Looking at some of those pictures today, "YES, those were the days".
I can remember when the first two tower ladders had come out. Chicago FD had been the first to put the Snorkel truck in service. That was a bucket with a two piece articulating boom. Many cities followed.
But the FDNY came out with a new type of ladder with a bucket at the end that could extend out. I think there was a cartoon in WNYF Magazine showing a couple of guys in the bucket calling it a new amusement park ride. But those new Tower Ladders sure proved themselves over many years as the FDNY War Years really took off. Eventually I guess about one third of all ladder trucks in the city became Tower Ladders. Tower Ladders then became the choice of operations whenever a elevated master stream was required as well. They could also remove several occupants at a time without them climbing down ladders.
Several years had passed and the use of an aerial ladder using a master stream seemed to be history. That is until one day I buffed a Fifth alarm on Waverly Place (?) in Brooklyn in a large warehouse. Ladder 108, a tiller ladder truck had their ladder pipe master stream in operation. I think "68jk09" was assigned to that unit at the time. Seeing that for the first time in several years to me, was one of the highlights of buffing that job. Something that only a few years earlier was a routine operation.
Same thing with Rear Mount Ladder Trucks with the turntable on the back of the truck rather than mid mount. As far as I know, it was also the first that the FDNY put a ladder truck in service without a tillerman. Again that was during the same time period, the FDNY War Years, as I remember.
Any piece of fire apparatus that had passed the test during those very busy War Years, had proven itself without a doubt.
The picture of Battalion 27s rig on those cobble stone streets of Intervale Ave and 169th St in the Bronx. The very famous firehouse used by the busiest fire company in the world at the time, Eng 82/Lad 31. In addition at the time there was Engine 85, and every third night Squad 2 would come over from its assigned quarters with Engine 73. Also a TCU would be manned I believe between the hours of 3 pm and 1 am. Maybe it was TCU 712 (?).
Seeing those pictures here, can certainly be appreciated by the many guys who made the FDNY a part of their lives. Whether it was the Greatest Generation of Firefighters or the many buffs that watched these guys do what they did best - fight fires.
Thanks to all who contributed. It's a long time ago but many of us will always remember seeing some of these rigs performing their act.