As soon as the first pictures of the awesome new 10197 Fire Brigade become available online, I've noticed that the fire engine in the set isn't as cool as the rest of the set.
Since I was in the process of research for my 1930s LEGO project - one day I'll finish it - I've decided to build the engine to match the beauty of the building.
This is not a scale model of the real truck, it's my view of the trucks of the 1930s, mainly inspired by Russian GAZ-AA (which, in turn, is the copy of the famous Ford-AA produced in USSR)
At that time the fire engines had open benches made of wood for the crew behind the cabin, the water tank above the rear axle, the pump were in the front or under the tank. Also the engines were equipped with fire hoses, the hoses to take water from the nearest reservior, the fire hydrant and a couple of fire extinguishers.
Not every fire engine was equipped with the electric/gas siren, but each had a fire bell - this tradition came from the era of horse-driven fire engines. The fire chief was responsible for striking the bell.
The fire truck has arrived to the place and the team has started the preparations: it's time to turn the pums on and to draw the fire hoses...
"Ther's no water in the tank, man!!!"
You can find some additional photos of the truck and chassis at my Brickshelf gallery.