bulldogboy

RWE253: That's a great picture and story of this truck. On page 24 of Harvey Eckart's book, "Mack Fire Apparatus, A Pictorial History" there is a photo of what I believe is this truck. The photo was taken in 1974 in Cross Anchor, SC. Do you know how this truck came to be in SC after its service in Lakewood? Glad to see that this truck has been saved. bulldogboy

I would think that if Ford wanted out of the medium duty truck market, the breakup of the "Blue Diamond" partnership would have been a good excuse to leave the business. That Ford is willing to invest in new tooling at Avon Lake to produce F-650 and F-750 chassis says that they must want to stay in this segment. Of course, stranger things have happened over the years, e.g. the HN80. A public works department near me is buying F-250, F-550, and F-650s with CNG conversions; they even have a Transit Connect running on CNG. bulldogboy

Is Noonan going back to Mack? Most of the Noonan trucks that I've seen around the last few years have been KW. There is even a commercial on TV ( for a bank I think) that features a new Noonan KW tractor. bulldogboy

1974 Mack "CF" 1250/1000. Former Sterling, MA Engine 1, then Clinton, MA Engine 4. Clinton replaced it in 2013 with a 1992 E-One 1250/1000, former Windham, NH. bulldogboy

fxfymn: Air horns and a Roto-Ray on a Mack 45A, that's unusual. I also like the Weber grill on the front bumper; good for rehab at a long incident. That's a nice truck; I can't believe that AFD hasn't restored it for parade duty. As to 1960s firefighting, that's the way things were done in those days. My career started with riding the back step, semi-cab Macks, unlined rubber coats, etc. and finished with RIT teams, enclosed cabs with seatbelts, the National Fire Academy, etc. Like everything else in life, firefighting changed a lot over the years but we still have to remember, honor, and learn from the past. bulldogboy

The 45A, 405A, and 505A had 500 GPM pumps. The 75A had a 750 GPM pump. The difference among the 45A, 405A, and 505A was the use of different engines. bulldogboy

Looks like it has four wheel drive; one near me has four wheel drive and the cab looks the same. bulldogboy

fxfymn: The "new" Framingham station located on Rte. 9 in Framingham Center is actually located on the scene of the fire. That's the station on Route 9 opposite Framingham State University? My son went to FSU and his dorm was across Rte. 9 from this station. That was quite a story about your father. Just goes to show you how timing is everything; a few minutes one way or the other can change a lifetime. Thanks for the info. bulldogboy

Back in the mid - '60s there was an explosion at an oil company in Framingham, MA resulting in three LODDs. I believe that two, if not all three, were from the Ashland Fire Department. The "Boston Globe" ran a photo of the funeral, one of the three trucks carrying the caskets was an "L" model Mack. I'm guessing that this was the Ashland Mack. I kept that photo along with other Mack photos from the '60s but, of course, I lost them years ago. bulldogboy

Thanks for all the info, guys. Still, it's a strange looking truck. bulldogboy

Quite a few of these Macks, and Dodges, became fire tankers after their military service was over. While they may not be the optimum fire tanker, they probably work for a small department that cannot afford anything fancier (those departments do exist). bulldogboy

Wow, it sure looked closer than that. I guess its hard to eyeball distances over water. bulldogboy

I was in Falmouth several weeks ago; had dinner at the British Beer Works near Surf Drive Beach. It was nice looking out over Vineyard Sound at Martha's Vineyard. Not being from the Cape, I forget how close Martha's Vineyard is to the mainland. Still need to get over to Edgartown someday and check out the F.D.'s Mack "AB" and "A" fire engines. bulldogboy

B-21s had Hall-Scott motors rather than the standard Mack engines. They also had bigger pumps, 1500 GPM and up (rather unusual for that era). They are pretty distinctive in that they have a longer hood to accommodate the larger H-S motor. There has been one for sale on E-bay every so often. It is out in Barre, MA; not sure if it has been sold. bulldogboy

Wow, about a month too late. I know of two Mack "85L"s that were sold last month. Not sure if they are "LS" or "LF" but both are 750 GPM. One is a semi-cab, solid truck but needs cosmetic work and some mechanical work to get back on the road. The other is an open cab listed on E-bay; it is in excellent condition, ready for the next parade. Will let you know if we see anything. bulldogboy

Spags!! There's a name from the past for us old New Englanders. I remember the TV ads also. bulldogboy

The department that I worked for had all straight aerial ladders. One time we had to borrow a tiller from a neighboring department. My department had to find the few drivers who had driven a tiller back in the '50s and '60s. I had a chance to drive the tiller and, let me tell you, it takes a LOT of practice. The hardest part for me was to realize that you were at the mercy of the tractor driver, he set the speed and you had better keep up with him. Every time that I looked for the brake pedal, it wasn't there. It is imperative that the two drivers practice with each other; it is not a job in which you put two guys together and say, "have at it, boys". We did not have the tiller long enough to get a lot of practice on it. bulldogboy

As nice as all those old Macks look, nothing beats a "B" model for good looks. Thanks for the pictures. bulldogboy

What was the point of the twin engine cabover? Looks like it would be unwieldy in traffic. bulldogboy

While GM owned Frigidaire, Ford owned Philco appliances and TVs. Kelvinator was owned by either Chrysler or Studebaker (don't remember which one). These companies wanted to be involved in all areas of your life. bulldogboy

I think that the one thing that all of us on this forum agree with is; we would all like to see Mack be what it once was, an independent, successful medium and heavy truck builder. However, reality is that this probably is not going to happen. What would have happened to Mack if Volvo had not stepped in to buy it? More than likely it would have gone out of business. Is that a better scenario that what currently exists? As to another company (Cummins, Oshkosh) buying Mack, do you think that Volvo would sell to another company thus creating a serious competitor to the Volvo brand? As to a government bailout, like Chrysler and GM, I don't think that many people on this forum would like that. My sense in reading these forums is that almost everyone wants government to butt out of our daily lives and let us do our thing free of regulations. I assume that this also includes regulation of the trucking industry that the government did away with years ago. As I have said before, I know nothing about nothing, these are just my opinions and if Mack ever came back as an independent company, there would not be anyone happier than me. BTW, I like those Coca-Cola Macks. bulldogboy

This is a Mack Bulldog I with a tandem axle. The photo is from an early 1980s Mack fire truck brochure. The brochure does't mention the brand of ladder but I believe that it is an LTI. bulldogboy

Beautiful countryside, now hallowed ground. I can't imagine what was going through the minds of those passengers; true American heroes. Thanks for the pictures. bulldogboy

The Fire Museum of Maryland hasn't forgotten you truck mechanics. Here is a Mack "AC" wrecker from Baltimore F.D. My favorite fire truck at FMM is that Mack "AB" from Thurmont, MD. bulldogboy

The Fire Museum of Maryland is a great place to visit, especially if you are a Mack fan. When I was there about five years ago they were having an outdoor show. I took a few pictures. One is a drafting demonstration featuring a Mack "AC" pumper, an Ahrens-Fox pumper, and a Ford Model "T" pumper. The next picture is a Ford Model "A" chief's car with Chicago F.D. graphics. There was a 1958 Edsel station wagon and, my favorite, a Mack "AB" paddy wagon. bulldogboy