Click the link below to watch a great video from Jay Leno's garage, as Jay discusses Christie history and actually drives a Christie fire engine -
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/1914-christie-fire-engine/n41613/
Stohr Design |
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By 1911 Walter Christie seems to have given up on his dream of becoming a major manufacturer of front wheel drive automobiles. But no matter, he had a new idea. Why not use his front wheel drive expertise to build fore-carriages for horse drawn fire equipment? By December of 1911 Christie fire engine tractors were being delivered. By some accounts over 400 were sold. Several Christie fire engine tractors have survived. Click the link below to watch a great video from Jay Leno's garage, as Jay discusses Christie history and actually drives a Christie fire engine - http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/1914-christie-fire-engine/n41613/ Another fine restoration is in the Nethercutt Museum, shown below. The front drive system that Christie developed for his fire engine equipment was very different from his automobiles. So was the engine. For the fire engine tractors, Christie used a conventional T-head 4 cylinder. Below is an image from his catalog - Fore-carriages were nothing new, Scientific American had an extensive article in 1902 on such a mechanism by the Society des Transformatuers Automobile Riegel. There were many others- the Pullcar, Pretot, etc. However, Christie's fire engine front drive system was patented, but not in his name. I have to thank a Christie military historian for finding the patent shown below - If there are any Fire Engine historians out there with knowledge of Christie, please contact me to discuss more about Christie's fire engine tractors. [email protected]
6 Comments
bellinger
1/18/2014 02:26:16 pm
unnerving to see that tractor on leno's video motoring along with the front wheels apparently dead still.
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Ed Hass
12/16/2014 05:20:34 am
I am a life-long fire appartus historian and have a great many photos of fire engines with Christie tractors. Beides the ones that Burbak and Nethercutt have, I've personally seen many other Christies, Mountain View, NJ has a very fine example which is only the 13th Christie built and is probbaly the oldest survivor. Fire Museum of Maryland, Boston Fire Dept,., and Hall of Flame museum in Phoenix also have Christie tractors. FDNY Museum (NY City) has a heavily modified Christie tractor, the sheet metal was altered to accommodate a much larger Van Blerck motor under the hood. Cole Transportation Museum in Bangor, Maine, also owns a Christie. I know there are others I've seen; these are the ones that come immediately to mind. I think there's one in South America somewhere, too.
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Hi Ed,
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Mark Domeck
7/9/2019 06:18:51 am
I’m building a 1911 Christie Fire Engine for my dad and it’s going in a museum exhibit for a few months starting in January. I was wondering how long this beauty was in service. I’ve seen Jay’s in a special. Thanks
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AuthorLee Stohr (b.1957: Delaware, USA) is an American race car designer and owner of STOHR DESIGN Links
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