Ahrens-Fox Model N-s-2 1000 Gpm Fire Engine

Seven of these gigantic American Ahrens-Fox fire engines serve in the Rotterdam fire brigade from 1928 to 1971. During the Second World War, thanks to their extinguishing capacity of almost 4,000 liters per minute, they prove their worth in fighting the fires after the German bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940.

The fire engines were delivered in Rotterdam as chassis with engine, after which the Rotterdam equipment builder Bikkers constructed the bodywork. The vehicle is equipped with a six cylinder engine with an impressive capacity of 16.4 liters and includes a system to cool the engine with the extinguishing water. Note the pipes running to the radiator. The large silver sphere on the so called front mounted pump is a pressure vessel. At that time, drivers receive special training to operate these vehicles; the turning circle alone is 22 meters. The Ahrens Fox brand, which delivered its first fire engine in 1912, was regarded as the Rolls Royce of fire engines. In 1917, an Ahrens Fox of the New York Fire Department managed to pump water to the top of what was then the tallest building in the world, the 245 meter high Woolworth Building.