Fire Engines Photos

Unusual HCB Angus bodywork on a TK chassis, with a mid mounted pump. Most of them had a rear mounted pump, with side inlets, deliveries and control panels on some of the later ones...

Added by Rob Johnson on 01 February 2020.

As a pump escape this is quite a common configuration back in the day. I'd not stay until common at all.

Added by on 05 February 2020.

HCB Angus built most of their PEs and WTEs with rear mounted pumps, my point being that this mid mount is quite unusual for this bodybuilder, especially on a 1967 TK chassis.

Of course, Dennis, Merryweather and many others built loads of mid mount DPs and PEs in the 1930s, 40s, 50s and early 60s - until the idea of a rear mounted pump with side panels for the plumbing and controls became fashionable in the late 1960s.

The first examples of these that I saw were one of the Glasgow Magiruses and the very first ERF PE, which was built for Newcastle and Gateshead, both at the 1967 Commercial Motor Show.

Added by Rob Johnson on 07 February 2020.

East Sussex had a mixture of Bedford TK Pump Escapes. I know of four. They inherited one with an unusual style Dennis Miles body (KCD999F) from City of Brighton, which later served at Wadhurst. They also had at least three with bodywork by HCB Angus. They inherited ED727D, which had the more common "chopped off" back end, when they took over Hastings fire brigade. East Sussex also had two that looked like PBJ7F, but were all over red. They were HAP291D at Hove, and HAP292D at East Grinstead (then moved to West Sussex and spent time at Burgess Hill).

Added by George A'court on 30 December 2020.

HAP 292D was converted to PL before allocation to Burgess Hill, later converted to WRL using tank from 3129 BP Bedford D4/HCB Wrt, that spent most of its life at East Wittering.

Added by M.West on 31 December 2020.

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