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The toys manufactured in the 19th century which were modelled after the then existing fire trucks visibly depicted the developments in the fire department. Similar to the full-size versions, the first miniatures were rather rudimentary. Fallow’s made a toy fire truck pumper of stenciled tinplate that was nothing more than two barrels joined at right angles — extremely simple and rudimentary. Early fire fighting toys by Brown and Ives were just as crude. It was only in the late 1800′s that the fire-fighting trucks and gear became morecomplicated . Ives manufactured a matching set of 5 forged iron fire vehicles — pumper, hose carriage, hook and ladder truck, fire patrol, and chief’s wagon. Other main producers of fire-fighting toys were Carpenter, Hubley, and Pratt & Letchworth. Horse-drawn fire-fighting toys continued to be produced well after 1900, although by then most communities had shifted to collectible automotive vehicles.
The most varied types of antique toy fire trucks come from a line of cast iron toys vehicles. Thousands of types of of Collectible Fire Trucks and Toys existed, yet these were the last forged iron playthings to to be released into the market. The so called “fire wagons” or the antique quality cast iron versions ceased being made in the the first part of 1900s.
Also widespread were such highly specialized vehicles as antique fire engines and police cars, trolleys, motorcycles, racing cars, and even collectible sprinkler trucks from the city streets.
The pumper was advertised as Fire Engine in a Hubley catalogue of 1922, when full-size pumpers were drawn by motor vehicles instead of horses. A mixture of a conventional 19th-century-style fire truck pumper or other piece of fire-fighting equipment with a truck body made by Hubley and other manufacturers was very popular as it resembled the vehicles used by fire fighters of the those days. Till date these are considered to be highly prized vinatage collectibles.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the fire patrol wagon carried members of the company and equipment like buckets to the scene of a fire. At other times, when no emergency threatened, it carried firemen on rounds, implementing fire laws in their district.
Given below are some of the noted Makers of Collectible Fire Trucks and Toys
Dent Hardware Co. — Henry H. Dent established the Company in 1895, and produced his first forged iron toys in 1898. The firm initially made horse-drawn fire wagons (fire trucks to you and me), then followed them up with many versions of other vehicles. During the 1900s, Dent’s die-cast toys slowly replaced those of forged iron..
Hubley Company — Founded by John Hubley in about 1894, the Hubley Company manufactured cast iron toys. Its initial products were trains and trolleys powered by live steam, electricity, or spring mechanisms, but they later also added horse-drawn fire trucks and wagons in the 1920s. By 1940 Hubley had transformed into the world’s leading manufacturer of forged iron toys. Hubley gradually changed to die-cast toys made of a zinc alloy due to increasing freight charges and international competition.
Kenton Lock Manufacturing Co. — Kenton Lock Manufacturing Co. was founded in the early 1800′s and in 1894 became the Kenton Hardware and begun manufacturing cast iron toys. The firm was well known for its horse-drawn vehicles, fire engines, nodding toys, and comic strip characters. Kenton also used the trade name “Kentontoys”.
At VintageToyTrucks.org, you will find tons of information about vintage tonka trucks, vintage metal toy trucks, and vintage fire trucks.
