An American LaFrance Steam Fire Engine No. 496, 1904,
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American LaFrance No. 1: A Manufacturer's History
Built for the Greensboro, North Carolina Fire Department in 1904. This engine was the first built under the new company name and might well have been numbered American LaFrance No. 1.
Technical Specs
- Class: Second Size Steam Engine
- Capacity: 750 Gallons Per Minute
- Pressure: 120 PSI
- Output: 15 Barrels of water per minute
- Steam Time: Full pressure in 3 minutes
Dimensions:
8ft High x 6ft Wide x 14ft Long
Restoration Details
Restored in 1971 by Cedar Point with authentic Red, Gold, and Black decoration. Includes authentic Dietz-King lanterns and a period-correct brass bell.
Horses and High Pressure
The engine was drawn by two highly trained horses stabled directly in the fire house. Upon the sounding of a telegraph alarm from a corner fire box, the system would automatically sound a bell, turn on the lights, and release the horses from their stalls.
"The horses and men would run to the engine and with a few quick snaps of the suspended harness, the horses were hitched and the engine would swing out of the station within 25 seconds."
Once at the scene, the big boiler would raise operating steam in just three minutes from cold water. Greensboro firemen used this four-ton machine from 1904 until the 1920s in everyday service, and it remained in reserve through the 1930s. It was last pumped around 1940.
The Journey to Sandusky
After leaving Greensboro, the engine was purchased by D.R. Callaway (Winston-Salem) before moving to the Hialeah Fire Engine Museum in 1951. It later spent time in Blowing Rock, NC and Gatlinburg, TN before being acquired for the Town Hall Museum at Cedar Point in Ohio in 1970.
http://gfhbc.org/steam-fire-engine-no-496-1904.html#sigProGalleria452eaf72b7
Article written November 26, 1973 by Thomas C. Layton, Manager of Art Services and Restoration of Cedar Point, Inc.