A LOOK BACK.

[68jk09]

7-3-75  Residents blockade ENG*218 FH to prevent closing by NYC....  http://www.ebay.com/itm/CT-PHOTO-akc-600-Fire-Department-New-York-City-/111910365253?hash=item1a0e60a845:g:CUoAAOSwWTRWx42n&rmvSB=true

 

[68jk09]

1952 photo of FDNY marching to Annual Memorial Service & passing a Fire scene.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/CT-PHOTO-akc-617-Fire-Department-New-York-City-/111937581480?hash=item1a0ffff1a8:g:e1UAAOSwu1VW6JRw

 

[68jk09]

Several unlettered RMs w/phone booth probably at the old Fire Academy (then called Training School) on Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island) in 1974 as the original 1970 RMs did not come w/phone booths (but had them added later by the Shops then Seagrave started making them w/the newer Rigs )...... www.ebay.com/itm/Fire-Apparatus-Slide-FDNY-New-York-City-5-New-Seagrave-Ladders-in-1974-NY23-/252325440631?hash=item3abfc4ac77:g34AAOSwxvxW7UxY

 

[Disp51]

And from the 60's

 

[guitarman314]

 
Photo of seven of the twelve 1968 American LaFrance 900 series diesel powered tillers originally assigned to Ladders: 19, 19, 26, 27, 28, 42, 43, 103, 107, 111, 120 & 123. Four more were delivered in 1969 going to Ladders: 31, 38, 48 & 108.

 

[68jk09]

I do not remember the exhaust stack on the FDNY ALFs of 68 & 69 having the curved exhaust stack tip like in the picture of the seven above.....lots of fun w/the stacks though....sometime when going off tour we would dump flour down the stack & on the 1st run for the succeeding tour when the Rig started whoever was nearby would get showered....another was to jam slivers of pine wood hidden between the stack & the band holding it & after a few runs back to back the wood would start to emit a burning smell & if they were responding at the time someone would smell it & say we got a job & guys would start putting on their coats etc.

 

[guitarman314]

I do not remember the exhaust stack on the FDNY ALFs of 68 & 69 having the curved exhaust stack tip like in the picture of the seven above.....lots of fun w/the stacks though....sometime when going off tour we would dump flour down the stack & on the 1st run for the succeeding tour when the Rig started whoever was nearby would get showered....another was to jam slivers of pine wood hidden between the stack & the band holding it & after a few runs back to back the wood would start to emit a burning smell & if they were responding at the time someone would smell it & say we got a job & guys would start putting on their coats etc.

  Notice, they didn't have tiller roof installed yet. I don't remember curved exhaust stacks either so I'm sure the Shops changed them before they were assigned.

 

[fdce54]

 
Photo of seven of the twelve 1968 American LaFrance 900 series diesel powered tillers originally assigned to Ladders: 19, 19, 26, 27, 28, 42, 43, 103, 107, 111, 120 & 123. Four more were delivered in 1969 going to Ladders: 31, 38, 48 & 108.

Gman, am I seeing this right? You called you own Ladder 17......19!

 

[guitarman314]

 
Photo of seven of the twelve 1968 American LaFrance 900 series diesel powered tillers originally assigned to Ladders: 19, 19, 26, 27, 28, 42, 43, 103, 107, 111, 120 & 123. Four more were delivered in 1969 going to Ladders: 31, 38, 48 & 108.

Gman, am I seeing this right? You called you own Ladder 17......19!

  Old age making me misfire while typing. ;D

 

[CFDMarshal]

When did you get old Gman? I've seen the pics!

 

[soda-acid]

I remember seeing Ladder 123's ALF at the shops with the curved exhaust. It had just been delivered. As stated previously the shops changed the exhaust to a straight stack. Maybe it was done to minimize the effect on the tiller man?

 

[1261Truckie]

I seem to remember hearing that the switch over from curved pipes to straight pipes had to do with tiles being rattled off the walls of certain firehouses. And then, of course, there were black ceilings.

