Baden’s fire truck rides again
1940 vehicle fully restored by loving hands
For 26 years Baden’s Fargo fire truck served the local department, fighting fires and saving lives. Now, almost 80 years since it was first purchased, it is back in tiptop condition.
A crowd at Castle Kilbride saw the June 29 unveil of the restored, historic vehicle — a sparkling, deep red just like the first day the town laid its eyes on it.
Work on restoring the vehicle was spearheaded by Blaine Bechtold of the Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigade; Bechtold spent 28 years as a member of Baden’s fire department before retiring in 1993, and has since then held a role within the brigade.
“Our mandate is to collect, preserve and show the public the history of firefighting here in Wilmot Township, “he said. “Our collection consists mostly of gear, records and other pieces of history.”
The original truck was bought by the town of Baden back in 1940, when it was outfitted with a pump (by Bickle Fire Engines in Woodstock) and transformed into a fire truck. That lasted until 1966, when the hose bed and ladder were removed and replaced, turning the fire truck into a vehicle that was predominately used for changing street lights.
In 1975 the truck was retired when the Baden station replaced it with a newer model. But about four years ago the Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigade had the idea to restore it to its former glory.
“We decided to return it back to what it originally looked like, “said Bechtold. “It’s been a long project and there are a few minor changes from the original, but the average person wouldn’t notice those. We tried to keep it as original as possible.”
All of the work was done off of one photograph that showed the original vehicle. That work has involved redoing the whole back end of the truck, building a new hose bed and fixing up some rust and dents. A few jobs were sourced outside, such as painting, lettering and getting seats reupholstered.
Parts were often hard to find, and Bechtold spent much of his time tracking down materials needed to finish the revamp. He even had to drive south of the border to pick up some materials in Michigan.
Between parts and the volunteer labour — which of course was not actually paid for — Bechtold estimates the project could have cost somewhere near $80,000.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished and I think other people looking at it will be very happy to see it, “he said. “I know there isn’t a lot of people left that remember how it originally looked, but a lot of people will remember how it looked as a hydro truck and will have to do a double take.”
The revamped truck made a second appearance at New Hamburg’s Canada Day celebrations; with two public viewings out of the way, anybody who missed it can stop in at the Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigade building — on 10 Bell Drive behind the Baden fire hall — on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings. The truck has been an important part of Baden’s history, having come to the town and remained there ever since.
“Since it was purchased in 1940 it’s never left town ... it’s always been in possession of the town or the township, and now the fire brigade,” said Bechtold. “Like all of our trucks it is driveable and fully functioning ... it could fight a fire.”