Images and information from Dave Fornell about some of Chicago’s Ward LaFrance fire apparatus: I recently came across some old files and found a few photos of one of my favorite Chicago pumper trucks: the seven 1970 Ward LaFrance 2,000-GPM engines. It's interesting to note that these rigs were equipped with Cummins NTF high-torque engines, delivering 365 horsepower, which were necessary to power the two-stage Hale Q pumps. The five units delivered in the same year had less expensive Detroit 350-horsepower engines instead. Following the heavy snowfall of 1967, these trucks were specified with rear-mounted 20,000-pound hydraulic winches. Both the engines and the chassis featured this equipment. Although Ward LaFrance was known for inconsistent performance, these rigs were well-built. I was particularly impressed by the brushed stainless steel pump panel and the highly accurate Crosby black face gauges, which I've never seen on any other truck before or since. The trucks had short wheelbases but extended bodies behind the rear axle. This design was later used on Ford chassis pumpers as well. In addition to the engines, five trucks were also equipped with 100-foot Grove ladders. Today, based on NFPA standards, these ladders would be classified as heavy-duty with a 500-pound tip load rating. In contrast, other ladders purchased around the same time (ALF, Seagrave, Pirsch) were considered medium-duty with only 250-pound tip loads. The Grove ladders were extremely heavy—too much for a single axle to support. As a result, these rigs experienced frequent brake and axle failures throughout their service life. The presence of a 300-gallon booster tank, a pump, and twin reels didn’t help either. However, the ground ladder complement was impressive: two 30-foot ladders, two 40-foot ladders, one 50-foot ladder, and a 20-foot ladder carried under the turntable. Three roof ladders were mounted on each side. I remember climbing the main of one of these trucks during a fire. The operator positioned the ladder tip just 12 inches above the parapet, similar to how older wooden ladders used to drift down as you climbed. But unlike those old ladders, the Grove was rigid. Even with the entire engine stretching a line to the roof for a better vantage point, the tip never dropped an inch and the ladder remained steady. Later, I came into possession of the original factory delivery photo negatives, which are included here. I also added some photos I took of the engines during acceptance testing near McCormick Place. The rear views show the winch installation. Notably, the two rear discharges had 3.5-inch boat hose threads, and the rigs carried a 700-foot bed of it. When I was working on the West Side, Division 2 Chief Dan Lynch often called for Engine 113 to deploy the 3.5-inch hose into a Snorkel when there was a still and box. Two photos show the Grove ladder in action. The first was taken at the Bedford Hotel fire on the near West Side in the early 1970s. If my memory serves me right, there were two extra alarms in the city at the time, and no Snorkels were available. Deputy Bill Foley, who usually oversaw the shops, took command. That was the first time I saw two ladder pipes without Snorkels operating at an extra alarm in Chicago. The second photo was taken during an extra alarm on the South Side, though its exact location is now unknown. Another negative scanned at the same time shows Engine 63 in operation, so maybe someone can identify the station. Wishing everyone a great holiday season. ACD  Dave Fornell collection Dave Fornell collection Dave Fornell collection Dave Fornell collection Bill Friedrich collection Bill Friedrich collection Bill Friedrich collection Dave Fornell collection Dave Fornell collection For more information on the CFD Ward LaFrance apparatus, visit here or search for "Ward LaFrance" in the archive. Racing Car Carbon Fiber Accessories,Abs Shell For Tool Cases,Abs Shell For Marine Equipment Inamori Technology (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. , https://www.carbonfibrefactory.com