Fire Engines Photos

this is a most unusual machine by a body-builder that built just a few fire engines, and certainly very few pumping appliances. I am composing a database of every company that has built fire engine bodywork in Britain since the second world war, and I have found well over 100, and the list is growing. Anybody else done something similar?

Added by Peter Williams on 17 February 2008.

This was one of 24 Bedford fire appliances built by A E Smith of Kettering for the Northamptonshire Fire Brigade. It served for most of its career at Oundle. Another Bedford TK (436 CNV) built by Smiths is also on this site. John Perkins, a former director of A E Smith, hopes to write a history of the company that still exists but was taken over last year.

Added by Simon Rowley on 18 December 2009.

I have bought this Appliance and would appreciate any history or old Photos.

[email protected] please get in touch.

Thanks

Added by on 27 October 2017.

It appears to have the original Bedford factory front cab doors, which most fire engine body builders using the TK chassis did not do.

As the rest of the body was unpainted aluminium paneling, the doors were painted silver grey to (almost) match.

Although fully coachbuilt bodies - especially the HCB-Angus ones - looked much better in my opinion, this solution was entirely practical and most probably less expensive.

Added by Rob Johnson on 14 April 2019.

Please add your comments about this picture using the form below.

Comments

Your Name

Your email address - this will be shown on the page and will allow the system to notify you of further comments added to this picture.