Fire Engines Photos

For those of us in the UK (the rest of the world please excuse me), this was one of the appliances featured on a Channel 4 programme, 'Classic Trucks' some years ago. The owner gave a demonstration of the machine and told of how on shouts, motorists could be startled(scared to death) by a sheet of flame coming from the exhaust when the driver took his foot off the accelerator!!
This F24 is a real beauty and apart from 96 SPK which is being restored, I don't know of any other survivors from Surrey Fire Brigade.

Added by Chris Wood on 18 October 2008.

A great looking appliance fantastically restored. the bell looks rather unusual, maybe its the angle of the photo, I have tried blowing it up. It looks smaller than the usual,

Added by Barrie Green on 18 October 2008.

One of seven Dennis F24/Dennis WrT's purchased by Surrey FB in 1961.

91 SPK Camberley/Walton
92 SPK Walton/Woking/Cobham
93 SPK Chertsey/Egham
94 SPK Farnham
95 SPK Reigate
96 SPK Guildford/Haslemere
97 SPK Esher

Added by Andrew Middleton on 09 January 2010.

Does anyone know if this lovely F24 is still around? I remember seeing it on TV back in 1995. It was fitted with twin blue lights and also had two tones fitted. What version of Rolls engine would this have fitted?

Added by Matt Ireland on 01 April 2011.

It was fitted with a Rolls B81

Added by Richard Murrell on 01 April 2011.

AH....... It was a B80 actually. I first bought this on an impulse at BCA car actions in Frimley. So that tells you how long ago. It was next to 96 SPK. 97 was just a wee bit better so I swopped over bits and pieces to make 97 a better buy. (nobody bid on 96 and it sat at Frimley for six months or so dumped). It was the first of many Dennis bros fire appliances I bought. Surreys F44 WPD239G, Cornwalls F8 UAF338, Stantons F8 YRB612 and Bowaters F8 YKG 932. 97 SPK came without any bells, but as very few folk were collecting appliances I `spose I was unusual (keep your thoughts to yourself please). The LFBs workshops at the back of Lambeth were a great hunting ground. Used to pop in about once a month and fill the boot of my car with kit. Everything from bells to hose. Round the back then old AEC tls and stacks of merryweather escapes. Only just too big for my Mk2 cortina you see. I bought the F44 direct from Surrey complete with lpp, fully kitted for £500.00 I remember. And again luckily was well treated at Reigate W/Sps. Bowaters F8 direct as was Stantons. Only Cornwalls F8 was bought from Nick Blake who had bought two direct from Cornwall UAF339/338. BUT 97 was my first appliance and probably on reflection my favourite as I had to learn how to fix and service everything. Good old days. They all served a good life as working fire service vehicles on the Kent and East Sussex steam railway... `cos we were always setting stubble fields "well" alight. Think Barrie Green has one of mine and also Rick loudon might also just be be silly enough. PS I also visited the F8 graveyard in Armagh in the early 80s. When I went most were 98% complete. Even LPPs and kit, but all bells and bits still intact. Have some great piccys.

Added by Colin Duncan on 07 July 2011.

Colin,
Rick Loudon has always 'been silly enough'but as yet the footsteps of yours I have followed in is the 'holy grail' to Burneys yard in Armagh - it was well worth it but changed completely from the 'halcyon days' of your visits - YRB 612 is still 'kicking around' although she is desperatly in need of a new home at the moment !

Added by Rick Loudon on 07 July 2011.

Barrie, The bell fitted to this lovely appliance is a Gillete & Johnson center mounted fire appliance bell, this would have been the manual leading firemans bell, they also built an electric variation. These were fitted mainly to Merryweather/Dennis appliances in the fifties and early sixties. Gillete and Johnson are clock/bell makers based in South East Croydon used to do a lot of church bells bit to big for a fire engine!

Added by BOB CARVER on 08 July 2011.

