ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>1941 Austin K2 Hose Reel Tender</title> <meta name="description" content="Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Preservation Group appliance, Austin K2 Hose Reel Tender"> <meta name="keywords" content="strathclyde,fire,preservation,group,rescue,ayeready,heritage,vintage,wheeled,glasgow,scoosher,goddess,firefighting,pumpescape,appliances,cheapside,street,disaster,glasgow airport,dennisf8,light6"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <link href="../styles/styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <div id="layout"> <!-- Top Banner Start --> <div id="header"> <div class="FloatL"> <a href="../index.htm" title="Home"><img src="../images/site/sfrlogo.gif" width="370" height="128" alt="Strathclyde Fire &amp Rescue Logo" border="0"></a> </div> <div class="FloatR"> <img src="../images/site/PresGroupLogo.jpg" width="293" height="128" alt="Strathclyde Fire &amp Rescue Preservation Group Logo"> </div> <div class="both"></div> </div> <!-- Top Banner End --> <!-- Navigation Start --> <div id="navbar"> <ul id="main-nav"> <li><a href="../index.htm" title="Home Page">Home Page</a></li> <li><a href="../aboutus.htm" title="About Us">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="../appliances.htm" title="Group Appliances"> Appliances</a></li> <li><a href="../chairmans_report.htm" title="Group Chairmans Annual Report">Chairmans Annual Report</a></li> <li><a href="../cheapside_street_50_years.htm" title="Commemorating The Cheapside Street Disaster - 28th March 1960">Cheapside Street 50 Years On</a></li> <li><a href="../contact.htm" title="Contact Us">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="../events_1_2011.htm" title="Events We Are Attending">Events</a></li> <li><a href="../featured.htm" title="Featuring Specially Selected Events and Appliances">Featured Events and Appliances</a></li> <li><a href="../guestbook1/sfrpg_guestbook.html" title="Why Not Sign Our Guest Book">Guest Book</a></li> <li><a href="../imagegalleries.htm" title="View Image Galleries">Image Galleries</a></li> <li><a href="../links.htm" title="Some Relevant Links You May Find Interesting">Related Links </a></li> <li><a href="../manuals.htm" title="Hand Operated Fire Appliances">Manuals</a></li> <li><a href="../projects.htm" title="Active Restoration and Preservation Projects">Projects</a></li> <li><a href="../st_mungo.htm" title="The St. Mungo Fire Boat">The St. Mungo Fireboat</a></li> <li><a href="../steamers.htm" title="Steam Powered Appliances">Steamers</a></li> <li><a href="../trailer_units.htm" title="Miscellaneous Trailer Units">Trailer Units</a></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Navigation End --> <!-- Page Content Start --> <div id="content"> <!-- Actual Content Start --> <!-- Appliance top navigation start --> <div id="ApplianceNavContainer"> <ul id="ApplianceNavList"> <li><a href="OGD_142M.htm" title="Land Rover Light Pump"><< Previous</a></li> <li><a href="GGX_583.htm" title="Austin Kt A.T.V.">Next >></a></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Appliance top navigation end --> <h2 class="centered">GGX 689<br>1941 Austin K2 Hose Reel Tender</h2> <img class="centered" src="../images/appliances/GGX_689_2rd.jpg" width="600" height="480" title="Austin K2" alt="Austin K2 Hose Reel Tender"> <center><b>GGX 689 UPDATE<br>Braking System Complete Overhaul</b></center> <p> During routine Pre 2010 Event Season Safety Checks, problems were found with the braking system on this vehicle Despite the impending Cheapside Street Memorial Service at which this K2 will be taking part, the descision was taken not to simply repair the brakes, but to carry out a full overhaul of the braking system. The system has been completely dismantled and we are now awating delivery of the overhauled components to enable reassembly of the system. </p> <table align="center"> <tr> <td><img src="../images/appliances/GGX_689_4r.jpg" width="300" height="250" alt="Braking System Overhaul"></td> <td><img src="../images/appliances/GGX_689_5r.jpg" width="300" height="250" alt="Braking System Overhaul"></td> </tr> </table> <p> This 1941 Auxiliary Towing Vehicle is based on the Austin K2 lorry chassis fitted with a cab and integral van body with seats for the crew and internal lockers for the hose and small equipment. In action, the appliance would tow a trailer pump. This trailer pump would either draw water from hydrants fed off towns mains or could be set into the nearest river or pond. Shortly after the end of the war, responsibility for fighting fires passed to Local Authorities and the newly formed Brigades were allocated many of these wartime appliances. </p> <p> An A.T.V. towing its trailer pump was a familiar sight all over Britain and hundreds of communities relied on these vehicles for fire cover in both rural and inner city locations. The exact history of GGX 689 is not known but it passed into the hands of the then Lanarkshire Fire brigade in 1947. It is believed that in 1948, this unit  like hundreds of others  was converted to a hose reel tender which gave it an inbuilt fire fighting capacity. This adaptation consisted of fitting a 100 gallon water tank inside the rear crew cab immediately behind the main bulkhead and fitting a small rotary pump which was driven from the vehicle s petrol engine. A hose reel drum containing 180 feet of small diameter tubing was also fitted inside the rear cabin with holes cut into the van s sides to enable it to be drawn out on either side. The fitting of a five way valve into the system enabled the crew to immediately tackle a blaze using water drawn from the integral hose reel water tank, and then augment it from external sources if the fire was serious enough to necessitate this. </p> <p> This vehicle was acquired by Central Region Fire Brigade Preservation Group in 1986. Since then it has almost totally rebuilt, refurbished and kitted out with original equipment to match similar units in use in Central Scotland during the 1950  1960 period. This work was carried out by apprentices at Falkirk College of Technology, Forthside Depot, Stirling and Group members in their off duty time. In 2008 the vehicle was gifted to Strathclyde Fire Brigade Preservation Group on long term loan from Central Scotland Preservation Group. It is still marked STU15 standing for Standard Towing Unit another derivation for ATV, Auxiliary Towing Vehicle, which is what the example started out as. </p> <img class="centered" src="../images/appliances/GGX_689_3.jpg" width="300" height="240" title="Fully Kitted Out With Authentic Clothing and Equipment" alt="Austin K2"> <!-- Actual Content End --> </div> <!-- Page Content End --> <!-- Footer Start --> <div id="footer"> &copy; Strathclyde Fire &amp; Rescue Preservation Group </div> <!-- Footer End --> </div> </body> </html>