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The Tailboard
If you are "over the hill" I'm sure you have ridden the tailboard more than a few times. What is your funniest story about this experience?
The one I think of: We had a 1951 Brockway tanker (with a wooden cab) that had an overflow chute in the back. If you were unfortunate enough to get to the house late and had to ride the back of this piece, you stood to one side of center - well to the side. We usually made the probies ride in the center; when the water got to sloshing around on the road it would spurt out of the overflow and give whoever was standing under it a thorough soaking.
Once was generally enough.
The one I think of: We had a 1951 Brockway tanker (with a wooden cab) that had an overflow chute in the back. If you were unfortunate enough to get to the house late and had to ride the back of this piece, you stood to one side of center - well to the side. We usually made the probies ride in the center; when the water got to sloshing around on the road it would spurt out of the overflow and give whoever was standing under it a thorough soaking.
Once was generally enough.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bob Kinne on
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We had a '57 Mack with the commercial cab, so there was usually a race for the cab seats. If you lost it meant that you ether took your own vehicle or rode the tailboard. In the summer it wasn't that bad but in the winter it was usualy brutal !
I remember the night (before pagers) when the sirens blew and, arriving at our firehouse, I managed to hop onto the tailboard just before the engine started to roll out the door. It was about 20 degrees out and I figured that it was probably a general alarm in town ... WRONG !
It was a mutual aid call 10 miles away. It was the last time I ever rode the tailboard.
We also had a '47 American LaFrance ladder which, even though it didn't have a tailboard, was even worse to ride in the winter. It was an open top cab ... the driver's compartment and the jump seats were all open and exposed. It was a nasty ride in bad weather. -
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