Fire Engine [International C1800]
Maker and role
International Harvester Company of Australia Pty Ltd, Manufacturer
W S Darley & Company, Manufacturer
Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board, Commissioned by
Production date
1969
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
F1156.2003
Maker
Secondary maker and role
Teltherm Instruments Limited
Marsh Instruments
Elekon Overseas Limited
Butlers
Marsh Instruments
Elekon Overseas Limited
Butlers
Production period
Description
International C1800 fire engine, 1969. Ex: Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board. Registration number is EF2878. Large red truck with white mud guards and trim, two red lights on top of cab and a speaker, chrome bumper, NZ Fire Services Badges on doors, wooden ladder on top of trucks consol, two front seats and on back bench, semi open cab.
Engine type and output: International Harvester petrol 6.4-litre V8, outputting 175kW
Gearbox: 4-speed manual
Pump: Darley SP1250 pump was three-stage and operated in Series or Parallel, allowing for a lesser quantity of water to be pumped at a higher pressure or twice that flow at a lesser pressure. It delivered 5000 litres per minute and a tank with a 750-litre capacity.
Crew: 2, one driver and one officer (plus extras as could be accommodated.)
Engine type and output: International Harvester petrol 6.4-litre V8, outputting 175kW
Gearbox: 4-speed manual
Pump: Darley SP1250 pump was three-stage and operated in Series or Parallel, allowing for a lesser quantity of water to be pumped at a higher pressure or twice that flow at a lesser pressure. It delivered 5000 litres per minute and a tank with a 750-litre capacity.
Crew: 2, one driver and one officer (plus extras as could be accommodated.)
Brief History
The introduction of the large, US-origin (but Australian-assembled) International trucks marked change in New Zealand’s fire service away from smaller, lighter English appliances. International as a truck brand had attracted positive attention before they became widely used in Aotearoa as fire appliances, with the first built in 1967 with a Darley pump. New Zealand got its first version mid-1968 which went into the first response position at Auckland Central Fire Station.
This appliance was put into commission in October 1969 and was operated until 1988 serving at Auckland Central, Point Chevalier, Ōtāhuhu and Ellerslie and travelled over 5,000,000 kilometres while in service. Significantly, it was New Zealand’s first firefighting appliance equipped with a high-pressure fog hose and electronic sirens. There is also a mid-mounted Darley pump on the vehicle which proved popular, as it meant the pump operator could work from either side of the vehicle.
Within the emergency services, the powerful C1800s earned the nickname ‘Butterboxes’ because of their rectangular, square aspect bodies. Of the 50-plus C1800 fire trucks once in New Zealand, it appears only two remain – this example, plus another in a private collection. When the vehicle entered the MOTAT Collection in 1988, it was restored by Mills Tui in time for the First World Firefighter Games in 1990.
This appliance was put into commission in October 1969 and was operated until 1988 serving at Auckland Central, Point Chevalier, Ōtāhuhu and Ellerslie and travelled over 5,000,000 kilometres while in service. Significantly, it was New Zealand’s first firefighting appliance equipped with a high-pressure fog hose and electronic sirens. There is also a mid-mounted Darley pump on the vehicle which proved popular, as it meant the pump operator could work from either side of the vehicle.
Within the emergency services, the powerful C1800s earned the nickname ‘Butterboxes’ because of their rectangular, square aspect bodies. Of the 50-plus C1800 fire trucks once in New Zealand, it appears only two remain – this example, plus another in a private collection. When the vehicle entered the MOTAT Collection in 1988, it was restored by Mills Tui in time for the First World Firefighter Games in 1990.
Marks
Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board Sticker
DARLEY / MELROSE PARK ILLINOIS ESTABLISHED 1908 Maker's Plate
INTERNATIONAL Maker's Plate
DARLEY / MELROSE PARK ILLINOIS ESTABLISHED 1908 Maker's Plate
INTERNATIONAL Maker's Plate
Media/Materials
Credit Line
International Harvester Company of Australia Pty Ltd et al. 1969. Fire Engine [International C1800], F1156.2003. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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