Fire Engines Photos

Hello Stewart,
Can you give the chassis number from your vehicle, and I will be able to tell you when it left the dennis factory.

Added by Wayne Davies on 05 November 2007.

Hi Wayne, chassis number is 128F46A2, it was one of a batch ordered by West Riding of 35 appliances.


Added by Stewart Kaye on 05 November 2007.

Hello Stewart,
Your vehicle left the dennis factory 04/12/1969 and was fitted with a 464 ladder.
Hope this helps
Wayne

Added by Wayne Davies on 06 November 2007.

Thank you Wayne, that is very helpful. Does anyone out there have any more photos of this batch of dennis's? I believe there is a gent called Ricky Senior who took photos of west yorkshire appliances in this era, but i have been unable to contact him.

Added by Stewart Kaye on 06 November 2007.

Lancashire Fire Brigade have a preserved Dennis from this batch - pics are on the library pages of www.fireflash-delta64.co.uk

Added by Rob. on 06 November 2007.

www.firewestyorkshire.com have a black/white pic of f46

Added by Stuart Horsman on 06 November 2007.

Hello stewart,
love your dennis f.46 wrl you are a very lucky person, I would love it I will look through my collection tonight and see if I can find it operational, please how did you learn of it, west riding did colour experimentation in 1969.
the first appliances to come to the county were home office emergency pumps green goddess appliances 4x2 the county purchased six from the home office for use as reserve appliances these in turn were modified with pye radios and blues and twos and various other modifications were carried out to update them but most important were the fact they were all repainted in various colours these being conventional red, coventry yellow, golden yellow, and also brillant white
with the rear of the pumps being chevroned with black and yellow strips.
these appliances were placed on divisions for reports to be placed by the divisional officers into the colour most highly visible at night and in adverse light conditions and white was found to be most striking at night under street lighting, from theses tests orders were placed at dennis for thirty five pumping appliances on a dennis f.46 chassis one of these was also a hydraulic platform of 55ft on a f.45 chassis the first batch went from dennis woodbridge works in 1970 hope you find this of interest please let me know if I can assist anymore I can be reached on [email protected]

Added by BOB CARVER on 09 November 2007.

Thank you Bob, that is most helpful! I will add a picture taken from the back that clearly shows the black and yellow stripes.

Added by Stewart Kaye on 09 November 2007.

Have just sent picture in to site showing 1970 Dennis F46 from Sowerby, N-Yorkshire which I come across many years ago when still on the run.Its from the batch that entered service the same time as CWT 762H.Good luck with the restoration.Pete M.

Added by Pete Matten on 15 November 2007.

Thanks Pete, I look forward to seeing the picture!

Added by Stewart Kaye on 16 November 2007.

Hello Stewart, I regret to inform you that Ricky Senior of Huddersfield sadly passed away earlier this year.

Added by Chris Wood on 20 November 2007.

Regarding photos of ex-West Riding Dennis F46 appliances, there is a gentleman who lives in the Bradford area who used to work for the West Riding/West Yorks Brigade. I can't remember if he was a member of the Operational, Workshops, or Control room staff. I think his name is Ray Banyard, he was well known for taking many photos of appliances at local fires over the years. I think it was in the Autumn 2007 edition of the retired firefighters magazine (NARF News), there were at least 2 photos taken by him at a fire in the Bradford area during West Yorkshire days, one in particular showing an ex-West Riding F46 in red livery. Unfortunately I seem to have thrown away my copy of that particular 'NARF News' that I refer to. Maybe someone in the Bradford area could put you in contact with him.

Added by Gerry Firth on 05 September 2008.

Hi Gerry, Thanks for that. As it happens, Mr. Banyard very kindly sent me some pictures from his collection. the restoration of this Dennis is now almost complete, and will be posting a picture shortly. We have just aquired the ex West Yorks. Ford D series control unit, so will be busy restoring that over the coming months. Again pictures to follow shortly!

Added by Stewart Kaye on 05 September 2008.

Hi Stewart, you lucky man! I remember this pump as I knew the sub officer at Summerbridge well, he was an AFO at Leeds Bradford with me in 1979. Sure he could give you some history. Please e mail me if you would like his address.

Added by John Stott on 01 October 2008.

Hi John, would love to hear from him!!!!

Added by Stewart Kaye on 01 October 2008.

Hi Stewart
I'm a member of the Fire Brigade Society and what started it all off for me was having my picture taken in the back of one of the Dennis F46's. In fact according to Wayne Gilmore (my area secretary) and Roger Mardon, the appliance I was photographed in was CWT 763H and was based at Adwick.

If you respond to my this message and send me your e-mail address I can show you the picture.


Added by Nigel Barthorpe on 15 December 2008.

There is some great archive film footage of the white West Riding Dennis's (and plenty of other classic fire engines come to that) on Voyager Films, Vintage Fireground DVD "Roaring Seventies". Nearly choked on my porridge on Saturday morning when I sat down and watched it for the first time and saw these machines in action.

Added by John D on 26 January 2009.

John that made me laugh! We used to call them bread vans, nice machines spoiled by the colour, but then there's only one colour isn't there?

Added by John Stott on 27 January 2009.

