Tag Archives: pyronaut

Pyronaut in Action (again!)

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The 93 year-old fire float ‘PYRONAUT’, one of the working exhibits at M Shed, was called back into action on Friday 26th June 2026 to help cool down the large swing bridge at Cumberland Basin.
The extreme heat wave has been causing the bridge girders to expand and stop it from being able to open and close, so a dose of harbour water is handy to help cool the steel down.
Coincidentally I had a day off and Bob gave me a heads-up about this operation, so I was able to cycle out and catch ‘Pyronaut’ passing Albion Dockyard and capture the event on video.
Katie also came along and took some cracking photos-see below.

Pyronaut to the Rescue!

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Due to the current heatwave, Plimsoll Bridge (at the Cumberland Basin end of the Harbour) ran into difficulties. The swinging section of the bridge had expanded in the heat and couldn’t close!
Avon Fire and Rescue were called out to hose down the upper surface of the bridge, while the Harbour Master put in a call to M Shed, who scrambled a crew to get the 92-year old Fire Float ‘Pyronaut’ in to spray the underside with water.
It was ‘Pyronaut’s first shout in 54 years!
Thanks to David Stagg for these photos:

Last Day of the Season and a Farewell to Portbury

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Last Sunday (30th October) was the final operating day of the 2022 season for the working exhibits. Pyronaut was givng rides in the harbour and Portbury was working its final shift before being withdrawn for the upcoming 10-year overhaul.

… And that was it! ‘Farewell Portbury’ chalked on the smokebox door, ashed out over the pit, fire dropped, then back on shed. I couldn’t resist putting the Patrick nameplates (in honour of a friend) back on for a quick photo.

The team have wasted no time in starting the stripdown for overhaul, making the most of a gap in the weather this week. Thanks to Beth for these pics.