Fire Engines Photos

What a brillant photo "Petros" you must have a hell of a collection from this era. What a shame none of the St Helens Appliances appeared to have survived. To restore one and put round the shows would have been a real crowd puller in the striking white livery! I was amazed they never painted the Orbiter to match the pumps. I have now photos of all of St Helens, but can't place them on the website as they are copyrights on the original photography. (Wallasey)-have just obtained a photo of the AEC Turntable ladder awaiting disposal, I did not realise this also went Fire Brigade yellow, only thought was the pumps will attempt to get it on the site.

Added by BOB CARVER on 25 March 2010.

Petros, As you will be aware Corgi produced a model of this pump and I, always thought the colour scheme was incorrect? with the rear red blades on the wings and over minor colour points.
I was wrong! never seen this appliance before.They did model it correct!

Added by BOB CARVER on 25 March 2010.

No, I certainly didn't realise that Wallasey's TL (HHF 84)was ever yellow, either !

Added by Ian Moore on 25 March 2010.

Ian, The photo that will be on Fire Images is not Wallasey, as I had wrongly thought. It was one in my collection of unknown origins and has been identified as "York" little difficult as the plate is missing and the appliance is awaiting disposal. It does have the "York" black wheel drums a tell tale indication as most of their appliances did so in yellow. about this information I really don't like getting it wrong as there are sharp and precise persons like yourself whom will soon pick it up. Ian do you know if any of Wallaseys yellow fleet survived,
as some information has come to me that one of their old appliances lays derelict at Bray International Film Studios at Twickenham. don't know if this is true. it was used for filming?
perhaps in a Carry on Film and then used in the studio backlot for fire prevention, please do you have knowledge? BOB

Added by BOB CARVER on 25 March 2010.

Hi Bob, the only ex Wallasey appliance I know that survived was the ET - LHF 75K. I found it back in 1994 looking quite well for its age at a pub in Ramsbottom. I don't know its fate since.

Added by Andy Daley on 25 March 2010.

there is one Wallasey here at picture 20625. The comment there confirms it appeared in a movie. On the Corgi from St helens see picture 537 on Marcel's Transport Models site for my version. I had to add the roof sign which was inexplicably missing from the otherwise fairly accurate Corgi rendition. They did the get the registration slightly wrong - and those ladders! Ugh.

Added by Peter Williams on 25 March 2010.

Pete sorry to say the Corgi model is wrong as well as getting the registration wrong the model is of a WATER TENDER LADDER. Take it from me and if you look at this picture it never carried a 135 ladder. only a 30Ft. I remember it being delivered as a recruit fireman and being given a packet of wire wool and told to clean the top prior to it going to Harrogate for the fire exhibition.

Added by Dave Price on 26 March 2010.

Andy, This appliance LHF 75K has a story attached to it. The vehicle was originally ordered in Coventry Yellow during the build, the specification was revised to traditional red on recommendation from the Home Office I believe Wallasey stood down on this colour scheme. This appliance was never yellow as some fire enthusiasts have suggested.

Added by BOB CARVER on 26 March 2010.

Ah but the inside of the doors were yellow suggesting that the machine was yellow originally.

Added by Andy Middleton on 27 March 2010.

Andy i agree this ET was yellow, the reason i say this is, Later it became a brigade spare ET. At the same time we had a ET at Millfields Eccleston St.Helens so when our ET was off we would get this as a spare. When you opened the door to the oic cab the red paint on the wheel arch was worn away showing the yellow paint below and as a Sub Officer oic I saw this each time I climbed aboard.

Added by Dave Price on 28 March 2010.

Andy, Dave, Thats brillant! I know placing comments on this Website, one will always get a response. Wallasey is one of my Favourite Brigades (Yellow Years) I was so young and not so far travelled as in recent times. What I will do
is get hold of the Manufacturers build instructions for this appliance. I have seen photos of the engine in red with Wallasey Markings, and was told by an acquaintance at Dennis Guildford (that was) it was painted and marked in yellow for Wallasey, during the build of the vehicle this was revised to fire engine red
at considerable cost to the Brigade. But I do know there is no way Dennis would have let this go with the door interiors being yellow it would be to unprofessional. Another variation on this theme was that it was returned to Dennis for major
overhaul work (Warranty) and the work was done then? if you go to the Liverpool website,"Whats New" and then to Wallasey you will see a picture in red " Wallasey" I am aware "Merseyside" started
painting all appliances back to red on Amalagamation I believe the St Helens fireman at the time were horrified when their immaculate white Leylands were to be repainted to red.
You never know someone might come up with a photo of this in yellow operational lets hope I have a very old fire within the Fire Brigade Society who visited the Brigade he will know.

Added by BOB CARVER on 29 March 2010.

Hi Bob, although I was no longer with Wallasey F.B. when LHF 75K was delivered, I still lived not far from Manor Road Fire Station and I am sure she was delivered in red livery because of the Home Office insistence that fire brigades had to standardise on the traditional colour although Wallasey had originally ordered yellow. This ruling led to much verbal abuse of the Home Office by operational firemen because the yellow was vastly more visible under all lighting conditions and especially under sodium vapour street lights where red turns to black. I remember Coventry City (among others)refusing to go quietly and ordering their appliances in fluorescent pink on the basis that the Home Office couldn't say it wasn't red!

Added by Ron Kingdon on 12 October 2010.

Once again "Ron" thank you for this information a friend of mine at Dennis explained this situation to me and was reported elsewhere on this website.
It would have been yellow, as Dave suggested for when they were in the build the Gel-Coat Lamination within the fibreglass was impregnated with a yellow dye when the paint was worn or chipped it showed through. I have an extensive photographic collection and many contacts up and down the country and I, stress I have never seen the Dennis/E.T at Wallasey in yellow. it makes a mockery of todays colour schemes with all this fluorescent tape over them which looks in many cases ugly the fire brigade yellow scheme was devised to make appliances stand out (as stated)
under sodiam street lights, I understand white was also very affective. I was always of the opinion the public and higher ranking officers and chiefs within the Home Office did not like this colour scheme as yellow is not associated with a fire engine, also another key factor in the decision to abolish the yellow was the fact the H.M.I in 1971/72 did express concerns about the range of multi-coloured fire appliances taking to the roads of Great Britain with the West Riding of Yorkshire adopting a White livery for their engines and "Rochdale" (Manchester) going for white fronted F twelves and ERFs.
"Ron" can you confirm the following Wallasey had
F.44/F.43B/F.28/ and a Commer walk through in Yellow? AEC/Turntable traditional red, with the F.48 E.T

Added by BOB CARVER on 13 October 2010.

Bob, if you ask Dusty, he was in Wallasey from '72 to amalgamation and then Upton. I've seen his photos from the Wallasey era. The Wallasey fleet in 1974 was;
BHF 556 Dennis F12/Dennis 1001
FHF 60 Dennis F24/Dennis 1008
HHF 84 AEC GM4R"Mercury"/Merryweather 100' 1019
HHF107H Dennis F44/Dennis 1091
JHF707J Dennis F43/Dennis 1105
LHF 75K Dennis F48/Dennis 1111.

Appliances disposed prior were Commer KC Walk-thru ET AHF629C and Dennis F8 CHF 606.
On a seperate subject, who was Ickky de Fire Bobby?

Added by Andrew Middleton on 14 October 2010.

Another action shot here




Added by Petros on 09 April 2024.

I suspect dates from the time , pre 1941 when Liverpool had a Police Brigade. I remember hearing references to him in the 1950s and60s.

Added by Neal Glover on 09 April 2024.

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