Regarding the 1970 white-liveried Dennis F45 55 foot hydraulic platform, when I was on my training course in late 1972 this appliance was allocated to Batley Station and often visited West Riding County Headquarters at Birkenshaw for recruits to drill with. Immediately prior to the re-orgaisation that took place on the 1st April 1974 it was transferred to Brampton Bierlow Fire station which was at the time the Divisional Headquarters of Mexborough Division, and subsequently became a South Yorkshire appliance.

Added by Gerry Firth on 11 July 2009.

I owned CWT 762H in 1996.
It was 'off a pot' on the Rolls Royce B81
I still have copies of the registration documents from when it was registered to North Yorkshire at Crosby Road Northallerton & to Ampleforth College. I have a couple of pics somewhere too.

Added by Paul Thackrah on 12 November 2009.

Hi Paul.I would really like to see the photos you have of the Dennis if you would share them please.

Added by Paul Warnock on 12 November 2009.

Hi Paul, We managed to get it running sweetly! I have now passed it onto a friend, but we still have the "other remaining White Dennis". This will hopefully be having a new engine fitted between Christmas and the New Year. This one was based at Knaresborough.

Added by Stewart Kaye on 12 November 2009.

I have this pump new to Harrogate in 1970 to 1975 then to Ripon 1975 until 1977 it then went to Skipton. New to West Riding, passing into the North Yorkshire fleet on re-organisation in 1974.

Added by Paul Warnock on 12 November 2009.

It was sold to Ampleforth College in 1986.
The registration doc shows the change of keeper from North Yorkshire Fire Brigade to The Reverend Procurator, Ampleforth College. It is dated 18 June 1986 and is signed by the 'County Fire Officer'
I bought it in Ampleforth from a chap called Morris Ritchie who got it directly from the college. I bought new batteries for it & drove it to Pickering, about 20 Miles. The wooden plaques on the doors had Ampleforth college and a coat of arms on them although it was flaking of badly. I remember being impressed by the massive disc brakes it had. I was also told they were the fastest fire engines around at the time.

Added by Paul Thackrah on 13 November 2009.

Sorry Paul, I meant our other one DWT 472H was at Knaresborough. I believe CWT spent alot of its time at Summerbridge, indeed it still has the Summerbridge name plate in the cab.

Added by Stewart Kaye on 13 November 2009.

Paul, CWT was Summerbridges pump for years replacing a TK in I think 1977.

Added by John Stott on 13 November 2009.

Looks like after Summerbridge is when it was sold out of service to Ampleforth College.
Although serving at Summerbridge , it was registered to headquarters at Northallerton.
Yes, John, it would be in 1977, that is the date on the reg doc.
It will in fact it will have been registed there from 1974 and serving at the other stations mentioned. But the DVLA wasn't computerised untill about '76 So the copy of the doc I have only mentions '77 onwards.

Added by Paul Thackrah on 15 November 2009.

Thanks for the station details Gents, I have just been given some North Yorks appliance locations of which some is incorrect. Paul.

Added by Paul Warnock on 15 November 2009.

Aye Paul thats about right, my memories getting fuddled! I am not sure of the exact number of machines transferred over after 1974, but North Yorkshire took quite a few on.

Added by John Stott on 15 November 2009.

Hi Stewart, I have many photos of the F46a's both colour and B/W. Both as West Riding and West Yorkshire. The blue repeater in the grill is non-standard though. If you e-mail your details I'll forward some. Also, my Father spent many years at Keighley driving BWU 718H, F46a WrL. I wonder if it would be possible to bring him along to see one of these magnificent machines again. Please let me know your thoughts. Martin

Added by Martin Double on 16 November 2009.

On the very first appliance to be delivered to the West Riding Fire Brigade, they left Dennis Brothers in a batch, I do believe the wheels were white not as the standard finish of black. It was a one off as the D.O of the day felt white wheels would not stand the wear and tear or durability of the black finish and being they were exposed so much they went with the black which as I understand is why all of the supporting components (ladder gantries) etc were done in black. It was only evident on the one vehicle and did not remain with it going operational, goddesses of which these colours were trialed on all had colour matching wheels, this is a small petty point for the column but may be of interest to persons liking these appliances and to why black is so prominent on the steel work.

Added by BOB CARVER on 27 August 2015.

hi all , for what its worth I knew cwt 761h very well, the sister machine to yours
As a probationer my first posting was at Brampton bierlow and 761h was the retained pump but when the very poor dodge was away for servicing it became the 1st appliance, went like the wind, stopped , only just, offset steering wheel, crash box which flummoxed many.
I passed my hgv test in 83 and always loved driving it when the chance arose.
be nice to know if its still alive

Added by Dave Andrews on 03 January 2018.

I can confirm that the photographed F46 is still alive, as I have worked on it for the present owner. Currently a runner but not roadworthy, it is patiently waiting its turn in the restoration queue.

Added by Andy Scull on 15 March 2018.

Hi everyone, just like Dave Andrews(hope you're well mate) I joined as a probationer at Brampton Bierlow in 1982 and he describes the Dennis perfectly. CWT 761H was a real flying machine and a couple of our drivers could really make it sing. Sadly I never really drove it in anger, only around for drill, as it was replaced with a sister RS to our then !st turn RS.

Added by Jud Hermitage on 09 August 2018.

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