Fire Engines Photos

Just goes to prove you can't keep a good Bedford down, me wonders how many MAN, Scania or Volvo appliances will last this long ? oh i missed out Merc and Renault .

Added by John Johnstone on 18 April 2009.

She certainly is a nice looking machine. I saw her the day before the mechanic/firefighter resprayed her. The guys in Buzim certainly are taking a lot of pride in her. He's also tweaked the engine a bit which sounds really sweet now.

Added by Stevie Murray on 18 April 2009.

They will last if they are not used John....With the greatest of respect many of these vehicles did not turn a wheel for the first 25 years of their life and then not a lot of use subsequently. Dont get me wrong..I am not knocking them...I learn to drive big vehicles on them ....and the pump you cannot beat. Modern fire appliances do far more miles that their older sisters ever did.

Added by Barrie Green on 19 April 2009.

Hi Barrie, please take this tongue in cheek, I agree with John. The evidence is slowly mounting against lorry based machines. The Bedfords got hammered in 1977 and on several occasions until they were sold off. My opinion is because the older kit isnt trendy and full of reflective tape and lights the younger firefighter looks down on it, but thats my opinion!

Added by John Stott on 20 April 2009.

Agree fully Barrie, just i don't care for forgein commercial based vehicles been converted into fire appliances.

The alp at York does very little yet still manages to spend more time off the run !

Added by John Johnstone on 20 April 2009.

We felt this was ideal for Buzim as the town lies in a valley and smaller hamlets are dotted about high on the hills. Thye roads also are still not totally paved so the 4 wheel drive will prove a boon for the guys. we saw her in action attending a woodland fire ( we gave a hand to the guys ) and the hills were not a problem fro the ol gal.

Added by Stevie Murray on 20 April 2009.

I dont disagree with anything you guys have said..I just dont think there is a comparison with modern appliances. The SP/EPs were not designed and built as GP fire engines,,,they were the HVPs of the 1950s If a vehicle has been stored for 25+ years and never used...is it a new vehicle? The problem is (in my view) the modern gear is much too complicated with electronics and computers which can easily go t*ts up. Look at the priming speed device on the early Dennis (F7 F12 etc) A simple metal arm attached to the Throttle lever with a disc attached to it. By pressing the disc as far as it will go simply opens the throttle just enough for the priming speed to be attained....simple and efficient and nothing to go wrong. Our new MANs have a computer which does exactly the same thing.....which method is more likely to go wrong??? ...and its called progress.
The GG is ideal for Buzim...its simple and basic to use and to train people, who maybe are not as 'clever' as us.....and that is exactly what the GG was designed for......as long as they dont use the garden hose...sorry I mean the hose reels !!!!

Added by Barrie Green on 20 April 2009.

Thanks John, i also feel with the advent of a " cleaner " diesel engine the electronics have become far to complicated and for a road going hgv, not an issue, but electrics, water and the age of a fire appliance compared to the life span of a road going hgv adds to the factor, yes a road going hgv will have alot more miles, but a pump can stand for alot of hours and brings strain on the engine and components and the fact they are always fully laden and need such acceleration etc, must bring alot of ware n tear, but the simplicity and ruggedness of the older machines will always beat any newer machines, North Yorks Volvos suffer from chassis rot, the Bedfords never !

Added by John Johnstone on 20 April 2009.

Hit the nail on the head Barrie, far, far to complex and that's where the problems start sadly, i recall a certain brigade had an electronic device to measure water in the tank , i only as why? the ping pong ball worked well for years !

Added by John Johnstone on 20 April 2009.

I have read the account in The Green Machine about the modernised GG which TNT did at Marchinton, I would love to find out how it performed following the project and would dearly love to have a drive of it to compare with the original. I understand that it is in private hands now.

Added by Barrie Green on 20 April 2009.

Barrie you hit the nail on the head mate, and John, ping pong balls are the best method for a simple job like tank volume. Its a lie that modern gizmo's make life easier, health and safety has a lot to answer for I am afraid, and is responsible for a lot of the problem. We had Dennis Mk 9s in the RAF for 30 years, hammered on airfields by young lads who were babes when the machines were built, and they worked. Now they have gizmo's, and guess what?

Added by John Stott on 21 April 2009.

Bedford made the most old fashioned vehicles but the most beautiful looking.

Added by David jones on 22 May 2010.

Sadly she is off the run in Buzim. We visited her recently only to find her parked up and teh engine cover off. Appears to be carb problems. Hoping they will be able to fix her but looking unlikely.

Added by Stevie Murray on 14 August 2010.

Progression, more like regression. Hats off to the comments above. I totally agree with them. Too many electronic gizmos to go wrong. It's the same on the buses I drive. Volvo, Dennis, Scania. They all go belly up now and again and some guy has to come out from the manufactures with his lap top and reset the motherboard. Give me rear loading buses anyday. Less to go wrong and on site mechanics knew what to do with hand tools not laptops.

Added by Andrew Middleton on 15 August 2010.

Barrie The 'modernised Goddess' is part of the Manston Fire Museum collection but is based in Lincolnshire now in the hands of Steve Shirley from the museum it was at Lincoln Steam rally last year and its possible it will be again this year - its the 21st and 22nd August just north of Lincoln on the county showground on the A15

Added by Rick Loudon on 16 August 2010.

Thanks Rick, it is in good hands with Steve, a great guy.

Added by Barrie Green on 16 August 2010.

Building any commercial vehicles, including fire appliance chassis, is a competitive business like any other.

Those who cannot compete eventually die off. In Britain, Albion, Bedford, Commer, Dennis, Dodge, ERF, Ford, Leyland and Shelvoke all had their day, then progressively failed to compete and disappeared.

The survivors, who knew how to compete, are of course DAF, Iveco, MAN, Mercedes, Renault, Scania and Volvo.

Nothing complicated about this. The same happened to many of the numerous truck and custom fire engine builders in North America too, and of course it also happened to most of the private car brands which were around in England in the 1950s..


Added by Rob Johnson on 12 July 2018.

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