Denver Metro Fire Apparatus

[CFD Adv207]

I have Truck 4 down as a 75 foot rearmount, but I could be mistaken.

[Guest]

[quote name='CFD Adv207' post='313358' date='Jun 13 2009, 08:46 ']I have Truck 4 down as a 75 foot rearmount, but I could be mistaken.[/quote]



I stand corrected, it does indeed have only 3 sections... nice catch!

[Image7801]

I'm in Denver for a wedding, and caught Truck 12 out doing company inspections on 23rd Ave, west of Federal, on Saturday.



Enjoy!



John.



   

[Image7801]

First - I apologize if this photo should go elsewhere, but since this is a Denver Metro thread, I thought someone might have some info:



I was driving along 44th Ave, just west of Sheridan Blvd. on Saturday, and noticed this sad old rig sitting in a field on the west side of Lakeside Amusement Park. It's clearly an ex-DFD ALF 700 series pumper, but I couldn't get close enough to see any details. Sorry about the chain link in the way, but there is no sidewalk on the north side of 44th, plus the rig was at least 100 yards off the street, so I couldn't get out and put the camera through the fence.



Does anyone have any history on it? Pretty sad shape. I wish it could be saved and restored.



John.



   

[Guest]

[quote name='Image7801' post='313782' date='Jun 14 2009, 16:11 ']Does anyone have any history on it? Pretty sad shape. I wish it could be saved and restored.



John.[/quote]



Nice find John. It's hard to say without looking at it up close but I know that DFD Engines 6, 10 & 25 all ran similar ALF's in the 50's. I'll try to find some old photos of those.

[Guest]

Here are some old shots of those engines. Unknown photographers.



   



   



   

[Image7801]

[quote name='Toneslider12' post='313805' date='Jun 14 2009, 18:54 ']Here are some old shots of those engines. Unknown photographers.











[/quote]



Hey thanks -



From the looks of your photos, we can rule out 6's right away (open cab), and 25's has an 800-series style "square" bumper. I'd have to say, if those are the 3 choices, that it might be 10's old rig. The only difference is that in the photo there is a roto-ray on the roof, while this rig has a single rotating beacon, plus it was missing the trademark vertical/horizontal bars in the middle of the bumper. Of course that all could've been changed over the years. I'll be in town until tomorrow afternoon, so I might run over there on my way out of town, and see if I can get some better photos THROUGH the fence.



Thanks,

John.

[Guest]

This shot is of a Denver reserve pumper taken by Duane Troxel in 1974. It was listed as a 1956 ALFCO 750/200 pumper, serial #L-5416. I believe every ALF Denver bought before this one was semi-open.



-1974 Photo by Duane Troxel

[Guest]

Denver Engine 17 was running with this 1957 ALF 1000/300 pumper, ALF #9466 in 1974.



- 1974 Photo by Duane Troxel

[Guest]

[quote name='firebuff55407' post='313827' date='Jun 14 2009, 20:08 ']This shot is of a Denver reserve pumper taken by Duane Troxel in 1974. It was listed as a 1956 ALFCO 750/200 pumper, serial #L-5416. I believe every ALF Denver bought before this one was semi-open.



-1974 Photo by Duane Troxel[/quote]



Great old photos, thanks for posting them. I'm going to venture and guess that this rig is the updated version of the b & w E25 photo that I posted. It has the "newer" door markings, updated roof light and an added mars light... but it appears to have been taken at Station 25.

       

[Image7801]

[quote name='firebuff55407' post='313828' date='Jun 14 2009, 20:10 ']Denver Engine 17 was running with this 1957 ALF 1000/300 pumper, ALF #9466 in 1974.



- 1974 Photo by Duane Troxel[/quote]



Great discussion and photos, guys! Even though I'm still thinking it's a 700 series (the bumper is the most distinctive difference), It could've been replaced for damage repair or something. However, if I had to choose from one of the photos that's been posted, it seems as if the '57 (serial 9466) shown as Engine 17 is closest, if for no other reason the bracket that holds the beacon. On the rig I photographed, it has the a bracket that sticks out to the front a bit (although the lens is solid red, rather than the clear with red and white bulbs - obviously replaced, since I think DFD always had clear lenses only). In the other photos, the beacon is directly attached to the cab roof, a little bit back from this one.



