Hall of Flame Photo Gallery Page 1

1920 Kissell Ladder Wagon. The Kissell Motor Car Company of Hartford, Wisconsin, was famous for its sporty cars, especially the Gold Bug. Kissell also made trucks. They built this long base chassis for their home town in 1920. The Hartford FD then placed the body from a horse drawn Seagrave ladder wagon atop the chassis and voila! they had a city service ladder truck. They kept this truck in service until about 1965, when they sold it to the Hall of Flame. The rig was refurbished at the Hall of Flame around 1970.

Above: Four views of the museum's 1957 Van Pelt / Diamond T fire engine originally purchased by the Flagstaff, Arizona, FD. It was in service for almost twenty years with the Timberline - Fernwood FD (just north of Flagstaff) and was refurbished by that department. Timberline-Fernwood donated the engine to the hall of Flame in 2001. The rig has a 900 cubic inch hall-Scott engine, a 1,250 gpm Boardman single stage pump, and a Hardie high pressure fog pump. For more information go to the Whats New Page.

1915 Robinson fire engine. originally used in Globe Arizona. Sold to Gila Bend, Arizona FD around 1942. Restored by the Gila bend FD and on loan to the Hall of Flame. It has a 1,000 gpm rotary pump. Only one other Robinson in Staunton, Virginia is known to exist.

1935 American La France Model 400 fire engine from Norfolk, Nebraska. Donated by Mr. Bernie Lowe. Restored by Don Hale. It has a 1,250 gpm rotary pump and the famous American La France V-12 engine.

1927 Ahrens - Fox Type J fire engine. One of 27 Type Js purchased by the Detroit FD. It has the small Ahrens Fox straight 6 engine and a 750 gpm piston pump. It does not have a booster tank. Detroit rigs were usually equipped with a rubberized canvas windshield. This rig was in service in Detroit until about 1950, when it was donated to Detroit Fire Commissioner Paxton Mendelsohn. Mr. Mendelsohn was a generous supporter of the Detroit FD and gave the department several pieces of apparatus and ambulances. Mr. Mendelsohn loaned the rig to the fire department of Lexington, Kentucky, which used it for eight years and then returned it to Mr. Mendselsohn. In 1964 Mr. Mendelsohn donated the engine to the Hall of Flame. The engine has not yet been restored. It was refurbished in the Detroit shops during the 1940s.

1928 Seagrave City Service Ladder Truck. Originally purchased by the city of Urbana, Illinois, the Downers grove, Illinois FD bought it in 1950. It was a perfect match for Downer Grove's 1927 Seagrave Standard fire engine. In fact the two rigs came off the Seagrave assembly line only a couple of months apart. This truck has a full complement of ground ladders and extrication tools. The original pair of chemical tanks were replaced in 1964 by a generator and search lights. Together with the pumper, this rig were sold to a private individual in 1968. When he died he left the two rigs to the Hall of Flame. They were both restored at the museum during the 1980s by Don Hale.

This 1927 Seagrave Standard Fire Engine was used by the Fire department of Downers Grove, Illinois until the late 1960s. It has a two stage centrifugal pump rated at 750 gpm at volume. It has a 200 gallon booster tank, 300 feet of 3/4 inch booster hose, 1200 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose, a pair of hard suction hoses, a 24 foot extension ladder and a 12 foot roof ladder. This is the standard equipment of a first class "Triple" fire engine of the twenties and thirties. It is shaft drive with four wheel brakes. Its straight six T head engine displaces 1,000 cubic inches and generates well over 100 horsepower. It was restored at the Hall of Flame by Don Hale.

Hall of Flame

Museum of Firefighting