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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => General Interest => Topic started by: Midland Retty on April 28, 2010, 04:19:17 PM

Title: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: Midland Retty on April 28, 2010, 04:19:17 PM

Ive been asked to ask you chaps and chappesses about the following Fire Engine coachbuilders - it is for a proposed book on Fire Appliances and any info or history on the companies concerned would help the author greatly.

I've done the usual internet trawling, but have thus far drawn blanks

Does anyone have info / history for:=

1) CFE (Cheshire Fire Engineering)
2) Mountain Range
3) HCB Angus
4) Benson Bodies

Thanks

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: AnthonyB on April 29, 2010, 10:48:11 PM

Have you asked the Fire Service Preservation Group - some histories have been in their newsletters.

I remember Mountain Range primarily for their ambulance conversions, didn't know they also did fire - I think they went down the pan in '91

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: ant on April 30, 2010, 04:22:40 PM

 HCB Angus were based in Totton, nr Southampton in the early 70s, maybe a line to the local station would get you some info'
on this particular company, can't help with the others I'm afraid.

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: Midland Retty on May 04, 2010, 11:30:13 AM

Thanks gents

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: afterburner on May 04, 2010, 01:35:22 PM

try this MR

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=&q=hcb%20angus&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: rn976 on May 06, 2010, 01:33:10 PM

These links may be of use for books on old fire engines

http://www.jeremymillspublishing.co.uk/shop2/subject.php?s=2&sub=3

http://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/news/shop/memorabilia.htm?azmenu=plan

Also it may be worth contacting Alan House DCO of Hampshire he has a massive amount of information on  fire service history

regards

rn976

Title: Re: Defunct Fire Engine Coachbuilders
Post by: wavey on June 20, 2010, 08:38:47 PM

CFE finished around 1980/1981 and from the ashes sprung Saxon.  Which later became Saxon Sanbec (1990ish i think) and thats died a death around 3 years ago.  (i have a 1982 saxon motor with orignal CFE branded guages fitted!).  I was once told Locomotors were bought out by Saxon apparently along the way.  The D reg London Dodges being locomotors, and the exact same bodywork branded saxon appeared on the E regs. But I know of locomotors branded F reg special appliances in Tyne and Wear, so im not totally convinced of this.

Mountain Range were still going in the 1990s, I know Bucks had some H reg volvos with mountain range bodywork, and Central scotland had an ET on a H also, which makes it at least 1992, although i cant seem to recall anythign after that year..?