Toy Story...

Another update that I forgot in the summer was another chance purchase of a piece of kit that whilst it wasn't carried by the hose layer, it was intrinsic to how it operated in conjunction with the 'green goddess' pumps, laying the hose for the pumps to plug in to.

Whilst at the Newark Emergency Services Heritage Show in July, a fellow owner had a real rarity - a genuine AFS 'relay pump indicator'. These are sensitive altimeters which are used to determine how close the emergency pumps are placed when relay pumping. If you go up hill, to compensate for the increased altitude and the effect of gravity, the indicator shows that the pumps need to be closer together. As you go down hill, it's the opposite - the indicator shows the pumps need to be further apart. The indicator dial reads in hose lengths - the 6 inch hose lengths of 75 feet that I purchased earlier this year. The standard distance between pumps on flat ground was 35 lengths.

A tip-off from another fellow owner led me to a military surplus dealer in East Yorkshire who duly posted this rarity to me. It's not much use these days but it is a fascinating piece of kit!

Hose It Down...

One thing I forgot to add over the summer was that after chancing upon some canvas 6 inch hose last year, I finally plucked up the courage to buy a few lengths of the later - and more usable - plastic 6 inch hose. It's not something you can get hold of that easily these days but there are some sources, not least L Jackson and Company up near Doncaster. They still have some - apparently reasonably popular with farmers for irrigation - but they do know how much it is worth! No discounts for cash! Luckily I don't need half a mile so when I popped up there in August, three 75 foot lengths was more than enough for demonstration purposes and also to use in displays at shows should the need ever arise. Just what a hose layer needs - more hose!