I'll try my best to go over there this morning with a bit longer lens, and try to get a shot through the fence. Does anyone know anybody at Lakeside that they could ask? It is back there with some other "generic" work trucks, and it looks like an overflow from Lakeside.



Cheers!



John.

[GA_Dave]

If you can't better shots, maybe you can tell us a few more details:



1. Which side is the pump panel on. ALL 700 Series pumpers had the pump panel on the curb side. Most 800 Series had it on the road side.



2. Are there rear compartments on the fenders? ALL 800's had them, most 700's did not.

[Image7801]

[quote name='GA_Dave' post='313971' date='Jun 15 2009, 11:22 ']If you can't better shots, maybe you can tell us a few more details:



1. Which side is the pump panel on. ALL 700 Series pumpers had the pump panel on the curb side. Most 800 Series had it on the road side.



2. Are there rear compartments on the fenders? ALL 800's had them, most 700's did not.[/quote]



Ah - Interesting questions... I went back out there before I left Denver this morning, and got a few more shots... There are NO rear compartments, only fenders over the rear wheels... That rules out 17's 1957 rig... Also, it appears to have the right-side pump panel that definitely says it's a 700.



Regards,

John.



   



   

[GA_Dave]

Okay, the new pics help. The rig most similar to it would be the one lettered as Engine 10, posted by Toneslider12. If you look at the windshields on the rig in question, it doesn't have a rubber gasket around the glass and has square corners on the center bottom of each piece of glass. Engine 10 is the same. All the other canopy cab rigs in the pictures have the rubber gasket. ALF began using the rubber gasket in 1954, making Engine 10 and the rig in question a 1954 or earlier. The three little horizontal bars above the bumper on Engine 10 were used on 700 Series rigs built between 1947 and about 1949.

[Guest]

Looking at your updated photos I noticed it still has red wheels, I'm sure it started it's career at DFD. Since that light cover is very a-typical of Denver rigs I wonder if this engine didn't end up serving in Edgewater or Lakeside before it's demise.

[Image7801]

[quote name='Toneslider12' post='314134' date='Jun 15 2009, 22:23 ']Looking at your updated photos I noticed it still has red wheels, I'm sure it started it's career at DFD. Since that light cover is very a-typical of Denver rigs I wonder if this engine didn't end up serving in Edgewater or Lakeside before it's demise.[/quote]



Based upon everyone's comments, I would guess that this is a late-40's 700 series, used by Denver until ??, then sold to ??, but eventually ended up at Lakeside (known to have a "Fire Brigade" of some sort over the years), which was used until ??, then abandoned in the vehicle graveyard at Lakeside. When I get home I'll check my copy of the DFD history book and see if there are photos of 700's bought over the years (although there are not any details on how many, serial #'s, etc...). GA_Dave, thanks for all the info on the details unique to the 700's; I didn't know that about the windshields.



Regards,

John.

[Image7801]

[quote name='Image7801' post='314205' date='Jun 16 2009, 08:13 ']Based upon everyone's comments, I would guess that this is a late-40's 700 series, used by Denver until ??, then sold to ??, but eventually ended up at Lakeside (known to have a "Fire Brigade" of some sort over the years), which was used until ??, then abandoned in the vehicle graveyard at Lakeside. When I get home I'll check my copy of the DFD history book and see if there are photos of 700's bought over the years (although there are not any details on how many, serial #'s, etc...). GA_Dave, thanks for all the info on the details unique to the 700's; I didn't know that about the windshields.



Regards,

John.[/quote]



Also - It seems as if those ALF rigs with the beacon on a bracket were probably equipped with roto-rays originally (as the roto ray needed some vertical height, so they moved it forward to clear the cab roof), while those that had beacons from the start (like the '56 ALF shown in previous replies) did not have a bracket. Since this rig has the bracketed beacon, it probably had a roto-ray when delivered, which was retrofitted with a beacon later, and since this is a non-standard DFD beacon, it was probably done (as Toneslider said) by a later Dept (maybe Lakeside).

[Guest]

a little something from this past weekend,



Denver Fire E-16

200? Pierce Velocity

[Guest]

Sable Altura Brush Truck

International/Smeal

[Guest]

At the shops last week...



South Metro Engine 42

   



South Metro Paramedic Engine 43

   



South Metro Reserve Engine 328