Some Russian firetruck pics

[Vladislav]

Recently a regular Oldtimer show took place in Moscow which i used to attemd.

This time I found out a big exposition of firetrucks represented there. The reason was a 100 years anyvessary of fire guards service in Russia. So there was a 2nd hall full of units painted red. Along with some other trucks put to the show by different people the event looked like a truck show a little bit. That surprized me since you don't use to see a truck-specified meeting as a common practice here. To my sorry my camera ran out of power so I rested it home relying on a stupidphone. Just didn't expect to find out much interesting to make a pic of and stepped in a pool. 

The trucks represented were taken from different collections and museums for the event. These are GAZ (smaller ones) and ZIS engines of 50's and early 60's.

[Vladislav]

This ladder truck has an interesting background. The ladder unit was a German made one and imported to Russia in 30's mounted on some German chassis, Mercedes-Benz or Krupp. During its service the chassis had been beaten to death but the ladder stayed good. So it was reinstalled on Russian built ZIS long wheelbase chassis to continue the service. Many were redone that way in the late 30's. This one is the only known surviver and ZIS tandem chassis is an extremely rare thing too since the most were lost during the war.

The other big truck with a tank is 7 ton YaG-6, a pre-war predecessor of YaAZ trucks (the one on my avatar pic). These are extremely rare because not many were built and all before 1941 so the war took the most of them. This one is the 1st I have ever seen in person. I mean a truck at all, not particulary a fire version.

The one with the hood open is a 50's UralZIS. During WW2 ZIS plant was evacuated from Moscow deeper to the East, to the Ural rocks region. The trucks built there were rebranded and that particular pre-war model was in production during  50's. Its roots go to some 30's or late 20's Autocar model which was bought as a license to produce ZIS-5 trucks in Moscow.

[Vladislav]

Two nicely restored pre-war ladder trucks - GAZ-AA (Russian Ford-AA version) and ZIS-5.

A hand-driven water pump built in Moscow in the very beginning of 20th century

[Vladislav]

There were also some American firetrucks which were imported from the US in the recent years by private collectors. No Macks here (as always) so I can't tell anything about them. But expect descriptions from BMT firetruck guru's .

[Vladislav]

Some experimental off-road truck of 50's or 60's and a pre-war time GAZ-AA

[Vladislav]

These khaky-painted WW2 units were found at Kurilskie islands where they fought Japaneses in August and September of 1945. Tandem GAZ and ZIS are extremely rare so such an avanture of 10,000km travel with a boat trip and nobody knows how gotten permit to visit those near-the-border islands was involved to acheve these examples. Sure a full restoration was done to them since the trucks spent 70 years outside on a small island with hard winds, snow etc.

I was too impressed being told the fact.

A rare GAZ-72 Pobeda car in 4x4 version. Someone found them two and did a perfect job. Not sure those were original, could be rebuilt using a common single drive Pobeda.

[Vladislav]

This is also one of onknown to me units. Looks like made in the US but I'm not any sure on that.

Sorry no Winfall kind pictures from me. Hope it could be covered by our professional posters in the different thread.

[VALS327]

Thanks Vlad they are all beautiful. I particularly like the ZIS ladder truck and the six wheel experimental truck that's looks like a boat.

[Phase 1]

It looks like Russia's version of a DUKW (Duck).

[yarnall]

Pretty neat stuff.  The first three GAZ look like Studebaker cabs.  I had read an article about their use in Russia.  The second ZIS has K model IH sheet metal and cab. I am not sure about the fenders.  They don't look right.  The too ladder trucks look like they have German Magirus ladders.  Only a few dozen of them were imported to the US.  

The last picture looks like it is a US car chassis like a Lincoln converted into a chemical truck. 

Thanks for posting them.  Mike 

Edited March 25, 2018 by yarnall

[BOB DINGSDALE]

very nice collection.

[Vladislav]

On 3/25/2018 at 4:03 AM, Phase 1 said:

It looks like Russia's version of a DUKW (Duck).

No, that one was of a line of vehicles to recover descent devices with spacemen after landing. Those rigs were designed to operate as a convoy of 3 or 4. One should be for transportation of personal including medics and cosmonauts but the one on the pic seems to load and haul the descent device itself. That's the reason for the crane mounted on.

Russian version of DUKW looked really close to original GMC's. Had some good upgrades though such as openable read gate. But it was made later, starting from 1949 so the improvements were done to the original design. It was not a complete copy but sure difficult to find differences in the look.

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Vladislav

[HarryS]

21 hours ago, Vladislav said:

This is also one of onknown to me units. Looks like made in the US but I'm not any sure on that.

Sorry no Winfall kind pictures from me. Hope it could be covered by our professional posters in the different thread.

Thanks for the neat pictures. I am trying to figure out the convertible sedan next to this truck. It looks like GM from 1938, 39 or 40.

[Vladislav]

18 hours ago, yarnall said:

Pretty neat stuff.  The first three GAZ look like Studebaker cabs.  I had read an article about their use in Russia.  The second ZIS has K model IH sheet metal and cab. I am not sure about the fenders.  They don't look right.  The too ladder trucks look like they have German Magirus ladders.  Only a few dozen of them were imported to the US.  

The last picture looks like it is a US car chassis like a Lincoln converted into a chemical truck. 

Thanks for posting them.  Mike 

You are partly right Mike. Those GAZ and ZIS didn't have Studebaker and IH cabs but those were designed and built using basically the shapes. Plenty of US-6 Studebakers were supplied to Soviet Union indeed so Russian engineers had enough samples of technical solutions working on after the war generation of vehicles. I suppose nobody here thought too much on a matter of copyright rules those days. The most of the industrial part of the country was destroyed and also Cold War isolation allowed to do what they want to do with foreign technologies which came avalible to research or copy.

Looking over drawings and parts books of Russian trucks of 50's you can't find completely copied rigs of different producents. But lots and lots of technical solutions look identical to what was used in German or American vehicles of 40's. Sometimes it could be general plan of a rig, sometimes a unit desingn, sometimes parts of general appearence. But I can state the most trucks, assemblies, units or parts were not just copied but made close to some originals after research, revision and upgrates in many cases. BTW the most hardware and many basic sizes were reworked to metrics.

[Vladislav]

34 minutes ago, HarryS said:

Thanks for the neat pictures. I am trying to figure out the convertible sedan next to this truck. It looks like GM from 1938, 39 or 40.

Looks like Buick to me but I'm way off from being sure.

Those guys had a couple of perfect job restored American cars including that one. When I attended the show in the previous year a friend of mine who was a paint shop guy kept my company. He spent some while looking those cars and stated he saw an absolute top notch job.

I suppose the firetruck is in the waiting line to be restored. Maybe we will see it done in the future.

[j hancock]

You sure had LOTS to look at!

[1958 F.W.D.]

Belgium Cold Springs truck is an American Lafrance. 1935 +/- 

Thanks for sharing Vlad, very cool!!

Hey any plans to come to the US anytime soon? 

Edited March 26, 2018 by 1958 F.W.D.

[Vladislav]

15 hours ago, 1958 F.W.D. said:

Belgium Cold Springs truck is an American Lafrance. 1935 +/- 

Thanks for sharing Vlad, very cool!!

Hey any plans to come to the US anytime soon? 

Tsss, my friend, fingers crossed.

And I have already read about the smoker

[Truck Shop]

                                Great photo's, that tandem axle ladder fire engine is neat looking.

 

                                Truck Shop

[gearhead204]

Vlad, thanks for posting the pictures ! was nice to see stuff from your corner of the planet  !