Project Marlin
1989 Fire Trucks Ltd Marlin
The very first Marlin built and the only one built under the Fire Trucks banner.
It is believed this is the last surviving Marlin.
"That's not a truck, Its a bungalow! you should pay council tax on that" Jimmy November '19
Project History
Once upon a time, not very long ago a man decided that he needed a small project to keep him occupied while on gardening leave. He started to searching the internet for a nice 1980's fire truck (Think Dennis RS) that needed a bit of work and would be fun to take to shows when done.
After finding a large airport fire truck listed as £POA, he made a call thinking it was an un-affordable pipe dream which resulted in a trip across the country and two weeks later the arrival of the Marlin. The Marlin is probably one of the very largest fire engine in preservation in the UK today and possibly one of the rarest in the world.
Project Marlin keyring are now avaliable from @eilmers_bazaar These are a limmited run of 35 in Mars Red and individually numbers. Currently they are only able to be shipped within the UK. https://www.eilmersbazaar.co.uk/shop/index.php?id_product=239&controller=product #projectmarlin #firetrucks #reynoldsboughton #arff #marlin #detroitdiesel #12v92ta #12v92 #project #manchesterairport #eilmersbazaar
We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with the fantastic @eilmers_bazaar who will be making and retailing project Marlin keyring for us. The first batch is a limited run of 35 made from Mars Red fluorescent acrylic and will be numbered. Watch this space for details of when they will be avaliable! #projectmarlin #eilmersbazaar #firetrucks #reynoldsboughton #marlin #manchesterairport #arff #detroitdiesel #12v92ta #12v92 #project
Some days the challenges of this project feel insurmountable. Today is one of those days. Its been nearly 2 days work to get the wiring stripped out of the dash this far and it still looks like it will never come out and if it does will never go back in. I think I'll call it a day before I succumb to the urge to take the snips to it all. #projectmarlin #firetrucks #12v92 #detroitdiesel #reynoldsboughton #12v92ta #marlin
Looking forward to the Virtual Emergency Vehicle Show this Sunday 26th April on Facebook the Virtual transport has been booked to get the Marlin there. #vevs20 #vevs2020 #projectmarlin #marlin #firetrucks #reynoldsboughton #ringway #manchester #manchesterairport #manchesterairportrunwayviewingpark #arff
Once the Marlin arrived we started assessing the work that needs to be done and found it was far more that we originally expected (isn't it always). Just a few of the problems we found include the cab floor and front frame to be very rotten, major air system issues (Stuck valves and leaks) and no brakes (foot or parking). To follow the work we are doing to bring he back to a show worthy condition watch our videos here.