 

[68jk09]

Yes the ceilings had a black path right in line w/the travel of the exhaust pipe .....the Job tried painting some ceilings all black to hide this but the Union jumped in & got that stopped.....obviously that was not the solution only an attempt to mask the problem.... on Carlton Av while R*2 was still quartered there  210 had a '70s something Mack w/a curved exhaust stack turned toward one side of the Rig....this was the side where the workbench was...every morning the workbench was cleaned off however after a few ENG runs it was again covered w/what looked like small black snowflakes blown out of the exhaust stack.

 

[68jk09]

WHAT SOMEONE ENVISIONED IN 1953...  http://www.ebay.com/itm/CT-PHOTO-akc-613-Fire-Department-New-York-City/111937314578?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D35955%26meid%3D1de3c85380c94c02a9045492a2a6f6a4%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D111937314578

 

[68jk09]

The American La France LADs thru the years were well liked (the last ALF LADs were the '68/'69s Tillers except for the one '69 Maroon ALF Rearmount ) but years later the newer ALF Pumpers recd in '82 were introduced into the FDNY & not well liked & were in short service in the FDNY then ....they were probably the last FDNY Rigs w/the hypalon (molotov cocktail resistant hose bed) covers...here is one for sale today....

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5517975202.html

 

[68jk09]

LAD*45 w/an Ahrens Fox.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Black-White-Photo-FDNY-T45-Ahrens-Fox-Fire-Apparatus-New-York-City-H-L/252218677854?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35828%26meid%3D8084367ceb514b9eabfcd67eb06b4383%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D252336594260

 

[guitarman314]

  Ladder 45 had one of the four 1940 Ahrens-Fox Model W-85 85 ft. aerials. It was shop #2071 and in 1942 it had the distinction of being the first to have a ladderpipe installed.  It served at Ladder 45 for 20 years until 1960.

 

[memory master]

That's the elevated IRT #7 (Times Square To Flushing) subway in the background which at that point is running atop Queens Blvd.

 

[68jk09]

OK any thoughts on these photos....i cannot read the Co number barely visible on the side of the '56 ALF tractor but it looks like 3 digits ?..... in the other photo the Officers front looks like it has 3 digits...the phone number on the Fire escape railing starts w/ST-6 which if it was Stilwell 6 would have been in Long Island City QNS  ......the letter prefix's on NYC phone numbers started being phased out in 1958....only one FF is wearing a coat w/yellow stripes which started in 1960.... any further ideas ?.....  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-three-35-mm-negatives-of-Four-Alarm-fire-in-Brooklyn-New-York-1960/111967022483?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3Dfbece8aa65ab469280f49ae17e05f6eb%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D111967022483

 

[guitarman314]

  The seller says it's a 4 alarm fire in Brooklyn in 1960.  All 11 of the 1956 ALF trucks were still assigned to their first assigned companies in 1960 as none of them got reassigned until the Seagrave 100 ft. models were introduced in 1962-63. The only 3 digit ladder companies that had them back then were: 107, 108, 120, 127. The pumper is definitely a Ward LaFrance, I can tell by the cross member over the hosebed that was unique to all of the 1946 and 1952 thru 1953 but not the 1951 Wards. The chrome barrel on the deck gun tells me it's a 1946 or 1953 model because the 1952 models had red painted barrels. The final clues are the white ceramic subway straps which were only on the 1946 Wards and the handrail over the top edge of the hosebed that was only on the 1946 WLF's. Back in 1960 the 15 1946 WLF pumpers w/o booster reels were still assigned as pumpers or hosewagons. They were 1st piece pumpers at engines: E216 (but 216 got a 1960 WLF that year and the '46 WLF went to E268), E247 & E225. Back in 1960, engines: 17, 24, 55, 62, 201, 217, 219, 224, 230, 263, 265, 268 & 281 had 1946 WLF hosewagons.