Fire Engines Photos

Hi Pete
Do you have a picture of the land rover at the back, as I am a land rover fire engine owner and fan, thanks
archie

Added by Archie on 26 July 2008.

Archie, the Landrover just visible in picture is a 1960 Landrover 109/Angus Fire Armour L4P.The registration is:-USU 742.It was new to Sankeys of Worcester as their on site fire appliance.I've had a quick look, but I'm sure I didn't take a picture of this appliance when attending the rally back in 1994.Sorry mate.

Added by Pete Matten on 26 July 2008.

Hi Pete, Just out of interest, do you know what the safety feature's were on these appliances that made them safer than say a TK? Didn't one of these get written off, I'm sure I've seen a photo somewhere. Cheers Dave.

Added by Dave Lewis on 04 August 2008.

Dave, it appears that this appliance underwent stringent practical full scale
testing and was designed to be of the ultimate in firefighting appliances
incorperating a standard of a crew safety cab.
Built on a 4x2 chassis, the all-metal bodywork incorperated a driving/crew
safety cab for a total crew of six.I'll try and find the specs, Pete.

Added by Pete Matten on 04 August 2008.

I think it was the construction of the cab, it was built with a safety cage added to make it far better in case of a crash, i used to have a spec sheet from HCB - ANGUS on these appliances, but i think i have lost it!

I'm certain that atleast one of these got written off and it's a shame more brigades didn't buy them, but they were alot more expensive compared to the Bedford tk, Ford D series etc.

Added by John Johnstone on 04 August 2008.

Many thanks Guys, I wonder how it would compare to the modern day appliances. Cheers Dave.

Added by Dave Lewis on 05 August 2008.

Hi Pete, Did you ever see the Isle Of Wight Bedford CsV HCB ANGUS, these were
identical to above but in brillant white incorporating a bright red stripe around the centre of the vehicle with the wheels also in red. I did see them over there brand new at Sandown and also Newport many specials also went into this livery i.e Land Rovers Bedford/Ford Chemical incident units. If I had access to a scanner I would put some on the site I have several photos.The new Chief Officer who took over did not like the colour and reverted back to red
I wonder if any have got into the hands of preservationists?

Added by BOB CARVER on 10 March 2009.

Hi Bob,several brigades had these appliances and actually the IOWFB were not the only brigade to have the white livery,Cornwall Brigade did also.
I'll scan a couple of IOW photo's and send in to site,I can't do Cornwall because of copyright.
Reference scanning pictures,contact me anytime
and we'll sort something out with yours mate-OK.

Added by Pete Matten on 12 March 2009.

West Riding of Yorkshire also had white appliances and Grampian of course still do.

Added by Barrie Green on 13 March 2009.

Barry,thanks for that info but I think what Bob's saying is that the IOWFB also had this type of appliance(Bedford/CSV/HCB Angus)and these were done in white livery.I mentioned Cornwall also
because there's were also done in white livery.

Added by Pete Matten on 13 March 2009.

The principal reason that the Cornwall one was white was that it (MAA 654T) was an ex-demonstrator, hence the Hampshire registration number. EKM 316T was also white ehern supplied to Kent, but they sold it to East Sussex in 1980, and they in turn disposed of the appliance to Ghana.

Added by Ian Moore on 14 March 2009.

Thankyou Ian,yes the photo I have shows MAA 654T from Cornwall whilst having the station markings of Cambourne.I didn't know it was a one-off and was just a demonstration model,could this mean
that the only brigade in the UK operating these
in the white livery to be that of the IOWFB?.

Added by Pete Matten on 14 March 2009.

Pete: So far as I can recall, the ex-demonstrator that Cornwall had and the Kent one (EKM 316T) were the only two in the white livery apart from those on the IoW. I'll dig my slide out on the demo job which I photographed at an exhibition and post it after scanning.

Added by Ian Moore on 14 March 2009.

picture 19811 and picture 19721 also show this very interesting design.

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 07 October 2009.

The reason they were in white was, at the time it was deemed more visable at night time. This came from the studies that where done at the time.

Added by John Shaughnessy on 25 March 2010.

We're the owners of the one from Camborne, Cornwall (MAA 654T) and yes it was in the White livery, we're currently trying to get the pump working if anybody would like to shed some light fell free!
[email protected]

Added by Josh Greet on 19 July 2010.

If anyone want the full spec for the CSV vehicles--groundbreaking in their day with a full safety cab (not a cage) contact me off site.

Added by Aidan Fisher,HCB Angus Archive on 27 September 2011.

Slight corrections - when the photo was taken the machine was still in service at East Sussex training centre. The crew from Crowborough took it down to the rally in Hampshire, hence the Crowborough plates still on it. When sold it was exported to Cyprus. We have a photo of it on a building site in Cyprus, still with its UK number plates and East Sussex livery - even had the appliance log book in the cab! EKM 316T went to Guyana in South America, not Ghana, along with several other East Sussex machines.

Added by Bruce Hoad on 12 July 2012.

Derek Metcalfe, my husband was the HCB Sales Manager at the time of the CSV and drove the demonstrators in the white livery all over the UK and Ireland. The IOW CFO at the time was Les Griffiths who decided that he would have his CSV and some other machines in the white livery as it was rather apt being the Isle of Wight. I believe that one of the Irish brigades also had a CSV in the white livery as there were all sorts of "Irish" jokes when it was out on test and demo this side of the water before being delivered. Derek in fact undertook to personally deliver most of the vehicles to Ireland so that the CFO's had no worries about the machines turning up either damaged or with bits missing. A good sales incentive that worked well at the time.

Added by Claire Metcalfe on 15 July 2012.

My Dad Les Griffiths (CFO Isle of Wight)was always very proud of "his" CSV appliances and their white livery. He talked about them on many occasions.

Added by Caroline King (nee Griffiths) on 18 September 2012.

To my eyes, the CSV was not only a very timely and sensible innovation at a time when many fire engine cabs were about as safe as riding around in a cereal box, but they were also some of the best looking fire engines ever built!

To add to their safety, they had low steps and big windows, especially that huge windscreen, and they looked especially good in red, like this example...

Added by Rob Johnson on 22 March 2018.

Aidan:

Do you happen to know how many CSV appliances were built and over what time period?

Also - was the HSC the same technology, or something else? They certainly looked a lot different...

Added by Rob Johnson on 23 March 2018.

Rob, there were 112 CSV vehicles built over the period 1977 to 1983, The HSC technology was not quite the same --in the CSV the actual cab was the structural strength whereas the HSC had a "conventional" fibreglass scuttle and soft skin doors and panel --but had a square tube roll cage within the body as per rally cars!

Added by Aidan Fisher on 29 March 2018.

Thanks - I always thought the HSC looked like it had a fiberglass front, a "styling" effort which did not improve its looks as far as I saw it!

I imagine the CSV cab was actually a lot safer - it reminds me of the first all-steel fire engine safety cab introduced here in the US by Mack in 1963. Among other things. this had a massive square tube steel front bumper, which would demolish almost anything it encountered....

Added by Rob Johnson on 30 March 2018.

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