1953 White Fire Truck

One of my favorite streets in town has to be a 800 foot stretch of 6th North Street just west of Hiawatha Blvd. Seemingly nothing more than a collection of repurposed or abandoned industrial buildings this strip of broken asphalt has provide more than a few jems over the years. Remember this Brockway 359? Or the remains of an Syracuse DPW Autocar? Or this CSX locomotive? Get the picture? If you look closely in the background you’ll notice a Mack truck or two. They have also been featured on this site but I can’t seem to find them at the moment. But that’s enough of past topics, lets focus on the present.

I originally had no plans to head down this street until I noticed this old fire truck sitting at a truck repair shop. I quickly made a U-Turn and headed back to view what turned out to be an White fire truck.

White Fire Truck

The door and hood clearly show the former shield of the Merrimac, Mass fire department. Not knowing too much, if anything, about old fire trucks I turned to my old friend Google. I figured at some point, someone, had to take a picture of this truck when it was still in active service. Once again the information age did not disappoint and I quickly found the backstory on this truck. On FireNews.org you’ll find this truck appearing in four different shots. It’s listed as both Engine 33 and 3. Hmmm. It’s also listed as a 1956 and 1952 model White. Hmmm. Heading over to the actual Merrimac Fire Department page you’ll find yet another conflicting date, this time the truck is listed a ’53. I’ll stick with the information from the original owners. The actual firefighting power comes from a Farrah body that carries 650 gallons of water that flows through a 550 GPM front mounted pump. Gas powered and with low gears this truck is able to creep and pump at the same time which makes it perfect for brush fire applications.

No word on how it ended up here in Syracuse. Maybe it’s found a new local owner or maybe it’s just laying over on its journey to some other destination. Cool rig either way.

UPDATE:

I was browsing through Craigslist the other day when I came across the listing for this truck. Officially it is listed as a 1953 White WC20 with a White 130A G L12 6 cyl gas engine. A 5 speed manual is waiting for you to row through the gears. Below, a few more photos from the original ad. Asking price is $9,500.

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3 Responses to 1953 White Fire Truck

  1. Mark Bickelhaupt says:

    Great fire truck. Front mounts don’t pump water as they are moving. They they have to be stationary to do their thing. Front mounts were mostly used in communities that don’t have a hydrant system. Water comes from streams & ponds. Also with the pump in the front, the truck can go to places that the water is. that Mid mounts need alot of room to do their thing. Farrar made alot of kool classic fire trucks in the Mass, NH Vermont area. Farrar is no more. Great find.

  2. Jason says:

    Great old rig. Hope to see more fire trucks featured in the future.

    Jason C
    Indiana

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