture Stuart - thanks for sharing it with us. It is all too easy for a once pristine appliance to end up looking like this or worse and they don't all survive forever. I'd like to echo Pete's comments and I hope that regardless of how '210' came to be like this, the story has a happy ending.
Added by Chris Wood on 02 March 2010.
This appliance was released for the West Sussex Fire Brigade during the spring of 1971. It was sold to a private person and some years later ended up in a field in Cornwall! At this point it was displaying an NFS Livery. it did at one time have a Devon Fire Brigade Badge in red livery! This of course was false and for show display only.West Sussex during the early sixties stripped their T.Ls of the Crew Cabs and barton front mounted pumps creating a basic T.L. The original owner of this vehicle sourced a Crew Cab and front mounted pump from a breakers yard in order to rebuild this to its original condition. GXN 215 its sister appliance was advertised in a Vintage Commercial Magazine in its West Sussex Guise. It would appear this engine is standing on a side road, caution here for if the Authorities see it they will seize it for scrap! sadly once this has happened you won't/can't recover it for restoration as strict rules are being applied lets keep our fingers crossed it won't come to this.
This appliance is currently for sale on Ebay.Search for Fire Engines then select highest first and you will find it.
Added by PAUL PICKFORD on 29 April 2010.
To all you fire buffs this appliance is still shown on E-Bay/ 7 May 2010. bidding appears to be slow, the persons concerned may do a deal. It was purchased with a view to converting it to a flat bed lorry! if it does not sell or make its reserve this is what will happen and it will be gone forever they have had enquiries for parts. don't know if there is anyone whom would like to take it on.
This is for sale on car and classic website at the moment, so can only presume it didn't sell on ebay, either that or it has sold and they haven't taken it off car and classic. Seem tobe asking alot of money for such a large project, or is this price the going rate for a K4, perhaps someone could enlighten me.
Added by Matt Ireland on 08 June 2010.
Matt, Sadly you have made a valid point, the problem with these beautiful old engines unless they are vintage and I mean vintage! they command very little market resale value. I have seen this time and time again people get greedy for money instead of being realistic. There are persons out there who would take projects on if the appliance could be obtained at a sensible fee, this happened in recent months with an old Isle of Wight Pump Escape which was in a breakers they commanded too much no one would meet the price, and in the end it was scrapped it does not make sense when these vehicles could be saved for future generations to enjoy! shame on persons for profitering!
There is a Scammell Constuctor on Anglesey one of 20 made, the owner could have sold it many times over; but he was asking too much, so it's not just old fire engines that suffer. Andrew.
Does anyone know what is currently happening to this vehicle? It would be sad to see it scrapped, or converted to a flatbed, but if that does happen, I would love to opportunity to salvage the crew cab, bell bracket and barton pump for my TL, GXN215
Added by Pete Matten on 02 March 2010.