VINTAGE FDNY RIG PHOTOS.

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Corrrect Chief, the ‘safety bar’ and retractible seat belt were installed rite after LODD of Ff Smith than the ‘Hockey Penalty Doors’ were installed.
 
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Love the white tops.I lived in Harlem an Eng 37 had the red top ALF

I may be wrong about this, but as I remember the white tops were first designed to reflect the sun and keep it cooler in the cab of the rigs for the members riding inside.
Of course no air conditioning in the apparatus at that time.
 
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I may be wrong about this, but as I remember the white tops were first designed to reflect the sun and keep it cooler in the cab of the rigs for the members riding inside.
Of course no air conditioning in the apparatus at that time.
You are correct Willy, started with some of the American LaFrance engines in 1982. I noticed E 48 rig when I was in E 88, E 82 had one too. Interesting to note, that rearmount were still be delivered all red, and wasn't until 1984 Tower Ladders picked up the white/ red scheme.
 
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This model Mack was originally designed and manufactured by the Ahren's Fox company, which officially went out of business in 1956. I attended an apparatus muster at the Merchant Marine Academy some years ago and was shocked to see an Ahren's Fox rig of this design from 1955.
 
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This model Mack was originally designed and manufactured by the Ahren's Fox company, which officially went out of business in 1956. I attended an apparatus muster at the Merchant Marine Academy some years ago and was shocked to see an Ahren's Fox rig of this design from 1955.
Probably Hempstead's 1957. Approved also built 5 rigs with the Beck cab (which Mack used), all in 1957. Here are pictures. The A/F, an R. Stegner photo, courtesy Long Island Fire Trucks.com. The Approved (with the white top) a John Toomey photo.
 

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Dec 6, 2007
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You have more knowledge of this subject than I do Ray. I was not even aware of the name Beck as designers of fire apparatus.
I have always been a fan of the old Aaron's Fox pumpers. Local E48 had one when I was a kid. It looked like a behemoth compared to the other rigs. I know that AF made some smaller models (without the ball) after the War put wondered what would have been there next big model if they had not gone out of business.
I also loved the C model Macks and thought them to be the real first modern pumpers for several reasons.
When I came across the Hempstead AF pumper at the merchant Marine Academy I realized that would have been AF's next big run. Instead Mack got all the glory...and $$$.
 
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Apr 1, 2007
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4,109
You have more knowledge of this subject than I do Ray. I was not even aware of the name Beck as designers of fire apparatus.
I have always been a fan of the old Aaron's Fox pumpers. Local E48 had one when I was a kid. It looked like a behemoth compared to the other rigs. I know that AF made some smaller models (without the ball) after the War put wondered what would have been there next big model if they had not gone out of business.
I also loved the C model Macks and thought them to be the real first modern pumpers for several reasons.
When I came across the Hempstead AF pumper at the merchant Marine Academy I realized that would have been AF's next big run. Instead Mack got all the glory...and $$$.
The Model FCB was Ahrens-Fox's first (and subsequently last) cab-forward custom chassis, introduced in 1955. It was ultimately built for about a year, until 1957 (when the company went out of business), resulting in only about 6 models ever being produced. The truck utilized front-end sheet metal from a bus, and forward control chassis technology from the company C.D. Beck. Mack, incidentally, purchased the designs from C.D. Beck, rebadged them, & introduced it as its' own now widely-known C-Model. C.D. Beck was a bus builder . . . check out the photos of late '50s Greyhound buses to see the similarities between them and the C-Model. And Approved (from Rockville Centre and later Island Park) was an apparatus builder whose rescues on commercial chassis were very popular in the northeast. They got their hands on either 4 or 6 (there are arguments about which) of the cabs & chassis during the switchover to Mack and built pumpers on them in 1957.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
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The Model FCB was Ahrens-Fox's first (and subsequently last) cab-forward custom chassis, introduced in 1955. It was ultimately built for about a year, until 1957 (when the company went out of business), resulting in only about 6 models ever being produced. The truck utilized front-end sheet metal from a bus, and forward control chassis technology from the company C.D. Beck. Mack, incidentally, purchased the designs from C.D. Beck, rebadged them, & introduced it as its' own now widely-known C-Model. C.D. Beck was a bus builder . . . check out the photos of late '50s Greyhound buses to see the similarities between them and the C-Model. And Approved (from Rockville Centre and later Island Park) was an apparatus builder whose rescues on commercial chassis were very popular in the northeast. They got their hands on either 4 or 6 (there are arguments about which) of the cabs & chassis during the switchover to Mack and built pumpers on them in 1957.
Great info! Thank you!
 
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