Eveline 1939

This old Leyland “Hippo” Fire Engine was built in Chorley, Lancashire in 1939. She is a FT4A model and is the only configuration of its kind ever made.

She was delivered to Stafford Borough Council at a cost of £2,132 and was registered on 23 December 1939.

She was christened “Eveline” by the then Mayor of Stafford Mrs Eveline Joynes.  It is said that at the handing over ceremony Mrs Joynes christened the appliance by breaking a bottle of champagne over the starting handle.

Eveline has had a long history within the Staffordshire County and is still a “running” appliance.  Part of her Firefighting past includes being loaned to Coventry during the WW2 “Blitz”.

The complete vehicle comprises a 12ft 3in wheel base bonneted-type Leyland chassis with a main pump, which was a very modern type for the year, manufactured by the “Gwynne” company employing two stage centrifugal turbine impellors delivering 1350 gallons per minute. The pump is mounted amidships in the chassis frame.

Eveline carries a 50 foot wooden trussed “Wheeled Escape” ladder

The engine is an 8,840cc Leyland 6 cylinder petrol rated at 50 horsepower coupled to a 4 speed manual gearbox.
The engine was built to run on leaded fuel and has overhead valves operated by a camshaft which is carried in the cylinder head. This design was very modern at the time with most engines built this way nowadays some 65 years later.
The engine has Dual ignition systems provided by a CAV Bosch B.J.R.6.A.L.26 type magneto plus a Delco-Remy coil and distributor.  The fuel system consists of a Solex carburettor tuned to give “snap acceleration and even pulling”.
The 17inch drum single shoe brakes operate via a triple vacuum servo system. The main brake servo operates the rear brakes whereby both front brakes have separate brake servo units mounted directly on the front axle beam and are controlled by the main servo unit.