Originally purchased in 1902 by Reno Fire Dept. as their Engine 1. This unit served Reno FD for many years. One of the California Fire Museum and Safety Learning Center founding members found this rig in 1991 in Fallbrook CA. in a barn of a Railroad buff and collector. The rig was only 40% complete. 3 members of CFM-SLC had previously agreed to put $5000 each, together to find and purchase a Steamer. When Dave and Barbara Hubert round this vehicle, and finding it was only 40% complete two of the members decided it was not worth purchasing due to the lack of vision of how the vehicle could be used, only 40% complete, and without the Fire Pump which was part of what was missing.
They felt it would be like taking a car to a car show, and opening the hood, only to find the motor missing from this fantastic restored car. Barbara secretively purchased this for Dave’s Anniversary Present, and had it delivered to his driveway to be found by Dave that morning of his anniversary, 1991. Dave quickly began researching the vehicle for any markings, serial #’s etc. Dave found markings for Reno FD, and traveled to Reno to further research, finding the vehicle was decommissioned and parted in 1920, with parts going different ways. Dave’s research found about 1920 this rig was decommissioned by Reno FD, and parts were sold for other purposes.
The Fire Pump was sold to the City of Oakland for use as a Fire Pump to be located on the City Docks as a Fire Pump, connected to an gasoline powered motor. After traveling to Oakland and further research, Dave found that at some point, years later the pump and motor were sold to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad for use on a flat bed car, used on the rail line from Sacramento to Reno, on the last car of the train, right in front of the Caboose Car.
As the train entered the Snow Sheds along the Sierra Nevada Mountain Donner Pass, the engineer would signal the caboose to staff the Fire Pump Car, with the Fire Pump attached to the gasoline motor, and a large water tank, and railroad fire staff would staff hose lines to extinguish any fires started by the Steam Train Engine blowing clinkers of coal on the underside of the all wood snow sheds.
At about the same time as the vehicle being sold for parts, another private collector purchased the remaining parts of the Steam Fire Engine and moved them to Fallbrook to his train barn, where Dave and Barbara found it listed for sale, after meeting the owner at a Steam Vehicle Event in San Diego County.
Dave and his son spent the next 5 year restoring the vehicle to original status, as found from pictures from Reno FD. He had to have many missing parts manufactured, after an agreement with Los Angeles Fire Museum to remove their parts from an identical 1900’s American Steam Fire Engine, have them manufactured and reinstalled first to Los Angeles City Engine, before rebuilding his own Steamer.
After numerous attempts to find the Pump, Dave had given up hope. While Dave and Barbara were visiting the Cal. State Fair in Sacramento around 1993, Dave wanted to visit the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. On a Sunday, while nonchalantly walking through the Railroad Museum Dave passed a glass case enclosure and realized inside the case was what looked like a Fire Steam Engine Fire Pump. Getting excited about his find, and considering he knew his vehicle’s pump was owned by the Railroad, he came back on Monday to discuss with the Curator of the Museum his thoughts.
Low and Behold, it was the exact pump, confirmed by serial numbers Dave had found in other research, that belonged to Dave’s Engine. As recorded in a professionally done Video CD Documentary of the first 20 years of the Steamer, it is noted that after many negotiations with the Railroad Museum over several years, a sizable donation was made to the Museum to acquire the pump, and it was finally restored to it’s original Fire Steam Engine!
Dave went through extensive efforts to become a practicing Boiler Engineer, have the boiler certified as operable, and restored his rig over 5 years of hard work, to operable condition, with a frame up restoration. Dave, being an artist by trade before being a Firefighter in OCFD for many years, painted the rig as original as possible with very ornate gold leafing, lettering, and artwork on each spoke of the 4 wheels, frame, coal bucket etc.
Fully restored in 1996, the 1902 Fire Steamer was christened at the San Juan Capistrano Mission, and was immediately entered into the San Juan Capistrano Swallows Days Parade, which it has been entered every year since 1996 to present. This same vehicle, with it’s Steamer Team has been in the Pasadena Rose Parade 11 times, the Bishop Mule Day’s Parade many years, featured on Jay Leno’s Garage TV Series, and participated in an average of 50 to 70 events per year since 1996.
This is the only Steam Fire Engine fully operational, that is found on the streets, highways, and events throughout California. The Steamer is pumped for demonstrations at various events throughout the state of California on average 5 times a year. This all requires a dedicated team to tend the Purcheron Horses to pull the vehicle, and provide all the volunteer work to make the Steamer Team a professional organization, requiring many helpers every event. The rig and team was involved in the recent remake of the Film, “The Great Chicago Fire of 1871” as well as many other films, and events, and the absolute STAR of it’s own for professionally filmed TV Documentary still available for purchase from www.HubiePictures.com, that covers it’s first 20 years of restoration and service back to the community.
Dave and Barbara and family have placed this vehicle into their Family Trust, to be provided to the California Fire Museum and Safety Learning Center once the complex is built at the Orange County Great Park, on their 5 acres which is soon to be built.