Fire Engines Photos

Thanks for this Andrew, putting my prejudices aside for once, this seems to have proved a useful design from the start. ( and a brilliant engine!)

Added by John Stott on 09 December 2009.

Give me the Perkins V8 any day John. Takes me back to my later school days in 1985/6. Dinner times in Rhyl were a hoot when Dodge G13/F+W WrL B37 OJC and Dennis RS133/Dennis WrL RDM360V were at full pelt down Pendyffryn Road turning onto Rhuddllan Road. Perkins V8, Two-tones and occasionally, THE BELL. Phwoar, those were the days. Revision was put on hold for a minute or two.

Added by Andy Middleton on 09 December 2009.

Aye memory lane Andy, brings goose bumps the bell! We had a lovely gong on the RAF Mk6, and any excuse to use it....

Added by John Stott on 09 December 2009.

Rolls Royce Dennis's Andy now there was a sound to tug on the heartstrings. Buckleys NEY288R could be heard before they put the horns on! Thirsty on Petrol though! The ERFs sounded good too,but facing backwards caused some lads to get carsick apparantly,mainly when they were farmed out onto reserve duties. Last petrol Dennis we had on reserve was NEY286R and we blew the engine at Rhydymwyn,she had to be towed back by 376ALC (wish I had a photo now!).

Added by Gary Simpson on 09 December 2009.

The Mercedes Ecoliner did not loom large on the British fire service scene, but was widely accepted in many other countries.

UK fire services rarely specified 4X4 chassis, but this was a decent one, and Mercedes built a lot of them in 4X4 format. Fitting the 240 BHP Benz turbo six cylinder diesel in an 11 ton GVW unit like this can only have provided ripping performance, unless somebody doing the ordering really screwed up the gear and/or final drive ratios!

Added by Rob Johnson on 30 June 2018.

Once upon a long ago, when I was nowt but a spotty oik, I could be walking along, or riding my BMX, minding my own business, and then I'd hear that distinctive metallic clank and awesomely power-laden roar behind me and instantly I'd know it was a Perkins V8. Such a beautiful sound. In my case it would usually be one of my home town Dennis RSs returning from a shout. Curiously though, when on a shout, it was a sound that I always seemed not to hear, what with their two-tones, yelp and wail blaring out. But it's a noise imprinted on my brain. And on my heart.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 03 July 2018.

For myself it was in the 70's Living near the old station 2 Strathmore Avenue Dundee, you could hear the old Dodge K series water tender Ladders coming a mile away which my father used to drive. Happy days.

Added by Grant Melville on 04 July 2018.

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