Beginning sometime around the 1950s and
possibly earlier, there were around FIVE different fire
trucks at various locations in the Lowry Park area. Four of the
trucks were worn out so badly over the years by children playing
on them that the city had to remove them and torch them for
scrap.
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Thanks to P. Harding and her mom, and Mike Morris, for sharing
their knowledge of the trucks with Kimi Lau-Costanzo and to Kimi for sharing with TampaPix! |
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Thanks to Bill Townsend of "Tampa's Bravest" and "Tampa
Firefighters Museum" who says the truck in the Rovin' Flames
photo is a 1941 LaFrance with 100 ft. TDA (tractor drawn
aerial.)
There was a 500 series and 600 series:
1. Squared-off front grille with 5 slots in 3 sections.
2.
Thin windshield frame.
Indicates this was a 600 series.
3. Fender at rear wheel of the cab.
4. Squared-off fender
of ladder trailer.
By all
appearances, the truck below may be the same truck. |
Thanks to Kermit Nelson
and Kimi Lau-Costanzo for info on the 500 & 600 series
differences and newspaper photo. |
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~1944
Photo of a 1941 American LaFrance ~ 100' Tractor Drawn Ladder ~ In
front of Old Firehouse #5, Tampa~
Firefighters Museum at
"Aerials/Ladders"
TampasBravest.com
courtesy of Bill Townsend.
Photo by Robertson & Fresh
See more photos of this station here at
Tampa's Bravest
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~August
3, 1944 ~ Ladder #1 ~ 1941 American LaFrance / 100ft. Tractor
Drawn Ladder~
Courtesy of Tampa"s Bravest.com by Burgert Bros. at
Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
This building
is now the location of the
Tampa Firefighters Museum |
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A
100-ft. TDA with a 1941 LaFrance series 500
Notice curved
grille at fender and thick windshield frame.
Horicon, Wis.
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OLD FIRE TRUCK IN ZEPHYRHILLS
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Photos by Kimi Lau-Costanzo
May 27, 2017
This truck doesn't appear to be the same one in the Rovin'
Flames photo.
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The two aerial photos above show the the fire truck
and the "Zephyrhills Express," the former Lowry Park/Sol
Walker "Choo-choo train," not far down the road.
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The fire truck
and the venue at Festival Park for the Zephyrhills Auto Events.
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Photos by Kimi Lau-Costanzo
May 27, 2017 |
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Oh
no! Too bad! It's not from Lowry Park.
Tampa businessman and owner of this truck and property. Mike
Sierra, purchased it as a leftover from an auction and it was
operable at the time so it was driven to its final resting
place. No chance this came from Lowry Park, since one from
the park would not have been operable.
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Beginning around 1960, Lowry Park -
Fairyland brochures mention a "Fire Engine" and use the above
clip art. Miss Muffet and Humpty Dumpty are very accurate
depictions of the original character figures at Fairyland. The
fire truck bears an amazing resemblance to the one below,
which is being used on a playground at Florida Ave. & Sligh,
very near to today's Lowry Park.
This small fire truck now sits at the playground of
the American Legion Park (NE corner of Florida Ave and Sligh -
6925 N Florida Ave). Though it is yet to be confirmed that it
was ever affiliated with the park or part of Fairyland, it is
a 1925 American LaFrance model and was in use in its time. The
truck was converted for use on the playground at Spencer
Memorial Baptist (Sligh and Florida) by a Mr. Dixon who got it
from a Mr. Morris at TFD in either 1969 or 1970 for the kids
to play on.
Return
to Lowry Park & Fairyland History
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