Tanker drops in

The Halifax Regional Fire + Emergency Services fleet is a huge one, covering 65 stations plus training, spares and other unassigned. It is therefore tough to keep track of assignments of apparatus. One thing is sure however, that small suburban or rural tankers are seldom seem in town. Yesterday's arrival of 02-295T was therefore unusual.

Carl Thibault delivered four Freightliner F-116s on 17 ft chassis in the 2002 order, and they were assigned to outlying stations. Fitted with a 1500 gal tank and 450 gpm pump, they also carry a 1400 gal PortaTank and portable 550 gpm pump, and have 10" discharges left and right and 10" dump in the rear.
02-295T is now a spare, but certainly appears to be fully equipped and fitted out. 02-296T is also a spare. 02-297T is based in Herring Cove and 02-298T in Lawrencetown.

For a good indication of where the apparatus may be stationed see: http://fire.wikia.com/wiki/Halifax_Regional_Fire_and_Emergency_Service

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Been there, done that -updated

Judging by the stickers and map on the side of this vintage Merc, the German owners have a pretty good claim on the old saying "been there, done that".

The parade of miscellaneous campers, big and little, continues, with four or five a week now showing up at the Fairview Cove container terminal to await their turn on Atlantic Container Line ships to return them to Europe. Some of them have only been in North America for a few months. Others, like this one, must have been here for much longer in order to have covered Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. From the map, it appears that it arrived in Argentina by sea, then progressed northward to Alaska, then across Canada winding up here.
This rig was built by Feuss Allrad-mobile. The company's website at feuss-mobile.de appears to be glitched.

Update October 1:
The rig was still there this evening and was joined by another, and I was able to get these photos from the passenger side:

Another crop of stickers shows travels in North Africa and the Middle East. It also shows some curious west African shipping routes.

Newest Quint

I finally got to see Halifax's newest Quint 14-558Q on Saturday. (There was a preview earlier in June :http://truckfax.blogspot.ca/2014/06/hrm-new-quint.html)
Unfortunately not long enough for much of an inspection - more like a driveby.

They were just cleaning up on Bedford Highway in front of Feed Nova Scotia. (Only about two doors away from the long decommissioned Rockingham fire hall.)
Since its specs have not been listed on the web site yet, I don't know any more details except that it is a Pierce and based at Station 5 on Bayers Road, allowing it to cover the west end of  the peninsula and the Fairview Rockingham mainland.

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Volvo out to pasture

For a time, Volvo brought in tilt cabs for sale in Canada, and they were popular for a few years. They were in direct competition with Mack's Renault COE and Ford's Cargo. Many were used for fire apparatus and there were several around the Halifax area. However when enclosed, connected crew cabs with doors became mandatory, these commercial type tilt cabs became obsolete.

This 1995 Volvo with pumper body built by Superior Emergency Vehicles of Red Deer, AB (serial number SE 1435) has been retired to a parking area off the Hammonds Plains Road in suburban Halifax.  By the look of the sticker mark on its side it served the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services, after amalgamation, but probably belonged to one of the suburban departments before that.

Superior was a subsidiary of Emergency-One when this unit was built, and the company badge was the same shape as E-One's. It also had an E-One design pumper body. I am not sure if E-One in the US ever built a crew cab for a Volvo, so that part may be unique to Superior.

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Merc invasion

Add two more Mercedes Actros to the list of these heavies showing up in Canada. I spotted this pair today, more or less fresh off the boat (they arrived earlier in the and have now cleared customs.) The Actros is actually a range of truck types and styles - these are the 4144 model.
For Mercedes' Actros full brochure see: http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedkingdom_website/en/home_mpc/truck/home/new_trucks/model_range/new_actros/New_Actros/advice_sales/download_e-brochure.html

They appear to be in driveaway condition, but they as yet have no plates, and no indication of their destination. Due to their 8x4 configuration, there is a wide range of possibilities, including custom work and re-export. 

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Actros back (end)

On June 6 I reported a large Mercedes Actros with Nova Scotia plates, imported from Germany for work here with a multi-wheel trailer.

Today it is back, apparently headed home to Europe on completion of the work. This time I got to see the back-end of the truck, through the fence, with its massive knuckle boom crane and other gear. Apparently there is a winch hidden in there somewhere, as what appears to be a marine type fairlead shows low down at the centre.

As mentioned in June Fahrenholz and Total Transport & Rigging Inc works together with local company Mills Heavy Hauling..

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More Meanies for Saudi Arabia

Canada has ramped up its exports to Saudi Arabia again. A huge contract was signed in April with General Dynamics, but those  8 wheelers aren't into delivery yet. In the meantime Saudi Arabia continues to bulk up with armoured trucks like these 4 wheelers:

I am not sure what these are or what their designation is, but they are likely 4 x 4.

