Year

Nation

Maker

Description

Picture

1951

U.S.

American La France

Model 700 fire engine. ex - Miami, AZ

American La France Type 700 fire engine. 1951.  American La France introduced the model 700 in 1946.  The cab forward / midship engine model increased maneuverability, allowed easy access to the pump and engine, and seated a full engine company. This made it unnecessary for crewmen to ride to the fire on running boards or the rear “step”, a practice which killed hundreds of firemen.  Soon all American manufacturers copied the “cab forward” style.  It continues to dominate fire engine design.

U.S.

Robinson

"Jumbo" 1000 gpm Rotary Pumper ex-Gila Bend AZ FD.  Originally used in Globe, AZ.

In October of 1998 the Hall of Flame received a rare Robinson fire engine on loan from the town of Gila Bend, Arizona.  The rig was bought from the St. Louis manufacturer in 1915 by the mining town of Globe, Arizona, and sold to Gila bend around 1940.  After a few years it was retired and left in storage.  In 1993 the firefighters of Gila Bend began its restoration, and the project was completed in 1997.  It has a 1,000 gpm rotary pump and a large hose bed.  It apparently did not have a chemical tank.   It is powered by a 1,000 cubic inch six cylinder T-head engine.  Only one other Robinson engine is known to be in existence.  It is owned by the town of Staunton, Virginia, and has been fully restored.

The rig was approaching its 50th birthday, an advanced age for fire engines in service.  The decision was made to donate it to the Hall of Flame.  A Timberline - Fernwood firefighter drove the rig from Flagstaff to a firefighter workshop in Mesa, Arizona, where it was placed on display.  Following the display Hall of Flame volunteers and staff drove it to the museum in nearby Phoenix.    We are very glad to have a rig that was built by Van Pelt, especially with the Hall-Scott engine, which was highly regarded for power and reliability by western fire departments. We've also been looking for a chassis by Diamond T, which is regarded as one of the premier American truck builders.  Beyond a few accessories, some minor paint work, and new upholstery for the driver and officer seat, the piece is in top condition.  It is pictured above at the Timberline - Fernwood storage building.

1924 American La France Type 45 Triple Combination Fire Engine.  This engine was delivered to the Volunteer Fire Department of Pullman, Washington, where it was in first line service until 1961, when it was placed out of service and sold to a retired Pullman firefighter.  He used it in parades for about thirty years.  It was sold to Mr. Jonathan Ornstein of Paradise Valley, Arizona in 1992.  Mr. Ornstein donated the rig to the Hall of Flame in 2007.  

Don Hale restored the engine to its original configuration in 2008.  The engine has a 1,000 gallon per minute pump of the rotary style.  Its original chemical tank was replaced with an 80 gallon booster tank.  It can carry over 1200 feet of hose.  These capabilities  make it a “Triple Combination” fire engine.  It also carries an extension ladder, but it was rated only as an accessory, like an ax or pike pole.  

The straight six T Head engine has three spark plugs per cylinder.  The three spark plug configuration sets it apart from the Type 12 engines, which had only two spark plugs per cylinder.  This engine was thus titled the Type 45.  There are no other differences between this engine and the Type 12. One set of plugs is powered by a battery and controlled by a distributor, allowing the engine to use an electric starting motor.  Two sets of plugs are powered by a magneto.  This allowed the engine to continue running even if the battery became depleted.  Three plugs also provided multiple sparks to ignite the low octane gasoline used by motor vehicles in the 1920s.  Most American La France engines in the early 1920s came with hard rubber tires.  This rig was delivered with pneumatic tires that allowed it to reach a top speed of about 35 miles per hour.

We are indebted to the members of the West End Fire Company of Stowe, Pennsylvania for the donation of their carefully maintained 1948 Buffalo custom saloon cab fire engine in December of 2007.  Museum volunteer Mark Kauffman, who grew up near the Company, convinced the firefighters of the West End Fire Company that the museum would be a fine home for their rig.  The Company owned the rig for its entire life, adding improvements without changing the truck's elegant appearance.  Its original Hercules gasoline engine has been replaced by a diesel.  

The Buffalo Fire Appliance Company of Buffalo, New York enjoyed an excellent reputation for the quality of its pumpers, chemical engines, quads and city service ladder trucks.  Between its founding in 1922 and its demise in 1948 the company built thousands of pieces of apparatus.  The design for our rig was introduced in 1939.  Its sleek appearance is based on the art deco principles that influenced rival builders like American La France.  Despite its high reputation, the company suffered financial losses that forced it to close its doors in June of 1948.  Our rig was one of the last to come from its assembly line.

Museum member and volunteer Jeff Trevas recently donated his nicely restored one of a kind New England Truck Company hose truck once used by the fire department of Worcester, Massachusetts.  NETCO, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, built commercial trucks between 1914 and 1938, including a few pieces of fire apparatus.  Jeff has done quite a bit of research on the truck.  It was built in 1916 on a Model F chassis as a hose truck for the Worcester Fire Department at a cost of $2,450.  Its original engine was a Continental straight four.  

Worcester is fairly hilly, and the truck had difficulty getting around town.  In 1930 the WFD completed an extensive rebuild.  They managed to squeeze a six cylinder Continental engine into the little truck.  They also added a thirty gallon booster tank below the officer's seat and piped the water to a PTO driven 75 gpm  rotary gear pump.  They also installed a hose basket from a surplus rig and filled it with booster hose to supplement its 500 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose .  The truck was retired sometime during the 1950s.

Jeff has completed a fine restoration.  The truck is in excellent running condition.