E74/A12/W60 SWINTON/AGECROFT
Before the days of Greater Manchester Fire Service, Agecroft came under the jurisdiction of Lancshire County Fire Brigade and was station E74.  It housed the Control Room for 'D' & 'E' Divisions, and had an allocation of 2 Pumps, 1 Hydraulic Platform and 1 Control Unit.

Swinton appliance room 'Birchfields' Worsley Road, Swinton.
This later merged with Prestwich to become Agecroft in 1957.
[NP collection ~ courtesy A. Collier]

Built originally as an Emergency Tender for the Stretford & Urmston Brigade,
Leyland DZ1 ETC5 was subsequently converted into a Control Unit.
[Copyright picture ~ Malcolm Nuttall and reproduced with permission.]

Karrier 405ATC was seen when new at Carmichael works in 1956.
[Copyright pictures ~ J Carmichael, via A. Collier.]

Bedford JTE341B was seen 27 September 1970.
[Copyright pictures ~ Satis and reproduced with permission.]

HCB bodied Bedford JTE344B was probably at a mill fire in the Chadderton area when photographed.
[Copyright picture ~ R. Simpson and reproduced with permission.]

HPV FTJ410F was seen responding to one of its first incidents when brand new, 14 April 1968.
[Copyright picture ~ Satis and reproduced with permission.]

 ERF Hydraulic Platform FTJ 410F was the first such appliance in Lancashire County.
[Copyright picture ~ R.F. Bonner and reproduced with permission.]

This colour picture shows FTJ410F at Worsley Workshops.
Another picture of this appliance appears on the Eccles page.
[NP collection ~ courtesy A Collier]

Lancashire County Fire Brigade had two of these Bedford Control Units.
278 XTB was allocated to Agecroft and 279 XTB to Fulwood.
When this photograph was taken, the appliance was on the run with Greater Manchester Fire Service.
After withdrawal, it spent a number of years in a similar capacity with Greater Manchester Council.

An earlier picture of Control Unit 278XTB
[NP collection ~ courtesy A Collier]

Control Unit 278XTB showing the nearside of the vehicle, 29 September 1973.
[Copyright picture ~ Satis and reproduced with permission.]

After service with the fire brigade, 278XTB saw further service with Greater Manchester Council.
[Copyright picture ~ KFR and reproduced with permission.]

Ford D1616 TTB101M was ordered by Lancashire but delivered directly to GMC.
It was seen at a fire on the Agecroft/Salford border, 7 May 1975.

This HCB-Angus bodied Ford is the first of twelve Ford D1617 WRL ordered by GMCFS in May1974
and is believed to have spent much of its time allocated to Agecroft.
(Photo courtesy GMC workshops)

For a time, particularly during the 70's and 80's articulated vehicles were used as illustrated below.

AND406T is seen with the Control Unit in Piccadilly, Manchester in May 1979 at the Woolworth's fire.

Dennis RS131 EVM952T was the only such appliance to be allocated here.
[Copyright picture ~ the late Alan Gartside and reproduced with permission.]

Tractor Unit PNB 480W with the 'other' Control Unit Trailer.
[The brigade operated two control unit trailers, and I would guess this is the older one dating from 1974.]
[Copyright picture ~ Aidan Anderson and reproduced with permission.]

By the mid-1980s the number of Dodges in the fleet steadily increased as illustrated by B967RBA
which subsequently became the SkidMaster appliance, whihc can be seen on the GMC Miscellaneous page.
[Copyright picture ~ the late Alan Gartside and reproduced with permission.]

Dodge Control Unit H244CVR
[Copyright picture ~ the late Alan Gartside and reproduced with permission.]

Reserve Control Unit H244CVR was seen at the showground in Milnrow  ~ 3 September 2005.
[This vehicle was withdrawn and sold in November 2006.]

Leyland Daf K210VVU was based here for about five years.
[Copyright picture ~ A. Kent and reproduced with permission.]

The appliance in the picture above this, was replaced by similar appliance K212VVU from Irlam.
[Copyright picture ~ A. Kent and reproduced with permission.]

Although the top of P21GNA merges with the skyline, it was still felt worthy of inclusion in its early stage of build.
[NP collection ~ courtesy A. Collier.]

Volvo V481EBA was seen at a major incident in Harpurhey, 27 April 2006.

My final picture of Volvo B6 Incident Command Unit P21GNA was seen in Bredbury, 20 August 2013.
It's withdrawal and disposal in Spring 2014, ended almost 60 years of a Control Unit being based at Agecroft Fire Station.

Another shot of Volvo B6 ICU P21GNA at an incident in Horwich, 24 April 2013.

Volvo PN57AOZ was seen at an incident in Albert Square, Manchester, 13 January 2015.

Volvo PN05EHH was seen arriving on relief duties in Bolton, 24 February 2017.

Volvo FLL PO60KWZ was seen at a Training Exercise, 11 June 2021.

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