Fire Engines Photos

Hi Alan my father served with Tayside from 1962-1977 and i remember the Albions very well. Also i remember a B and H reg were converted into foam salvage tenders then it was Dodge and finally the J reg Volvo which is now getting disposed of.

Added by Grant Melville on 19 January 2010.

Derby Borough FB had a 4 wtr/escapes Albion/Carmichael Wtr/Escapes, but with stubby gear lever mounted on engine cover then via long extension to the gearbox.
50ft steel escapes


Added by Cyril Allen on 03 February 2011.

St.Helens CB had an Albion Carmichel ET/Pump. the pump was removed in 1971. the ET was still in service with Merseyside for many years.It was based at Millfields (Eccleston) St.Helens

Added by Dave Price on 04 February 2011.

Manchester FB had a few Albions also

Added by Barrie Green on 04 February 2011.

I was on Wigston LeicestershireFire Service in the late 1970's and we had an Albion Water Tender Escape as the retained Pump with a Dodge for the wholetime crew.

Added by Vernon Palmer on 10 March 2011.

The Tayside Albions were large open-plan with no bulkhead between the front and rear areas. There was just a vertical post behind each front seat but I don't know if this was standard Albion/Carmichael layout. It meant the crew had a good view out as the Dodges etc. at the time (especially with the rear facing seats) were very restrictive. If I recall correctly the gear lever came out of the floor just ahead of the crew area and then arched forward until a point where the driver could actually reach it. V.V.long indeed !

Added by Ian MacLeod on 07 August 2011.

Have any of the above appliances survived ?

Added by Simon woods on 31 October 2011.

The Derby appliances were also open area cabs with poles. Also had a recess behind the crew seats for 2 BA sets on frames, spare cylinders behind the driver and oic seats. It would have been a nightmare in a serious collision, There would have been gear flying everywhere.

Added by Cyril Allen on 31 October 2011.

The message by Cyril reminded me of responding to a "shout" on the MI in the Albion Wtr/escape, the driver missing the gear change at the ( then) large roundabout to jnct 21,
Breaking late and the backend breaking away with the worst tyre noise you can imagine, as we tried to go down the slip rd, travelling sideways to the drainage ditch and the LF telling the driver to remember the paperwork ! At the last moment he regained control and we carried on our merry way to the incident At the time I did think this is going to hurt with BA cylinders everywhere !

Added by Vernon Palmer on 11 November 2011.

with referance to the cab layout with storage between the crew and the driver. Lancashire County had bedford appliances with this type of stowage, A dry powder and foam extinguisher at each end secured by a strap. One of these appliances was in a very serious accident when one extinguisher behind the o-i-c came adrift as the appliance turned a corner landing on the drivers arm. The result was the appliance went through the side of a house. Luck no one was killed or badly injured.at the time the appliance had moved to Merseyside.

Added by Dave Price on 12 November 2011.

Things have indeed moved on with regards to safety , I must say this appliance looks purposefull with good stance , it must have held the road well.

Added by Danny Mcintosh on 14 November 2015.

Wasn't the ideal fire engine. Crash gearbox with ridiculous gear stick. Windscreen iced up badly demisters inefficient. Cab layout dangerous. Very skittery rear end but good on the fireground when it got there.

Added by Cyril Allen on 20 November 2015.

I remember these fire engines being based at wigston fire station , they had two , one was a water tender and the other was a wheeled escape they were painted in a maroon colour when wigston station first opened their call signs were k44 and k45 I used to run to the top of Frederick Street to watch them wave to me as they went passed, you could always tell when they were returning to station later as I would perhaps be in bed and hear them bouncing over the bumps in the road near church nook, with their ladders rattling , that's how I would know if they had used all the water as when they'd been out on a false alarm they didn't bounce as much on the return journey , wigston also had a commer walk thro'also in maroon as an emergency salvage tender wigston fireman kept them spotless and used to wash them and park them in front of the station normally first thing on a Saturday they looked great to me as an 8 year old lad at the time , Kibworth fire station also had an albion but it had a red front

Added by Rich Willcocks on 28 February 2016.

All the comments pretty much tie in with my recollections although with the engine inside the van I dont recall much icing up as it eas always fairly warm and ours were kept Inside.

Added by Alan ramsay on 23 August 2018.

I too remember those Saturday mornings long ago very clearly, in my case at the 1904 vintage Victorian style fire station on Borough Road in Darlington. An opportunity to study all those gleaming fire appliances in such detail that I could have told you where every rivet was on each one of them! As a young lad it became a regular pilgrimage for me on those rare but memorable days when the weather was nice, and the firemen were always so kind and tolerant of my questions.

Added by Rob Johnson on 12 May 2023.

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