Fire Engines Photos

Hi, Nice pic. Is that the original ladder though?. I thought around that appliances era it would have had the wooden Ajax ladder?.

Added by Pete Sinclair on 13 July 2009.

Hi Pete, take a look at picture 18011, it has more information about this appliance and it's ladder.

Added by Chris Wood on 14 July 2009.

Hi Peter
This F8 is mine, yes it is the original Merryweather 45' Gut Buster ladder fitted when the appliance was 6 months old and allocated to Seaton. The reason this ladder was fitted was to enable access to upper storey's of the resorts hotels and replaced a Pump Escape. Devon fitted these ladders to 5 F8's around the county although this is the only known complete survivor. The surviving Devon Silver F8 still has the head gear in place for these ladders but is missing the launch gear and heel support and carries wooden Bailey Ladder. Hope this helps.

Added by Graham Hart on 28 July 2009.

Graham & Morgan - thanks for showing us the famed 'Gut-Buster' ladder.

Over here, they were also known as 'Bangor Ladders'; the side-poles were 'Tormentors'.

Same idea - to reach higher floors, without an
Aerial (TTL) Ladder.

Much the same bad language and great effort, to get one of these things up......on the winter ice and snows, it must have been even more fun.

Picture # 4609 shows one on a Prince Rupert's low-budget 1958 American LaFrance Pumper.

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 29 July 2009.

yes this appliance was fitted with a 35 ft ajax when new it was stationed at cullompton and have seen a photo of it towing a dennis major trailer pump, Replaced by a dodge all silver side valve xta 304 in 1956 which remained on the run until 1974.

Added by Ian Land on 25 November 2014.

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