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Major fire brings out aerials

A major fire this morning in downtown Halifax brought out a wide range of Halifax Regional Municipality Fire and Emergency Services apparatus from both sides of Halifax harbour. At the height of the fire at least four pumpers and numerous support and utility vehicles were on scene but also four aerial devices were at work.
The building, a laminated timber framed former curling rink, was jammed in on two sides by other buildings and only aerials were able to centre in on the seat of the fire.

 Three of four aerials at work on the fire (two at left, on the north side of the building and one on the right on the south side). By the time this was taken the main part of the building had burned and collapsed, and only the office structure in front was still standing.

Most of the pumpers on the job were HRM's newest Spartan Metro Star / Carl Thibaults, like 12-538E and 11-529E.

However Engine 15 responded with Pierce 10-509E. (This unit is based at Station 15, on Pleasant Street in Dartmouth.)

Tactical 8 runs this veteran Freightliner 95-95TS. 

It would not normally be seen downtown, so is likely filling in for another larger unit.

It was joined by this Sterling 04-347S with Drake trailer 04-351T, which is fitted with food and toilet facilities.

E-One Bronto aerial platform 09-489P  was set up closest to the building on its north side.

Down hill, and accessing the east side of the building was LaFrance  LTI 02-305L with its 110 foot ladder. I believe it is also based in Dartmouth.

On the south side of the building, Pierce quint 08-439Q  was wreathed in smoke.
 

A weary hoseman dismantles a hose line on the west side of the building. LaFrance quint 01-144Q has finished its work. It appears to have damaged its front bumper.  13-554U is one of  several Ford Explorers in the Utility category.

All four aerial devices are rated at 1750 gpm, and were able to bring down unstable portions of the building with their water pressure.

The building was a total loss, along with its contents, which included a corporate headquarters, a framing shop, an adult learning centre (used for police training) and a used furniture warehouse/store. No lives were lost and as far as is known there were no injuries, but many police and firemen inhaled smoke.

For more on the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services, including a complete fleet roster see:

 http://www.halifax.ca/fire/index.php

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Not the only Pete in tennis.

When you think tennis and Pete, you may not think of  Dome Production's custom Peterbilt, built for remote broadcasts, such as the Davis Cup tennis matches currently underway in Halifax.

With Halifax's old town clock in reflection, the Pete has taken up station on Brunswick Street outside the Metro Centre (soon to become Scotiabank Centre). A pull out section of the drom box on the curb side has been extended, and the whole thing stabilized with jack legs. The production trailer is likely inside the building, closer to the action, and connected to the tractor by cable. The satellite antenna has not yet been raised..

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Petes for Pumping

Chassis/cabs for concrete pumper trucks seem to predominantly Macks, but this summer I saw a number of Peterbilts at the Simard Suspensions in Baie-St-Paul, QC  plant, fitting out with Putzmeister pumping bodies.

In amongst the Macks and other trucks, these three Petes, in factory white, were low cab forwards, with quarter windows in the cab - and you will note, all are right hand drive. This vocational model Peterbilts can also be seen in refuse collection work, but all of these were tagged for Putzmeister North America..

The one finished product was a slightly different model, without the quarter windows:

Also with a higher cab mounting height it had rounded fenders, instead of the angled ones. It was painted in the company colours of Castle Concrete Pumping Inc of Santa Rosa, CA. Castle is a rather large operation as you can see from their website:  http://www.castleconcretepumping.com/
This unit carries fleet number P42.

I imagine this rig will be trucked west, rather than traveling on its own wheels at the usually sedate speed common amongst pump trucks.

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Governor General's big rig

The Governor General of Canada has funded a traveling display to exhibit and interpret the various awards that Canadians can receive for  bravery or other significant contributions to society. Including the Victoria Cross and the Order of Canada, the medals and decorations  and the supporting interpretive displays are carried aboard an expandable trailer, pulled by this distinguished looking Volvo.

Featuring an extra large sleeper and a generator, the longchassis Volvo has "Rideau Hall" inscribed on its doors. That is the name of the Governor General's official residence, which is slightly large than the Volvo.

With the trailer detached, extended and leveled, and the generator hooked up, the display is open to the public.

On the road for a year now, the tour will be winding up in the next weeks in Antigonish, NS, Sydney, NS and ending in Gander, NL.

For more on the "It's an honor / C'est un honneur" program, see:

http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15263&lan=eng

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Autocar on vacation

No vacation would be complete in my books without an Autocar. Although I did see a few late generation Volvo type Acars in Quebec, it was not until the return leg of my trip that I detoured off the Trans Canada to check up on the Burgess Transportation Services traditional Autocar at Petitcodiac, NB.
It was worth the stop despite the near darkness. The big Car is on prominent display in the Burgess yard. Despite being New Brunswick's only Hino dealer and Mack service centre, Burgess is proud of the big beast and keep in good condition and even feature it on their website:
http://www.burgessservices.ca/index.php/about-us

A childhood friend of mine once said that if he had to be run over by a truck he hoped it would be an Autocar. I guess I am not that desperate, but I get it.

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