European Railroad Discussion > [Belgium] Ghent trams, firefighter porn

Ghent is a distinctly medieval city in Belgium, noted for its architecture and canals. The city has priced private cars out of the downtown area, and made the pedestrian and tram friendly area very accessible.

The light rail / tram system runs from the college and large parking facility, under the mainline train station, and on into the center of town, perhaps a mile away. The fare is on the honor system. If you buy a day pass, you have to validate it, otherwise I guess people use unlimited monthly passes or cheat.

The Ghent ("Gent" locally) town administrators had a ceremonial viewing of their two new fire trucks while I was sampling a few of the 300 local beers brewed in Belgium. Because the streets are very narrow, and often have tight corners, 90 foot long tower and ladder trucks found in the US don't work well here.

These two units have some very interesting aspects to them. The squirt truck can extend its tower 60 feet, with a series of extensions. The ladder truck has a wheeled hose storage which can be used to recover hose after a fire. It's retractable, like a vacuum cleaner hose. If necessary, the hose unit can be detached and the unit rolled to the nearest hydrant.

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Nice photos. I particularly like the firefighter porn!

Stephen Craven
Hiawatha Iowa FD

Interesting firetruck pics. Thanks.

Dave.