Fire Engines Photos

Those 'supports' on the escape look an unusual feature, am guessing a Merryweather 50ft?

Added by John D on 19 February 2010.

John,
your right with make but Props are a feature of the 60' Merryweather steel escape (a rare ladder.)

Added by Peter Mc on 19 February 2010.

The escape is a 60ft which must mean it's pre war, apparently Merryweather didn't make the 60ft post war. So this means the ladder is of even more historical interest than the machine which as a very late WrE is considerable.

Added by Neal Glover on 20 February 2010.

the ladder is a 60 ft, passed over from a north riding bedford j5, inherited in the 1974 council boundry changes

Added by Ian Mc on 20 February 2010.

John D. - thanks for boldly asking the question about the Props; over here, they are also known as 'Tormenter Poles'. That would mean quite a sizable crew to get it up - needing 2 extra mean, one on each pole.

Don't mind me, I am a fan of Ladder Escapes - no British Fire-Engine would be complete without one !

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 24 February 2010.

Nice to find a picture of our old appliance!
The old girl replaced a previous Bedford, the Dennis was designed to take the original wheeled escape. Based at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, she was just about capable of reaching the highest victorian houses. Six riders needed, one each on the wheels and four to pull her off and extend. The escape was dropped a couple of times, driven through the appliance bay doors and had a few trips back to Merryweather's to straighten! It ended its days at Kirkleatham Hall Museum near Redcar. It was pitched against the Museum building for ages. Unsure now as to its whereabouts. I crewed both the Bedford and Dennis appliances and have few pictures of the ladder "in action". More info if anyone is interested

Added by John Murray on 04 July 2010.

hi John I believe this is the original ladder from kirkleatham on the Dennis, can you post any pics you have on site regards ian mc from ormesby

Added by Ian Mc on 05 July 2010.

John, Is this not the original Escape on this appliance that it was issued with? I thought the person who owns this lovely appliance obtained the Escape from Kirkleatham Hall and refurbished it. Please am I, not right in saying that while at Saltburn the appliance overturned and was returned to the Dennis Woodbridge Works, and rebuilt. I have a photo of it brand new at Dennis around 1977 ready to be delivered minus the door badges and other small parts.

Added by BOB CARVER on 05 July 2010.

Ian/Bob
I'll post a couple of photo's in the next day or two, I need to scan the originals. One shows the escape on its original Bedford Appliance and the other shows it pitched at an incident.
Bob, your comments are correct, this is the original Escape and I'm delighted it has re-joined the appliance. The new Dennis went operational on the 10th September 1977.
The Dennis indeed was involved in a RTA en-route to an RTA! this was in September of 1985. She was fitted with a 135 ladder by that time not the Escape which had been assessed as non operational some years prior. The appliance was repairable and went back to Dennis in October.
It returned back to operational duties at Saltburn in February 1986.
As for the Escape it took a nasty bounce when we slip and pitched on a very dark night in September of 1980 and in doing so caught an unseen telephone wire which catapulted it back down to earth, four light weights on the back end stood no chance in saving it, although the drop back to earth was slow and we went skywards! If I remember more clearly the finish came when we set off to a call and the top of the escape got jammed in the appliance bay doors ! I think that was around April 1981. The Dennis was then turned from a Pump Escape into a Pump Ladder.

Added by John Murray on 14 July 2010.

Lovely machine to drive and quite a stiff chassis. The accident took place on the exit to Saltburn adjacent to the stables, the vehicle crossed the road and rolled into the field.
Was sorry to see this vehicle leave the fleet but hope I played my part in its history.

Added by Paul Joyce on 23 September 2010.

I witnessed this machine turning over at the RTA at Saltburn Stables , as I was in the traffic queue , I took photos of the dazed crew emerging from the doors , now on top of machine ! But sadly can't find the damn photos !

Added by Craigw on 04 April 2015.

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