555 and 955 Fire Engine with Extending Ladder (1952-70)

You're welcome, Jan. I thought it was about time we saw the 'real McCoy' on these pages. The following images shows the first version of the Commer Carmichael Fire Tender and then its upgraded model. Always one of my favourite Dinky Toys - so much so, that my 555 completely wore out its front axle as evidenced by the photograph below, enlarged from a slide I took in about 1956 with my father's then new Voigtlander Vito B 35mm camera. Dad subsequently repaired the front end and in due course I will add a photograph of it as it appears today. Kind regards Bruce

Thanks Bruce for showing us this Fire engine. There are not so many pictures available. This fire engine could do with some restoration. Any idea of where it is ?

Jacques The vehicle was sold through eBay or some other auction, for 5,000.00 believe it or not!! Not only are Dinky Commer 'Fire Engine with Extending Ladder' sold through this medium but the real McCoy as well. The Commer was also advertised privately. DESCRIPTION OF ITEM VINTAGE COMMER FIRE ENGINE. PURCHASED/REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES OF A WELL KNOWN VEHICLE BREAKERS DUE TO IVA. DRY STORED FOR THE LAST 25+ YEARS. YEAR OF MANUFACTURE - 1949 - 1951? ALL LOOKS TO BE IN WELL PRESERVED ORIGINAL CONDITION. PROVED TO BE A REAL HEAD TURNED ON THE JOURNEY BACK TO YORKSHIRE! THE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN DURING A STOP AT LYMM SERVICES ON THE M6! THE ENGINE HAS BEEN TURNED OVER AND STARTED BUT WILL NEED NEW PLUGS/POINTS AND FRESH FUEL. COOLANT SYSTEM HAS ACTIVE ANTI-FREEZE PRESENT. ALL TYRES ARE IN NEAR UN-USED CONDITION. 2 SPARE TYRES IN VEHICLE. ALL ELECTRICS WORKING - INCLUDING BLUES & TWO'S. CHROME BELL AND HAND OPERATOR STILL PRESENT. STEERING WHEEL COVERING HAS PERISHED. BUT THERE IS A SPARE ONE IN THE VEHICLE! LESS THAN 2. 00 MILES ON THE CLOCK! ALL THE CHASSIS IS IN CRACKING CONDITION. LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT IS STILL PRESENT & CORRECT. INCLUDING THE 35FT 'AJAX' LADDER. THE BODYWORK IS DIRTY BUT IN EXEPTIONAL CONDITION FOR THE AGE. THE COLOUR IS STILL FRESH AND BRIGHT UNDER THE FILM OF DIRT! SOME VERY LIGHT SURFACE RUSTING! DRIVERSIDE PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW PANEL IS CRACKED. THIS VEHICLE HAS NO CURRENT V5. THE VEHICLE IS READY FOR A SYMPATHETIC RESTORATION. I think it was located in Bradford, North Yorkshire although that was in March 2014. Anyway, here is another Commer, this time still in service: Kind regards Bruce

When I was young I didn't have the Dinky Commer, but an identical red plastic one with grey ladder, red wheels and black tyres. I don't know who the manufacturer was; any ideas?

Greetings all On 21 January 2015, I posted a number of images including one showing my 955 Fire Engine sitting on its nose with the loss of its front axle and wheels. Here it is again: and here are a series of images showing the repair that was carried out by my father to keep the 955 on the active list! One can also see authentic dust from the 1950s too!! :laugh: :laugh: The replacement axle is on the left. The difference in the size of the replacement axle can be seen with comparing the original rear axle on the right. It is not what one would call a very professional job, based on today's restorers, but to my mind it is a repair that is very, very special. Thank you very much Dad for doing this repair for your son! Your time and effort has been much appreciated and is a constant reminder of what a great Dad you were. Thank you. Kind regards Bruce(150) #612 8 June 2015

Bruce-- Thanks for both your earlier photos of the real Commer, and also your recent post showing that wonderful repair that your father did on yours. Our childhood tous are always special memories, for many reasons, but to have one that your dad had repaired with his own hands for you is beyond special.....it is extraordinary! Thanks so much for sharing that with us.... Regards, Terry

Nice account, Bruce! Still, I wonder how it is possible that the front axle and wheels just 'wear out'. I have neither ever seen that with this sturdy toy, nor can I imagine how that happens. Quite some deliberate pressure/force must have been used for the result as shown. My father - a chemist technical school teacher - had a very handy laboratory attendant, who fixed quite some toys for us (like soldering broken stanchions of the Foden chain lorry, repairing bent axles etc.). Kind regards, Jan

