52/52 in the Bronx.

M

Make2007

Joined
Jun 20, 2017
Messages
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Trying to find photographs of the 52’s from the late 60’s thru the 80’s. Grew up in Riverdale and trying to refresh my memory of their apparatus. Remember many taxpayer fires in the neighborhood.
 
Are You close to the House? You can drop in just bring a nice dessert for the Guys and Gals and I'm sure they have a wall full.
 
Make2007 said:
Trying to find photographs of the 52’s from the late 60’s thru the 80’s. Grew up in Riverdale and trying to refresh my memory of their apparatus. Remember many taxpayer fires in the neighborhood.
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Come to the library at the fire academy. It's open on Tuesdays and Thursdays
 
mac8146 said:
Here are a few pictures of the 52’s I have
View attachment 49943View attachment 49944View attachment 49945View attachment 49946
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I grew up in Riverdale (60's-70's) & was a fixture @ 52's housewatch when the alarms came in over the "bells." The 3rd picture is a 1951 Ward La France pumper. They actually had two of them; one of which was used as a "hose wagon" for long stretches in Van Cortlandt Park. 52 Truck was actually the last wooden aerial on the job. The tractor seen was not the original; it was "slapped" on at some point. When coming back from a run "down the hill" in Kingsbridge or Marble Hill, the rig could barely make it up the hill on Riverdale Ave. Back then neither company ever got a new replacement rig; it was usually a "hand me down" from a busy engine or truck that got a new rig.
 
First photo above is the 1969 ALF Rearmount ( bought by the FDNY when it was a demonstrator at a show....originally maroon in color ...later re painted Red by the Shops) .....when new it was the original Rig of TCU*732 & later the original Rig of LAD*176 when they were organized....4 speed stick ...one of the last Manual Transmission Rearmounts in the FDNY .....bottom picture is one of a few Mack Post Office Tractors in the FDNY retro fitted to a few Tiller Rigs.... in the model above the added on plywood Tiller canopy was fashioned to split in half & lean out to the sides when the Aerial had to be raised....the seat & windshield pivoted to the side & the steering wheel detached just as all old Wooden Aerial Tillers did.
 
Sorry I didn’t put the years and manufacturer just posted pictures, Engine 52 received one of the 1980American LaFrance pumpers as a new piece, the first new rig for them in a very long time. Since that time they have only received new pieces as department policy changed and hand me downs were stopped. I’m not sure when L-52 stopped getting hand me downs but I think it was late 70’s or early 80’s. I do remember the Mack tractor from that wooden aerial being stored at the Sumner Ave. Armory when I took the physical test for the job in 1978. I have a few more photos of the wooden aerial and also the picture from the rock when they exchanged it for a 1959 Mack metal aerial.
 
I know this isn't exactly a thread for current Bronx stuff, so I appreciate the mods keeping it alive.
Great pics, Harry and 68JK. I'm dating myself a bit younger than some of you, but I got on the scene around 1979. I grew up "down the hill" on West 238th, by Stella D'oro. My first memories of the 52's were the whiny Detroit 6V's in the ALFs in the early 80s (with the PA-200 sirens). I remember watching the Whitehall fire from PS24, and the 2nd alarm in 3605 Kingsbridge Ave in 1991.
Good stuff, here - thanks for the memories.
 
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