Phillie Drive By

Phillie Drive By

Philadelphia, Pa.

May 2020

Philadelphia Fire Boat 2 - 1982

More pictures from the International Association of Fire Chiefs Convention in Philly back in September of 1982. These are Philadelphia Fire Department's Fire Boat 2.

More from the IAFC Convention in Philly - 1982

McKinley Fire Company 

Abington Township Fire Department

Elkins Park, Montgomery County, Pa

 older Mack engine

 Philadelphia Fire Department

Air Unit

 Philadelphia Fire Department

Foam Pumper

 Philadelphia Fire Department

Giant Deluge

 Philadelphia Fire Department

Tower 6

Washington Fire Company No. 1

Conshohocken, Montgomery County, Pa

IAFC Convention in Philly - 1982

 Blenheim Fire Company

Gloucester Township

Blackwood, NJ

 Chews Volunteer Fire Company No. 1

Blackwood, NJ

 City of Coatesville Bureau of Fire

Chester County, Pa

 Colonial Fire Department

Hamilton, NJ (possibly)

 Engine 3

 Maple Shade Fire Department

Maple Shade, NJ

 Marlton Fire Company No. 1

Marlton, NJ

now Evesham Fire and Rescue

Marlton Fire Company No. 1

Marlton, NJ

now Evesham Fire and Rescue

In September of 1982 I was in Philadelphia with a group of guys from my fire company at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Convention. Here is just some of the apparatus we saw.

Bala Cynwyd to Manyunk

 The Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill River looking at Montgomery County from the Philadelphia side.

Dance and Acting

The City of Brotherly Love has everything. This studio sits along Ridge Avenue at Lauriston Street somewhere between Manayunk and East Falls. I did some fruitless searching to get evidence that this building was once a movie theater but came up empty handed. I still think it is.

Chinatown Friendship Gate

The Chinatown Friendship Gate at 10th and Arch Street in Philadelphia. This is the first authentic gate built by Chinese artisans in America. Built in 1983/84 as a symbol of cultural exchange with Philly's sister city, Tianjin, China.

Philadelphia's Siren Song

The picture is from Ladder 30, the video is from last spring while I was doing some work in northwest Philadelphia. The video includes Engine 12 on Ridge Avenue, TransCare Ambulance, Medic 290 and Battalion Chief 9 on Henry Avenue, Medic 41, American Transport and Jeff Stat Ambulances on Ridge Avenue, Engine 35 on Henry and Ladder 35 leaving quarters on Ridge Avenue in East Falls.

Reluctant Roger, the Insecure Groundhog

Phil's cousin, Reluctant Roger, here doesn't want to come out. You see he's not afraid of his shadow, he grew up on the outskirts of Philadelphia. No, what scares him the most is irate weathermen who fear he's out to make them look bad. Six more weeks of winter? Early spring?

1 Hour Cleaners (PG 182)

Sometimes when I'm digging around in the files room, I find pictures I took, intended for specific posts, but got swept away when the next big thing came along. Here's a good example. I took a hundred pictures or so this week (back in May) I spent working in northwest Philly. Some were posted elsewhere. And one thing led to another and the 4 or 5 pictures that I took of the old 1 Hour Cleaners in the East Falls neighborhood (4255 Ridge Avenue) were forgotten until now. Not that this is the perfect picture or one suitable for framing, but hey, that's never been the intention here.

Loring Building Products (PG 181)

Loring Building Products is still an active business located on Main Street, Manayunk, Philadelphia. And yes that is Philly Fire Department Engine 12 on the left there. But beside the big old Painted Gentleman check out the U.S. Hotel Bar and Grille. That is a cool old building isn't it?

Co Asbestos

An old manufacturing warehouse  of some sort. Not sure what else the smoke stack read. Now it is simply CO ASBESTOS. Northeast corner of Stokely Street and Roberts Avenue in northwest Philadelphia.

Header Review 11

I kind of forgot to do a Header Review last month, so here it is now. These are the headers from the past six months.

• May 2012 - this is the front of our new fire station. The lettering was not done yet. And on June 16, 2012 the Vigilant Hose Company No. 1 and Shippensburg Area EMS dedicated their new home on the intersection of Walnut Bottom Road and East Orange Street in Shippensburg, Pa.
• June 2012 - Mimmo's Pizza played host to the Outskirts this month. Mimmo's sits on the intersection of Hunting Park Avenue and Henry Avenue in the City of Philadelphia. Brought to you by Blah Blah Soda.
• July 2012 - scenes from the March to Destiny street skirmish. Shippensburg was occupied by Confederate troops in late June and early July of 1863 while the troops made their way to Gettysburg. Shippensburg commemorate this every year on the last weekend of June.
• August 2012 - details of the Market Street National Bank , now the Residence Inn, in center city Philadelphia.
• September 2012 - scenes from Charm City. The Orioles outfield celebrates another win, too bad it wasn't against to evil empire in October before the Yankees rolled over and played dead for the Tigers.
• October 2012 - Home Away From Home; downtown Eagle Colorado. The brick building on the left? The Brush Creek Saloon... Pork & green chiles and a draft Fat Tire. Well worth the 29 hour drive.

Manayunk Bridge

Main Street Manayunk looking northwest. The overpass is the Manayunk Bridge, or Pencoyd Viaduct, it is an old Pennsylvania Railroad bridge. SEPTA later took over the bridge but closed in in 1986. I had better pictures of it crossing the Schuylkill River I'll have to post sometime. Manayunk is in Northwest Philadelphia, Pa.

Philadelphia Engine 12 House

Philadelphia Fire Department, Engine Company 12. 4447 Main Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa. Located in the Manayunk neighborhood. Battalion 9. Built in 1927. Once also home to Ladder 25, who is now stationed in East Falls with Engine 35. Philadelphia's first volunteer fire company began in 1736 and in 1870 City Council passed an ordinance creating the Philadelphia Fire Department. Gargoyles, such as these lions, seem common to some of the old Philly stations.

Cresson Street Mural (PG 179)

This mural is along Cresson Street in the Manayunk neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia. As near as I can find it is call Manaunk Passage by Ken Millington assisted by Bryan Miller and was dedicated  December16, 2003. I like how they incorporated the bridge builders date (1929) into the mural. This is my second train mural from Philly... see here.

Society Hill (PG 178)

Painted Gentleman 178. Society Hill Furniture, 1031-33 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The building, originally called the Wurlitzer Piano Building, was built in 1894. Society Hill Furniture called it home from 1963 until closing up shop in 2008.

Philly FD

Philadelphia Fire Department. More later.

Billy McK's Bike Parking

An assortment of motorbike's cycles and scooters lined along Philadelphia City Hall by the William McKinley Statue.

Lucky Strike, Philly

Yes, a bowling alley in center city Philadelphia. Lucky Strike, at 1336 Chestnut Street, is actually a nightclub/ bowling alley franchise. Who would have thought of something like this?