Fire Engines Photos

NYR 790 is elsewhere on this site at picture 17239 about Barnwood Hospital. Calling it a Dennis is a mistake. This is a Bedford like all other green goddesses.

Added by Petros on 16 January 2018.

I wonder if Dennis did actually build any of the Bedford Green Goddess Emergency Pumps? They were fabricated by many different firms...

Added by Rob Johnson on 19 January 2018.

This is a 4x2 example. Weren't most of these as issued to AFS groups for training purposes? Those held in Home Office stores were mostly for (WW3), 4x4 to negotiate rubble strewn streets. This one is similar to the two we had in Cardiff.

Added by Tony (Taff) Madsen on 02 March 2018.

Not Dennis Rob...most built by bus and coach builders like Duple, Plaxton and Strachans.


Added by Barrie Green on 06 March 2018.

Taff:

The earlier ones were 4X2, then the chassis was changed over to 4X4. All of the 4X2 and about a third of the much larger numbers of 4X4 were assigned to fire stations, and the bulk of the 4X4s were placed into storage.

The ones in storage were taken out during the firemen's strikes to be manned by military personnel, and used at some major flood events, but otherwise they mostly just sat there.

This trends to explain why most surviving EPs are 4X4: there were more of them, and they got a lot less use. The ones which were assigned to fire stations were used for drills and exercises, and most of them were also used occasionally by the county or city brigades when they did not have a reserve of their own available.

I did look up the numbers, and posted them on this site, but I don't remember them exactly. There were about 1, 300 4X2 and 1, 800 4X4 as I recollect, with well over 1, 000 of the latter going straight in to storage.

I am not sure how the 4X2 were allocated. We had two in Darlington, and I believe each of Newcastle's three stations had one. Perhaps an AFS historian can shed light on this aspect of their history?

Added by Rob Johnson on 07 March 2018.

The stored machines were issued to brigades during the drought of 1978 to cover for all the pumps going off the run with defects.
I did hear of one sub O in charge of one being sneered at by a Sub i.c. of a red pump. The tables were turned when the green one cruised past the bogged down red one.

Added by Neal Glover on 07 March 2018.

Lancs County leased several from the Hpme Office for reserve machines in the late 50s.

Added by Barrie Green on 08 March 2018.

Interesting fact: When the new Ladywood Fire Station in Birmingham opened in 1968, it came complete with a purpose-built 2bay AFS station attached with office/lecture room etc. the same day as the AFS were officially 'stood down'. Still, us station lads made unofficial good use of it!


Added by Tony (Taff) Madsen on 12 March 2018.

I seem to remember that Home Office grants were available to build AFS appliance bays and many stations built them often in the drill yards.

Added by Barrie Green on 13 March 2018.

I am an ex Dennis apprentice, this Bedford is a Bedford, not a Dennis, green goddess , As has been said.

Added by Robert Brann on 07 April 2018.

see also



Added by Petros on 19 December 2023.

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