Are you sure its ERF bodied? It may be ERF bodywork but it just doesn't look quite angular enough. You may be right but it looks like its HCB Angus bodied. I know that some brigades specified odd varitations of body designs, Londons Dodge G1313 HCB Angus Pumps (KUV...X) were different at the back as the top didn't taper down towards the rear.
This is PFL 78G the first of 3 ERF/HCB-Angus Pumps bought by the the Huntingdon & Peterborough County Fire Service. The others were LEW 516H & NFL 603M. NFL 603M was the last appliance bought by this brigade before absorption into Cambridgeshire in 1974. (I used to own NFL 603M)! She was a lovely appliance but with an awful gearbox! Perkins V8 510 8.4 litre engine.
We had PFL 78G new at Dogsthorpe station, Peterborough, it was fast with wonderful brakes, but wallowed badly.We suggested to the man who came from ERF that a couple more leaves should be put into the front springs, this they did and the handling was transformed.
There is no evidence these are HCBA. Eddie bakers book has a photo and there is no HCBA badge which you would expect at this period. Duxford programme had these as ERF bodied and I think I have an ERF publicity brochure somewhere featuring these. I think my label is right.
Regardless of the body builder this all red custom built fire tender does look the part! Neither an unpainted body which looks like recycled old metal dustbins nor a jumble of stripes, chequers and chevrons in various colours like any modern example, these red appliances of my distant youth remain by far my favourites.
Merry Christmas to our site administrator for the brilliant continued effort to keep the site alive and to our numerous contributors and commentators for all the ways of keeping it so interesting. And a sincere wish that the New Year will bring more and more current and historic photos to see the light of day.
Added by George A'court on 07 December 2009.