HOW TO TELL NEWARK'S "BATHTUBS" APART

Between 1948 and 1952, the Newark Fire Department purchased 14 American LaFrance “700 Series” pumpers, that saw service well into the ‘70s. I have been asked many times over the years, “How can you tell which year is which?” In this report I will divulge the secrets to telling them apart.

It was during 1947 that American LaFrance began production of their “700 Series” of apparatus. The radical new design swept the American fire service by storm, with hundreds of the new design seeing service in all corners of the country. They affectionately were dubbed as “bathtubs” due to the configuration of the jump seats, giving the appearance one sitting in a bathtub.

It was during 1948 that the NFD ordered the largest batch of “700 Series” pumpers, being seven in number. These were placed in service during the first five months of 1948, being assigned to Engines 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 16, and 18.

The main difference between these rigs and their later counterparts was that the front bumper had rounded ends, and there was a small upright grill in the center of the bumper, as can be seen in the photo below.

The chrome “kickplate” above the step under the cab doors was the same on all models, but a similar kickplate located on the front fenders just above the front step, was a small black rubber pad in the 1948 models, as is visible in the photo below.

The heavy steel grillwork that appeared on all of Newark’s “bathtubs,” as seen above, was produced and installed by the Newark Shops, and has no bearing at all on being able to tell the rigs apart.

During 1949, only two “bathtub” pumpers were placed in service, being assigned to Engines 3 and 19 during May and June. Three “700 Series” tillered aerials were also placed in service, but they were the only ones.

The 1949 models sported a new bumper that was squared off at the ends, rather than rounded, as seen below, and it wrapped around the front of the rig rather than sitting across the front like its predecessors.

The other change was that while the front fenders still had the rubber kickplates just above the front step, they were now larger than on the 1948 models, as can be seen above.

During June, July, and August of 1952, the last five “700 Series” pumpers were placed in service with Engines 6, 7, 8, 14, and 23.

As can be seen in the below photo, the rigs were identical to the 1949s, except for the kickplates on the front fenders, which were now aluminum.

Another way to tell the 1952 models was by the red, white and blue, round and triangular-center Civil Defense emblems located on the cab doors. These emblems indicated that the rigs were purchased with matching funds from the U.S. government, meaning that in the event of a national emergency, or if martial law was declared, the government had the right to commandeer these vehicles.

The Civil Defense emblem is plainly visible on the door on Engine 14’s 1952 “700 Series” pumper above.

One of the provisions of the matching funds program was that since Newark had had an active Auxiliary Fire Reserve since World War II, it was mandated that if these rigs were pressed into government service, they would be manned by the members of the Fire Reserve. This did not sit well with many of Newark’s firefighters resulting in some of them trying to remove the Civil Defense emblems from the rigs.

The government’s answer to this was that if the rigs were commandeered, they would probably not remain in Newark, and they were to be manned by members of the Civil Defense forces, which were ultimately under the government’s control in the event of a national emergency. One can recall that all post office vehicles of the era also bore the emblems, giving the government an instant fleet of vehicles nationwide in the event of an emergency. Thank God, it never came down to that.

In 1956, American LaFrance introduced the “800 Series“, which closely resembled their predecessor, with the major body change being the addition of built-in equipment compartments around the rear fenders. The other change was an improved American LaFrance Twinflow centrifugal pump. Newark would not purchase another American LaFrance rig until 26 years later.

Well, there you have it. Now you know how to tell the year of a Newark “bathtub” at a glance. Keep in mind, however, that these pointers refer only to Newark’s rigs as many other municipalities used a mixture of these features over the years.