Final Parking Space: 1957 American LaFrance 800 Series Fire Engine
What happens to old fire trucks when they wear out or become obsolete? Some lucky ones get forever homes with enthusiasts (which is easier when they’re tiny kei trucks), but others end up in the local vehicle graveyard. That’s what happened to this American LaFrance pumper, which now resides near a 1952 International L-130 tow truck at a yard in Englewood, Colorado.
Englewood is a city of 34,000 located just south of Denver, and it had its own fire department from 1907 until it was merged with the Denver Fire Department in 2015.
It appears that this truck worked out of Englewood Station 22, about 15 blocks away from its current residence. It was designated as Engine 2 and/or Pumper 2, replacing a 1948 American LaFrance and itself replaced by a 1972 Seagrave/Pierce.
American LaFrance had a history going back to the 19th century. The company went through a number of ownership changes, moves, and financial difficulties after this truck was built in Elmira, New York. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008, the company shut its doors forever in 2014.
The mid-mounted engine is a Detroit Diesel 6-71, an inline-six two-stroke.
The label on the valve cover indicates a build date in the middle 1970s, so this wasn’t the original powerplant.
Since the engine has to run a serious water pump for hours on end while fighting fires, the “Motor Miles” counter on the tachometer kept track of total engine use.
How many Englewood lives did this truck help save?
Most folks don’t go to a self-service junkyard for parts like these, but this truck will be a bonanza for anyone restoring old firefighting machinery. Let’s hope it avoids the crusher for a while.
My son and I have some vintage fire engines which are a lot of fun for parades and birthday parties, etc.. Though they take up some room. Like all vintage vehicles, the trick is driving them enough to keep them working correctly. This truck likely had a massive Hercules flathead 6-cylinder motor, 800 cubic inches or so.
I bet that Detroit Diesel would still run if the injection pump was working.
This likely went to scrap because it is yellow. No one is too excited about a yellow fire engine in a parade. Red is the only way to go.
If you can find an injection pump on that Detroit I’ll buy you a box of donuts
Detroit was an early adopter of unit injectors
Unless they are at or near parade quality, there’s not a lot of draw for old fire trucks
I will say from a past life of working on them that they have extremely overbuilt drivetrains and tend to be late adopters of anything emissions related.
My limited experience as a volunteer in an Oregon rural volunteer fire district was interesting. Most of our equipment was handed down from larger outfits, but always maintained with respect and usually very low hours on the clock. We in turn would pass on the rigs to others as we obtained pre-owned replacements. I heard a story of how a team of our volunteers drove one truck about 1500 miles to a needy fire department in Mexico to donate it for their use. They were thrilled to get it. The fire service is a truly international brotherhood.
I would love to see this thing live again. It has lived a long and likely very productive life.
Are you looking for forlorn cars from a much earlier time? Email me, I just spent my AM in a real elephant’s graveyard, and there are ten acres or more of interesting derelicts, from an Airflow body to a row Datsun 280’s, Miatas, Bertone 850’s, five 1961-62 Pontiac Tempests, not to mention heavy equipment and tractors. Depressing for a child of the ‘fifties, but the parts are fairly reasonable. Ole’ Wick in N CA
What a shame. I would think that they would part these out until there was nothing left.