bulldogboy

Interesting photos of the Signal gas stations; Signal Oil owned Mack at one time. Those photos would have looked better with a few vintage Mack fire apparatus in them. bulldogboy

Loadstar: Looking at the photo of the interior of your "L" cab brings back memories of operating the "L" models in my fire department back in the early '70s. I remember that the seats were covered in red upholstery just like yours. As fxfymn says, the seats take a beating, especially an open or semi cab model. One contact would be: Mike's Custom Kanvas, 468 River Road, Weare, NH 03281, e-mail: MikesCustomKanvas@yahoo.com He has done work for fire departments in New Hampshire reupholstering seats, making hose bed covers, etc. Have you seen the website: www.firenews.org? He has a section called "Department Listings" that shows many past and present apparatus throughout New England. He does not have a photo of Kittery's former Engine 1; maybe you could e-mail John one of your photos. That's a nice looking truck, good luck with it. bulldogboy

Like Budweiser, Hallamore has a Clydesdale hitch and wagon that travels to parades, shows, etc. I saw them on display at the Eastern States' Exposition in West Springfield, MA. Both Hallamore and Budweiser teams were on display and appeared in the daily parades. Hallamore also had a restored Mack "FJ" tractor on display. bulldogboy

As part of the deal for Volvo to buy Mack, Volvo had to divest itself of one of the LCFs, either the Autocar model or the Mack "MR". Volvo kept the Mack and sold the Autocar to Workhorse who kept the LCF in production. Haven't seen too many of them but the "MR" rules the segment. bulldogboy

While we are discussing problems, how long do I have to enter a reply to a topic? Twice I have tried to enter a response to a topic that was a month or more old and the response would not enter. Do I have to start a new thread to continue a discussion? Thanks. bulldogboy

Looks like Harlan County is cornering the market on "CF" fire engines. That's good; like to see them still in service. I passed through Bristol, VA/TN on I-81 last year; I didn't realize how close I was to Harlan County. Oh, well, maybe next time I'm down that way (would love to go to NASCAR at Bristol). bulldogboy

Vinny: You don't have to ride your bicycle all through Massachusetts. Ashland is about 20-25 miles southwest of Boston (if that truck is in Ashland). Best way is to enter next year's Boston Marathon; it starts in Hopkinton then travels through Ashland to Boston. If you can't run all 26 miles then detour in Ashland to find that "U" model. bulldogboy

Yes, blue plates are used on municipal vehicles in Massachusetts. It probably belongs to the Ashland, MA Highway Department. bulldogboy

Yes, NYC is great this time of year; all the Christmas decorations. I liked Rockefeller Center and all the stores decorated with lights. Times Square is a great place to visit. bulldogboy

One thing that I have learned on these forums is that everyone likes the Mack Superliner. Last week I went to the local convenience store to make my weekly contribution to the state lottery commission. The only parking spot was next to the lone diesel pump but I figured, "What the heck, no one will use this pump in the near future". So I went in to get my losing ticket and a cup of coffee and when I came out there was a Superliner log truck backing up to the diesel pump. Needless to say, I hurried to move my pickup to give him all the room he needed. Glad to see a nice old Mack still working. I see Yarmouth Lumber trucks running I-95 and I-495 around Boston all the time. Will have to keep an eye out for the "Top Dog". By the way, the Yarmouth, ME Fire Department still owns a 1948 Mack Type 45 pumper. bulldogboy

Paul and 84superdog: Those photos of the C-130s remind me of the trip I took to Alaska and back in a C-130. Great cargo haulers; passenger comfort, not so much. Your story of the C-121s flying around Cape Cod reminds me of when I was a kid, I lived near Grenier AFB, NH. We would watch the C-119s flying in formation into and out of the base. I never saw any in-flight emergencies but I'm sure there more than a few in those days (mid 1950s). bulldogboy

Pumper 316 looks great; nice job on the rebuild. It should last for quite a few years more then settle into retirement as a parade piece. Looks like the body was replaced at one time; it appears to be a Ranger body. That's not unusual, most 1970s fire truck bodies rusted away and had to be replaced. It was not a Mack problem, it happened to all the steel bodied trucks. bulldogboy