Colin, Please can you tell me any information regarding the Cornwall f.8s. Many years ago I visited Cornwall when the F.8s were on the run.
As you will be aware they had four, three were purchased by the Cornwall County Fire Brigade in the fifties and one was brought in 1965 from "Exeter". The one which was purchased from "Exeter" is being restored by an associate of mine he is doing a brillant job and has thrown pounds at it but I will point out still has a long way to go before it will be shown.
The registration of these appliances are as follows OFJ 333-UAF 338-UAF 339-UAF 523.
I am sure that UAF 338 was sold via British Car Auctions from here to a New Forest Motor Trader,
it was immaculate and I mean immaculate! from here it was exported to Italy for a Private collection. UAF 523 I, have been informed was broken up by a Cornish Scrap Dealer, leaving UAF 339 which I have been told is parked up in Chatham Docks can you help, Please if anyone out there reads this comment can they tell me the original stations of allocation and their movements in later years as I am preparing an article on these appliances. Any help comments would very much be appreciated OFJ 333 has just had the radiator returned fron being re-chromed along with the bells and numerous other parts, all of the upper woodwork has been re-made and various lockers and bodywork structure remade from oak and ash and finally all of the braking system has been renewed from the servo-on-wards any information would help including photos.
I am sure this website has someone out there has a comprehensive knowledge of "Cornish F.8s".

Added by BOB CARVER on 08 July 2011.

Hello Bob. Nice to hear from you. Both UAF 338 and 339 were advertised for sale in Fire magazine by Cornwall CC by tender. My friend Nick blake from Tunbridge Wells bid for 338, being the slightly better machine. Being successful they were asked did they "want" 339 as they could have it for spares as Cornwall just wanted shot. So they bought both. They had 338 themselves for many many years selling 338 eventually to Bentley car collection near Lewes. Bentley very recently sold that at BCA auction at Blackbush for about £7k to a dealer in Hampshire, so thats correct. It was absolutely perfect. Nick sold me 339 shortly after buying it and I owned it for a long time, but as I acquired more appliances I was aproached, while 339 was on duty at Tenterden for the Kent and East Sussex railway fire department, to see if I would sell it. I am afraid I succumbed and that's the one (339) that was for a long time parked up at Chatham historical boatyard, but did`ent seem to do anything. About five years ago the boatyard decided to have a clear-out of "stored" vehicles and 339 was asked to leave. I have tried casually on and off to find its whereabouts but its vanished into a shed somewhere I suspect. 339 served at StJust most of its life, pottering to Newquay as reserve as I have photos of it there. I promise to post some photos on here shortly. I have quite a few!! The great thing about 339/338 was that Cornwall bought them ex pump. They then grafted on Dennis No2 pumps they had removed from much earlier vehicles. They had horizontal primers and LOTS on nice chrome. They were beautiful and so well made. Later No2 pumps were very plain indeed.

When Nick went to pick up 339, which was absolutely immaculate also, the brigade had parked it up overnight (first time out in the cold ever!) by the hose tower. It was a breezy night and the ali ends of the drying hoses had banged up againt the body all night. So 339 even after filling, flatting, loving and hand painting (by London Transport... red you see... at Sidcup bus garage for £120 cash!) she always had little dents down one side. On the way back to Tunbridge a motorist flagged them down to point out that the body work was alight as the exhaust had never got so "warm" before it had set the lower locker alight. If you look on the website Flickr under defibduncan theres a couple of piccys there. Good luck to you friends efforts with 333. Worth it I know. F8s in my humble opinion were simply the finest looking best proportioned little pumps ever born. Colin.

Added by Colin Duncan on 09 July 2011.

this vehicle is with alan greenwood and I can confirm it has a rolls B81 I have seen it up close lol

Added by Jason Lester on 15 July 2011.

Colin - in the sixty seven years since I fell in love with my first fire engine (A Leyland Cub in Redcar), I must have heard hundreds of tales of different fire engines and their comings and goings.

But I think your story of the self immolating fire tender has to be the best ever!!

Only one question. Did they call the fire brigade?

If they did, just one more. Did they believe it?

Added by Rob Johnson on 28 July 2017.

Ha... Roy. No, in fact they did use the appliance pump. We always believed in NEVER running without at least a half tank. If you look up Dennis F44 Surrey, I did one one occasion really set fire to one, where the local hedgehogs tipped out, but were so so sympathetic, much to my surprise. The F8 went on to attend, by passing, quite a few fires in her time. !!


Added by Colin Duncan on 28 July 2017.

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