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Los Angeles Fire Department

Motorized Horse-Drawn
Apparatus
By Walt Pittman

The  following horse-drawn apparatus were motorized with tractors.
SHOP NUMBER SERIAL NUMBER

DESCRIPTION:

6 544 1888 Ahrens 2nd Size
7 537 1888 Ahrens 4th Size
10 2640 1899 Metropolitan 1st Size
13 2638 1899 Metropolitan 3rd Size
15 685 1905 Nott 2nd Size
16 551 1904 Nott 2nd Size
19 3089 1905 Metropolitan 3rd Size
21 3091 1906 Metropolitan 3rd Size
22 3183 1907 American La-France Ex 1st Size
24 3158 1906 Metropolitan 4th Size
26 741 1909 Nott 3rd Size
27 173 1910 Continental 4th Size
73 1910 Anderson City Service Truck
74 1905 Seagrave 85' Aerial Truck
75 1898 Seagrave City Service Truck
79 1905 Gorter 65' Water Tower

Tractors purchased for motorizing horse-drawn apparatus.

YEAR
1913

Seagrave WC-80 (Water Cooled), 4-wheeled tractor.  Serial Number 8351

1914

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1914

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1914

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1914

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1915

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1915

Christie 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1918

American La-France 2-wheeled, front-drive tractor.

1918

American La-France 4-wheeled tractor.

NOTES:

Tractors replacing horses were not assigned shop numbers of their own. * They assumed the number of the apparatus to which they were attached.
    (
* Exception - in 1922, after the wreck of Truck 5, s/n 74 became
         s/n 77, and the new ALF aerial trailer was given the s/n 74.)

Many of these tractors pulled as many as two and three different steamers or ladder trucks during their tenure.  Each re-assignment brought with it a different shop number.  So, many of these tractors worked under different numbers.  The general use of Shop Numbers did not appear until mid-1914.

 

Related topics:


American LaFrance
Front-Drive Tractor Type 31


THE LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT'S
NINE MECHANICAL HORSES

By Walt Pittman

 


Los Angeles Fire Department

Motorized Horse-Drawn
Apparatus Assignments
By Walt Pittman

 * * * C O M P A N Y  A S S I G N M E N T S * * *

Tractor Type

Shop
Numbers

1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1927 1928 1929 1930

1913 Seagrave WC80
S/N 8351

15
73

Engine 30    s/n 15
11/17/13 to 8/25/18
Truck 1       s/n 73
08/29/18 to 12/22

Stored in
relief.

Truck 16    s/n73

Stored
relief at E11

Note:  Right after WWII, Shop No. 73 was sold to Mr. Louie Gobels of 1000 Oaks, Ca.  Around 1950, Mr. Gobels sold s/n 73 to Mr. Ward Kimball of San Gabriel.  Sometime during the late 50's or early 60's Mr. Kimball gave it to Travel Town.
 

Christie 2-Wheeled, 
Front Drive Tractors

6  

Engine 2
(1914 Christie)

Shops

 
Notes:  
--4 purchased in 1914 and 2 in 1915.

--No Christie Serial Numbers available.
Tractors always assumed the Shop Number (s/n) of the Engine to which they were attached.
13  

Engine 11 
(1914 Christie)

Engine 29
(From E11 9/21/14)

Shops
for repairs

Engine 29

Sold 12/10/23 to Hirsch/Seagrave.
27  

Engine 20
(1914 Christie)

Engine 30

Engine 20
(From E-30)

Sold 12/31/23 to Hirsch/Seagrave.
24  

Engine 25
(1914 Christie)

Engine 2

Engine 25
(s/n 7 stored)

Sold 11/29/14 to Hirsch/Seagrave.
Sold 1924/25 to Warner Brothers.
19  

Engine 6 
(1915 Christie)

Shops

Engine 6
(Replaces s/n 16)

Sold 11/28/23 to Hirsch/Seagrave.
  21  

Engine 22 
(1915 Christie)

Engine 30

Shops

Engine 30
(s/n 7 to E-20)

Christie removed and placed on No.75.
s/n 21 retired and s/n 75 placed in relief.
  26  

Engine 2
(1914 Christie)
(s/n  26 replaces s/n 6 Same tractor.)

Shops
for repairs

Engine 2
(s/n 24 to E-25)

Shops

 
  7

 

Engine 25
(1915 Christie)
(s/n 24 to E-2)     

Stored

   
  16  

Engine 6
(1915 Christie)
(s/n 10 to shops)

   
  10  

Engine 15
Engine 2
(1914 Christie)

(Replaces s/n 26)

Sold 7/16/23 to Hal Roach Studios via  Hirsch/Seagrave.
Sold to Lindley Bothwell who later
sold it to Wayne, New Jersey.
  75   1915 Christie - Relief Truck until 1927. Vacated 1928.
Disposition unknown.
 

1918 American La-France Tractors, 
2-Wheeled, Front Drive

22
79

 

Engine 3    s/n 22
(From 9/18)

  7/19/21 -  replaced by s/n 124.
10/13/21 - s/n 79 - Water Tower No. 1 (65' Gorter) in service.

1918 American La-France Tractor,
4-Wheeled

74

 

Truck 2
(From 9/18 to 5/22)

1922 - Truck 5, s/n 77's tractor takes s/n 74 - (T-2) the horse-drawn 1905 Seagrave aerial trailer  (after the wreck of Truck 5's trailer) and becomes Truck 5, s/n 77 thereafter.

9/8/22 the 1918 ALF Tractor was attached to a new 1922 ALF 85' aerial trailer and on 12/18/23, went into service as Truck 1.  Shop number 74 was reassigned to this apparatus. 

xx

Tractor Type

Shop
Numbers

1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922  

12/7/32 Truck 1 becomes Truck 10. 
All Truck numbers were changed to the same number as the Engine Company where they were quartered.

1936 Truck 10 (ALF 4-wheeled tractor was replaced with a new ALF V-12 tractor and remained as s/n 74 running as Truck 10 until 1945).

 

 

Motorized Horse-Drawn Apparatus Records compiled by Walt Pittman, July 22, 1988.

 

 


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