1945 Ford F60S Water truck

[Tony Smith]

The truck also retain some water distribution features, but much of these have also been altered for Bush Fire use.

The hose reel on the top is a BFB addition, although the rollers for a hose appear original. The original PTO driven pump is missing, replaced with a Briggs and Stratton powered portable unit. Also the filters and valves in the rear cabinet are gone, used instead for hose storage. There is also a distribution pipe located across the rear crossmember with several taps that looks to be original, but the taps themselves could be BFB, or maybe they were a standard Australian plumbing pattern of the time?

The tank body (and presumably much of the associated plumbing) is made by Engineering Products Pty Ltd of Burnley Victoria.

[Tony Smith]

The NSW Bush Fire Brigades were a prodigous user of CMP trucks in the post-war period, as were other rural fire agencies in other Australian states. The NSW BFB has recently digitised it historical bulletins on the National Library's website Trove, and you might find it interesting to scroll through some of the activities in the 50's to 70's to find pics of Blitzes in action (unfortunately, the real early editions are light on photos, but they become more illustrated as they progress):

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-bulletin

Bulletin1959.JPG Bulletin1962.JPG

[Mike Cecil]

Tony,

Nice find. a 'Truck, 3 ton, Water, 400-gallon, (Aust) No.2'. Very nice!

The BFB did more than just the door tops: they retrofitted solid doors to a 1944 Aust pattern cab, so removed the door guard across the bottom of the opening and external hinge pins to fit the solid door hinges and door. They left the external part of the '44 Patt canvas door lock attached to the cab body.

I'm pretty sure there were no hose rollers (the steel bracket & wooden rollers) fitted to the truck originally. May be a later in-service addition, but not 'as built'.


Mike

[Mike K]

Found this one . They are not common

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