Fire Engines Photos

Great pic Chris , does any body have a front veiw pic of this or its sister machine ?,Mr Moore or Mr Henerson thanks ian mc

Added by Ian Mcpherson on 04 May 2009.

You will notice in the background Ian, is the Fot NDC646G. I have several views of both these machines but none are my copyright so I can't show them here.

Added by Chris Hall Teesside. on 04 May 2009.

hi chris,just been given a booklet (100 years of fire fighting in the eston district 1876-1976) theres some details of CDC533K a aec/merryweather pump ladder,it carried 200 galls of water and a 300lb dry powder unit ,have you any pics of this, regards ian mc

Added by Ian Mc on 18 March 2010.

Can anyone explain why the 13.5 is carried upside down?

Added by Shaun R. on 17 February 2012.

I rode that machine, that ladder is a Merryweather 45 ft (didnt do metres those days) I dont think it is upside down, I certainly dont recall turning it over when slipped.


Added by Barrie Green on 17 February 2012.

From the angle of the jacks it looks right way up but modern triple extensions of comparable size have the circular feet on the underside of the ladder so with these circular feet facing upwards it does look like like it may be upside down.

Added by Monkey Boy The 3rd on 17 February 2012.

This ladder does appear to be upside down - it also appears to be an 'Angus Sacol' 45' (or 13.5m to be politically correct') and not a Merryweather 45' - there are no winch handles - the trussing is flat, the heel bar is a large diameter with roll rings, and the props are the full length of the ladder !

Added by Rick Loudon on 17 February 2012.

Hi Barrie have you any pics of this and the other machines at Grangetown ? Regards ian mc

Added by Ianmc on 17 February 2012.

Hello, there is a picture of the front of this engine on the history of Hartlepool in images on facebook. The correct registration is NDC 647G, not 247.

Added by Tomlebon on 03 February 2014.

Aha the famous gutbuster I assume then ?

Added by Alan on 04 February 2014.

Is that some kind of lowering mechanism above the pump? This ladder is being carried pretty much horizontally, while most pumps with 45 foot ladders carry them with a significant slope to the rear. This configuration means the heel is a long way from the ground, and there is no gravity effect to help it slide off the vehicle.

Added by Rob Johnson on 29 July 2014.

I rode the Grangetown AEC in the 70's, the ladder mechanism wasn't great! To slip the ladder there was a short length of line you pulled on to release the catch whereupon the rear of the ladder would move backwards and crash down to head height. I also seem to remember the appliance carried an Angus Sacol 464 it was bloody heavy so it probably was! Memory is a bit hazy but I am sure it was carried upside down on the appliance which given the way the Angus Sacol 464 is configured with the upper sections on the underside of the ladder it kind of makes sense.The AECs were strong machines with great pumps but horrible machine for the crew, the rear crew compartment was very cramped with a high floor which meant a large step-down in BA, it also had limited headroom. If anyone has a picture of the Grangetown AEC PL I would appreciate a copy!

Added by John Theobald on 22 February 2015.

Redcar had an AEC on the run as a water tender in 1975, does anyone know the registration and does it still exist?

Added by Mike Smith on 07 May 2018.

I think it was NDC647G and think it ended up as a glider tug at Sutton bank near Thirsk long gone now do you know which locker had the dry powder unit in regards Ian mc

Added by Ian mcpherson on 08 May 2018.

If you google
'Flickr Seacoaler Teesside Fire Brigade'
a lot of the AEC's come up.

Added by CraigW on 08 May 2018.

When I lived in Nottingham in the early 1970s the central fire station had two of the same generation of AEC pumps, including a PE still with a rear mounted pump.

The lads I talked to really didn't like them at all, and one principal gripe was the very high and narrow step in the crew compartment, which made exiting the cab while wearing BA extremely hazardous!

I think the bodywork was probably by HCB-Angus - who should have know better, but I am not sure.

They also had an interesting one-off Leyland Mastiff ET, which was something I never saw anywhere else...

Added by Rob Johnson on 08 May 2018.

NDC 647G was the AEC that was on the run in Redcar in 1975. This is the appliance shown in the picture. This gathering, and the procession of appliances, at the old Clairville Stadium Middlesbrough can viewed on the Cleveland Fire Brigades web site under Firefighters on Film.

Added by Paul Hassan on 10 May 2018.

Thanks for the information.

I joined C group at Redcar in January 1975 after recruit training at Chorley, this was the machine I rode on my first day, ended up getting an hours overtime on my first shout.

I served at Redcar for 13 years before being promoted to L/Fm at Middlesbrough on White Watch, served there for 6 years, then returned to Redcar on White Watch. I retired in September 2002.

The dry powder unit was in the front nearside upper locker.



Added by Mike Smith on 10 May 2018.

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