CLICK ABOVE FOR A GALLERY OF THE AHRENS-FOX RIG >>

By Ron Heal

It was as if the pumper had never left the fire department when the recently restored fire engine moved from the far north location at the Wheels O’ Time Museum to Peoria Fire Central. The rig would spend the weekend in the fire station in preparation for the Monday parade.

The 86-year-old rig served Peoria, Illinois, for nearly 40 years as a front-line pumper and as a reserve engine. Most of the time the pumper ran out of old Fire Station #1 on Liberty Street. For decades, it was a familiar sight at most major fires city-wide.

Following its retirement in 1964, the rig would bounce around between various organizations and even be owned by a retired Ahrens-Fox salesman living in Peoria, Robert Johnson. Johnson wanted to restore the pumper, but failing health prevented that from happening. Some Peoria (IL) Fire Department members recall Johnson coming around to various fire stations in an effort to find someone to take over his dream of restoring the old pumper. There were no takers. Meantime, the truck sat parked under a tarp at his home—a rig nobody wanted.

As time went by, Johnson became acquainted with two young men, Gary Bragg and Jack Seamon, members of the fledgling Wheels O’ Time Museum. In 1985, Johnson gifted the fire engine to the museum with the promise that one day the pumper would be restored. The pumper was towed to the museum and placed in “Death Valley” for another 20 years—but not forgotten.

There would be one early attempt to do a restoration, but it was quickly learned that the museum simply did not have a facility that would allow a long restoration. In 2007, the Heart of Illinois Fire Enthusiasts and Collectors (HOIFEC), the downstate Illinois chapter of SPAAMFAA, a group interested in the preservation of motorized fire apparatus, met with the museum to promote the two organizations joining together to restore the fire pumper. While the early meetings held promise, there was much to do before such a restoration could be considered. First and foremost was the need for a proper shop building. That would happen in 2012 with the completion of a new building that would serve as a shop and a display area. The first tenant was towed to the shop in late 2012—the Ahrens-Fox.

In early 2013, the restoration began. Several Wheels O’ Time members are very good at working on big engines. The HOIFEC group was more familiar with pumps and fire body needs. The two groups worked well together, meeting on most Tuesdays and Fridays to take on a project that lasted for four and a half years.

There were many challenges along the way. The main thing is that every problem was met and handled so that today we can see and appreciate a beautifully restored important piece of Peoria history. The time and talents of so many volunteers now gives an example of machinery that was state of the art in the 1930s. The restored rig serves as a tribute to the men and the machines that were the Peoria Fire Department in times past.

As parade time neared, retired fire captain Dave Wenzel climbed aboard for the trip through downtown Peoria. Wenzel recalled that the first day he was on the job he was assigned as a hoseman on the ‘Fox. That very day the rig responded to a working fire in downtown Peoria. It was great to have Wenzel ride and share his memories.

Over the last four years we have kept our readers up to speed on the progress being made by the two groups doing this restoration. For sure, thousands of hours in labor and a fair amount of money went into the restoration. Now Peoria has nicely restored piece of history to share for generations to come. For those who worked on the project, the good news is we are not done yet. A 1954 700 series American LaFrance pumper needs some attention out at the museum.

Visitors to the Peoria area can see the fully restored Ahrens-Fox at the Wheels O’ Time Museum, N. Knoxville Avenue, Illinois Route 40, Peoria, Illinois. The museum is open May through October, Wednesday through Sunday.

RON HEAL compiles the “Apparatus Showcase” and “Recent Orders” departments monthly in Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment.