Fire Engines Photos

Nice appliance the TK "Angus", they were not that strong though. A sister Dorset appliance BPR182Y was destroyed when a tree fell on it in the storm of 1987, sadly two firemen from I think Christchurch were killed. I read elsewhere on the web that HCB Angus stopped building bodywork like the one in this picture and just built the High Strengh Cab version after that night in 1987. Although the HSC Version didn't look as good it was the right choice to only build it, the firemen deserve a vehicle that will protect them should they have an accident.

Added by George A'court on 12 June 2009.

It has now been converted into some kind of box lorry and is grey.

Added by Ed on 29 June 2021.

A pity more brigades did not buy the original CSV. It was - as usual - a case of costs vs safety and of course the extra cost of the CSV meant that only a few brigades bought them.

But it was not only these Bedford HCB appliances which fell apart so readily. The same was true of all the timber framed aluminum and fiberglass cabs on every chassis built by all fire appliance manufacturers in those days!

Added by Rob Johnson on 30 June 2021.

There needs to be a listing system for vehicles as there is for buildings to prevent such butchery.

Added by Neal Glover on 30 June 2021.

How many preserved fire engines does a country need though. UK does not seem to be short of them!

Added by on 01 July 2021.

Nobody really knows how many vintage firetrucks there are anywhere, although there are actually registers in several countries. For a variety of reasons, these seem to be very incomplete, however - perhaps mainly because owners are sometimes a bit shy about their collections. In my opinion, countries with large numbers of volunteer fire companies often have a lot of preserved fire trucks. Their members tend to have the time, the skills and the enthusiasm to work together to maintain and restore old rigs, and many older members have fond memories of them.

When I lived on Long Island, I would say that around a quarter of the 190 volunteer fire companies in Nassau County alone had a preserved fire truck, as did many in other areas the country - including several really ancient manual pumps!

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 July 2021.

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