# Model Fire Appliances



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

No I am not turning into a model vehicle colelctor but I couldn't resist these two fire appliances in "Cleveland County Fire Brigade" livery from the late 1970's when I was a whole-time fireman and in the 80's when I was a retained fireman.

The Dennis Delta F125 hydraulic platform with the registration number DDC 1 was at Stockton (actually Norton) Fire Station From 1976 to 1987 when it was replaced by a Scania 93M, The pump is an AEC Mercury with this particular variant built by HCB-Angus carrying the registration number BDC 388K, unfortunately this one isn't as accurate as the appliance had three lockers down the side and carried a 45' ladder not a 35' ladder as on the model. The original appliance used by Corgi to model would have carried a 60' wheeled escape as standard (hence the shorter length and two lockers) although many were converted as wheeled escapes were phased out in the 70's and 80's.

Not entirely accurate but a nice to have as they have the distinctive Cleveland County Fire Brigade livery of red with a white front (today the Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service use vermilion but have kept the distinctive white front)










Here's DDC 1 in the early 1980's










BDC 388K is on the left in this picture of Billingham fire station in the early 1980's, this HCB-Angus had nicer lines and was a bit shorter than the Merryweather built version they had at Grangetown when I was there in the late 70's.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Very nice!! I have a model ERF Fire truck if your interested........ 

I used to repair some fire engines, setting up the PTO on new Volvo Fire engines and also repairing the green godesses.......... We used to take them out of storage, service them, then put then back into storage ready to be used, they had 6 cylinder Bedford petrol engines, the carb was the size of a dinner plate!! :lol:


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Ah yes, dead giveaway that 35' ladder........ :lol:


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

harryblakes7 said:


> Very nice!! I have a model ERF Fire truck if your interested........
> 
> I used to repair some fire engines, setting up the PTO on new Volvo Fire engines and also repairing the green godesses.......... We used to take them out of storage, service them, then put then back into storage ready to be used, they had 6 cylinder Bedford petrol engines, the carb was the size of a dinner plate!! :lol:


 I never rode a Green Goddess in anger although I do remember them very well from the strike in the late 70's! I did ride on some very old machines which were kept in reserve to cover breakdowns, services etc including old Bedfords and a Dennis F12 with a Rolls Royce engine.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Boxbrownie said:


> Ah yes, dead giveaway that 35' ladder........ :lol:


Thought you would spot it


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

A fireman in Grangetown, I'll bet that was fun !! When I worked in Skippers Lane occasionally I would fall asleep on the bus and waken up anywhere along the way, not the first time I had to get off and walk back through Grangetown and Southbank to get to work.

Never a good thing.

:lol: :lol:










Nice fire engines by the way


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

I'm not a model vehicle collector either but a few years ago whilst drunk and surfing eBay (often a disastrous combination) I bought a Lesney Matchbox Ferrari Berlinetta I remember having as a kid. I was so thrilled with it I spent a year tracking down all the other models I remembered from my childhood including these Fire Engines:

*"Denver" Fire Pumper (1966):*










*Merryweather Fire Engine (1970):*










*Land Rover Fire Truck (1966):*










*Ford Galaxie Fire Chief's Car (1966):*










*"Foamite" Airport Crash Tender (1964):*


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