Fire Engine [Leyland Merryweather turntable ladder]
Maker and role
Leyland Motors Limited, Manufacturer
Merryweather and Sons Limited, Manufacturer
Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board, Commissioned by
Production date
1948
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1982.62.33
Production period
Description
Red fire engine, half cab, with one seat for the driver. Bench seat behind the driver seat. Extendable ladder attached to the turntable at the back of the truck. Ladder is metal, NEW ZEALAND FIRE SERVICE sticker on both sides of the truck. Ladder has plaque 'MERRYWEATHER LONDON'.
Specifications:
Manufactured: Chassis by Leyland and TTL by Merryweather
Engine and output: six-cylinder diesel outputting 35.7Kw
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Maximum speed: 60 kph
Crew: 2. Driver and Officer, plus extra as could be accommodated.
Pump: Merryweather capable of delivering 1892 litres (500 gallons) per minute.
Specifications:
Manufactured: Chassis by Leyland and TTL by Merryweather
Engine and output: six-cylinder diesel outputting 35.7Kw
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Maximum speed: 60 kph
Crew: 2. Driver and Officer, plus extra as could be accommodated.
Pump: Merryweather capable of delivering 1892 litres (500 gallons) per minute.
Brief History
The Leyland Merryweather turntable ladder (TTL) was Aotearoa’s first diesel-fuelled fire engine, fit with a 1930s designed 30.5 metre extendable ladder that relied on clutches and screws for elevation and extension. The TTL had a rotating base which allowed more complete access to a building for rescuing people and applying water to a fire.
The interesting combination of an earlier designed ladder installed on a modern bus chassis arose after a 1941 request to replace Auckland’s Simonis electric ladder could not be fulfilled, possibly due to the outbreak of WWII. The appliance was delayed until July 1948 and consequently built on a Leyland OPD1A double-deck bus chassis. Leyland had been experimenting with diesel engines since 1925 and their diesel motive power models became very popular after the direct-injection model arrived from 1931. For Leyland, this was a prototype application of this bus chassis as a fire appliance, who weight-tested it before it went to Merryweather to fit the TTL.
It arrived in Tāmaki Makaurau on the 11th October 1948 on the steamer Rakaia and was put into commission at Auckland City Fire Station (Pitt Street) on the 24th of November. The Merryweather spent its working life in Auckland, except for two years in Christchurch from 1978 to 1979, before coming to MOTAT in 1980.
The interesting combination of an earlier designed ladder installed on a modern bus chassis arose after a 1941 request to replace Auckland’s Simonis electric ladder could not be fulfilled, possibly due to the outbreak of WWII. The appliance was delayed until July 1948 and consequently built on a Leyland OPD1A double-deck bus chassis. Leyland had been experimenting with diesel engines since 1925 and their diesel motive power models became very popular after the direct-injection model arrived from 1931. For Leyland, this was a prototype application of this bus chassis as a fire appliance, who weight-tested it before it went to Merryweather to fit the TTL.
It arrived in Tāmaki Makaurau on the 11th October 1948 on the steamer Rakaia and was put into commission at Auckland City Fire Station (Pitt Street) on the 24th of November. The Merryweather spent its working life in Auckland, except for two years in Christchurch from 1978 to 1979, before coming to MOTAT in 1980.
Marks
LEYLAND Maker's Plate
AUCKLAND / METROPOLITAN / FIRE BOARD Logo
AUCKLAND / METROPOLITAN / FIRE BOARD Logo
Media/Materials
Other name
"Thunderguts"
Credit Line
Leyland Motors Limited et al. 1948. Fire Engine [Leyland Merryweather turntable ladder], 1982.62.33. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
Public comments
Be the first to comment on this object record.