Jan I can well understand the confusion with my terminology of 'wear out'. What actually happened is that the axle head that had been 'turned' was of insufficient size that in time, the turned axle head either wore into the hub or the turned part became less with normal play-wear. This play-wear can be seen with the following image of my 513 Guy Flat Truck with Tailboard (that is actually now a 512 Guy Flat Truck with the tailboard having been removed (by me!!) when it became cracked from being used to grade my 'road' network in the absence of a Dinky road grader!) You will also have seen my Guy being pressed into service as a tank transporter, and no doubt the additional weight factory caused undue strain on the front axle! :laugh: I guess we can all laugh at the sacrilegious actions I did in the 1950s - but then, it WAS a TOY!! (Wait until I relate what I used to do with my 923 Big Bedford 'Heinz' van!!) A view of the driver's side of the Guy showing the other rounded end of the axle: The picture of the Guy with its Centurion Tank load actually shows something stuck on the hub in question which is no longer present - chewing gum??!! In any case, the hub on the Guy is still held by the axle but is in danger of becoming dislodged. Anyway, that is what happened to my Fire Engine, but for Dad to have made a new axle means that this young idiot lost the original axle!! Incidentally, I never subjected any of my Dinky Toys to deliberate force that would result in bent axles - just normal play-wear that increased following the laying of a tarred surface to my road system as discussed in another Thread that allowed for all-weather 'driving'! Of course, one can also say that I subjected the Guy to deliberate semi-destruction with the removal of its tailboard and everyone would be quite correct with that analysis, and I do hang my head in utter shame. Why didn't I hold my toys in such high regard like others, Jan and Terry coming immediately to mind! Kind regards Bruce (150) #618 11 June 2015

Ah, now I understand, Bruce. I have seen the same wear on my Mighty Antar Tank Transporter's front axle. But that was only after many years of very intensive play-war duty. And still it did not result in the wheel coming off. But I can imagine that sometimes the axle head may have been produced too tiny, as you showed, which is in fact a factory flaw. Please, do not think I have been careful with my childhood Dinky Toys. Many deliberate play-disasters have decimated our early Dinky 'Toys'. The survivors which are included in the present collection were almost 'collectors items' at later age (say 12-14 years of age). Earlier toys have 'evaporated', some lucky examples excepted. Kind regards, Jan

Thanks Jan - my vision of you carefully looking after your Dinky Toys when you were a wee lad has now been shattered!! You were just like the rest of us! One thing that saddens me with my collection, is that a large percentage were still mint and boxed, or maybe very near mint, before I left home in 1964. I collected them from my Mother in 1983 while still working in Papua New Guinea and I was 'devastated' when I saw what 19 years had done to them. Here I had been thinking that they were safe and Mum knew how much they meant to me, and yet my dear Mum had allowed some snotty nose urchin to 'play' with them! Not only that, but this urchin or urchins took it on themselves to steal at least nine of my Dinky Toys - DH Comet Airlines, Supermarine Swift, Tempest fighter, Centurion Tank (yes, The one on the back of my Guy!), Rover, Bedford Tipper in red, plastic wheels windows, silver grille, Bedford 3-ton Army Truck, Universal Jeep, Land-Rover, to name but a few. Kind regards Bruce (150) #629 12 June 2015

Hello Jan I have just been cross-checking the Posts/Discussions I have made and on reaching the 555/955 I thought I could add something to our discussion that took place in January 2015! I recently acquired a late issue 955 in a yellow lidded pictorial box, with the ordinary type of ladder (not nickel plated) (see picture below), and although the box lid does not have a Quality Inspection Stamp, the end of the box does have a price written on it of 8/11. This price was current from January 1964 to August 1965. The next price change occurred in January 1966 when the price increased to 9/11, so it is possible the price of 8/11 remained in force to the end of December 1965. This then provides further clues with the production of the 555/955 Fire Engine, as this model has:plastic hubs, matte base plate, silver painted ladder, grey hoses side and rear, large additional casting below the side hoses (the ends of the reel on the left side are filled in, and bright silver rear details (brighter than the ladder. The images are from the auction house as I have been unable to photograph the model myself! Hopefully I will replace these images with my own - one of these days! Kind regards Bruce(150) 10 February 2016 #762

Thanks very much, Bruce, for sharing these data. This does not contradict (yet) my provisional dating of 1964-1966 of equal models in this kind of box. Congratulation with this wonderful and remarkable addition! I have never seen an example of 955 with the transfers of the 259 (Miles Bedford) Fire Engine (?). Were they available separately too or could they have been factory applied some time? Interesting! Kind regards, Jan