1. A USAF EC-121 Super Constellation. I flew on a Rhode Island Air National Guard C-121 Super Constellation (the passenger version) to Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico. 2. That railcar based gun is awesome. Never saw one that big before. 3. Never heard about that German sub found off of Nantucket. Must have been out of town that day. bulldogboy

Vladislav: I see SGT trucks running through New England all the time. Now I know what the letters stand for. Who put the nonstandard headlights on your Mack? BTW, those pictures remind me that winter is coming to NE soon, brrrrr! bulldogboy

Pawel: I was in Sint Maarten earlier this year. I was surprised at the number of Macks that I saw there. Apparently, St. Maarten is where Mack trucks go on vacation. I stopped by the fire station; unfortunately no Macks, mostly Fords and E-Ones. bulldogboy

Don't forget two of the most famous "F" models; the FDNY Superpumper and Tender tractors. bulldogboy

When you think about the old horse drawn wagons, most of them were completely open vehicles. Likewise, early automobiles and trucks weren't much more than an open wagon with a gasoline engine. Like their civilian brethern, early fire trucks were open to the elements but unlike civilian vehicles fire trucks, for the most part, stayed with the open cab design. Mack built the first completely enclosed cab in 1935 for Charlotte, NC. Seagrave later built similar models for Detroit but until the 1970s the enclosed cab did not catch on with the fire service. Like fxfymn says, the fire service does not like to rush into any changes. There were all kinds of reasons why an open cab was needed and I guess at the time they made sense to those involved. When I joined the fire department we had coupe style "B" model engines. The driver and officer rode in the cab away from the elements but the firefighters rode the rear step. We had a large district and there were many long runs on the back step in the rain, snow, wind, cold, etc. Probably was a good idea for the driver to be out of the elements. Anyway, it was when I was a lot younger and I would not trade those memories for anything. bulldogboy

REO built the Mack Jr. models. Did Mack supply the engines or did these models have REO engines? Just wondering. bulldogboy

Pemfab, a custom fire truck chassis manufacturer, used Mack engines in a some of its vehicles. I think that the president of Pemfab worked for the Mack fire apparatus division at one time. They are now out of business. bulldogboy

A young girl answers the phone and the caller asks, "May I speak to your father?". The girl says, "My father ain't here." So the caller says, "May I speak to your mother?" The girl answers, "My mother ain't here". The caller says to the girl, "Young lady, where is your grammar?" The girl answers, "She ain't here, either." bulldogboy

Joe: How's everything in Kenvir? Did Yocum Creek order the fire truck that you were spec'ing? bulldogboy

That's not unusual, many fire departments try to stay one step ahead of a neighboring fire department. Each one has to outdo the others with a newer, bigger truck with all the lights, sirens, bells and whistles. The firefighting equipment is the same (and secondary), it's the bling that is most important. Another reason that departments do away with tractor trailer tankers is that they are too big and unwieldy to use on narrow country roads. Several straight tankers can operate more efficiently than a TTT. And, as hard as it is may be for members of this forum to believe, there are many who cannot operate tractor trailers (me included) so that these tankers will not respond to calls. Some departments have bought tractors, stretched the frames, and made them into tankers. This can be a very dangerous practice if not done by someone who knows how to safely build trucks. Botsford, CT bult a tanker on a used "CH" chassis; it appears that they took the time to correctly build a safe truck. bulldogboy

A rare model well worth saving. Good luck with it bulldogboy

Yes, Al, Savannah, Natalie, Willie Giest, and Santa Claus. bulldpgboy

If this is still an in-service fire engine a diesel engine should extend its life for quite a few years. Fire engines have a valve on the pump panel to allow water from the fire pump to circulate around the engine to keep it cool while pumping (as fxfymn says). At least the "L" and "B" models that I operated did; not sure about these new fangled computer controlled engines. bulldogboy