Yat Ming 1:24 1927 Seagrave Suburbanite Fire Truck

Seagrave. Drop that name around the local firehouse and everyone there (well, maybe not the mascot Dalmatian) will know what you’re talking about. As to how Seagrave got its start, think ladders. Originally having made ladders for fruit picking, Frederic S. Seagrave started his company—The Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company—in Detroit, Michigan in 1881. That humble beginning soon grew from making ladders, to two-wheeled, hand-drawn ladder carts, to four-wheeled, horse-drawn ladder carts. In 1891, Seagrave moved his company from 418 Michigan Ave. in Detroit, Michigan, to larger facilities on West Lane Ave. in Columbus, Ohio. There, he manufactured ladder wagons, hose wagons and chemical engines. In 1898, Seagrave moved again, to 2000 South High St., renaming the company Seagrave Corporation.

Among Seagrave’s innovations is a spring-raised extension ladder, developed in 1902, to assist firefighters to raise ladders to their full extension. In 1915, Seagrave came out with the “Model K” tractor. This front-drive tractor enabled fire companies to convert their horse-drawn steam engines and ladder trucks to motorized use, thus saving on upgrading costs. In 1935, Seagrave started producing hydraulically raised, all steel ladders. This sort of innovation kept Seagrave at the vanguard of fire apparatus corporations. FWD Corporation purchased Seagrave in 1963. Today, the company continues to produce its equipment under the corporate name of Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company, at its plant in Clintonville, Wisconsin.

Continuing its line of 1:24 scale pumpers, Yat Ming has just come out with an image of the 1927 Seagrave “Suburbanite” Pumper. The original truck was delivered to the J. H. Ketcham Hose Co. in Dover Plains, NY. Today, obviously revered by its owners, it is kept in a climate-controlled garage. If you’re at all familiar with pumper trucks, you’ll note that this one has all the usual appurtenances—an extension ladder (which is an installable extra), hose sections, hose fittings, and a hose bed with folded up hose. You can see where the pump mechanism, located under the driver’s seat, has its connection to the 6-cylinder, Continental motor. The pressure tank is located right behind that seat. An unusual feature here is a round, hose “basket,” located directly over the hose bed. The smaller diameter of the hose suggests it’s probably to be used as a backup auxiliary to the main hose in the bed below it. There’s a chromed siren mounted on the left front fender, a chromed searchlight mounted on the cowl, and a chromed fire bell on the left front side of the hose bed. A fire ax, toolbox, and assorted fittings are mounted in various places on the truck. There’s also a separate, mountable fire extinguisher, as well as a pike-pole, to mount in its brackets above the ladder.

As with all the other six 1:24 pumpers, Yat Ming has continued to provide the level of detail and quality that has made all these images real bargains. Engine detailing is good, as is the undercarriage detailing. Fine pinstriping, wood-grain appliqués, a soft-plastic seat, and soft-plastic hoses complete the image. This is certainly worthy of inclusion in your collection of fire-fighting images.

Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company is a classic American success story. From its humble beginnings, in what would become “Motor City,” what was once a small ladder manufacturer survived over the decades to become a by-word in fire apparatus equipment. Today, its products can be found in firehouses across the country.

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