Fire Engines Photos

This 1931 Magirus ladder set was one of the earliest steel turntable ladders, as this was the year they were first introduced by this pioneering manufacturer. All previous turntable ladders were wooden, reinforced with steel wires, which were heavier and required a lot of maintenance. In practice, their weight limited their length, and the longest I have heard of were only 25 meters.

This would make VYE 234 a rather important historical survivor, if it is still around...

Added by Rob Johnson on 20 July 2020.

The ladder mounted on VYE234 from 1962 was actually from BLC555, removed and repatriated back on BLC’s chassis in 2001.

Added by Mike Cotton on 13 February 2024.

BLC555 is here



Added by Petros on 14 February 2024.

So it was originally delivered in 1935, which means it was four years after Magirus first introduced their steel ladders. Perhaps not quite so much of a historical artifact, but still well worth preserving. My home town, Darlington, had a 27 metre steel ladder with the same “Morris Magirus” badge, EHN 118, but it was even newer, being delivered in 1938. Interesting that during the blitz a fair number of ladders used by London Fire Brigade were either Leyland Metz or Dennis/Morris Magirus.

Added by Rob Johnson on 14 February 2024.

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