Live Shot | 50+ years late, firetruck returns to Winchester
WINCHESTER, Va. - "We refer to her as the old girl,” said Winchester Fire Chief Allen Baldwin, with a smile.
Sold in 1967, traded in West Virginia, and abandoned in the mid-1980s, the ‘old girl’, a 1947 Buffalo Pathfinder Pumper Fire Truck has finally made her way back to Winchester.
"It's neat to be the Chief of the [fire] department and be able to bring a piece of the City's history back,” said Baldwin.
When rumors of an out-of-service fire truck, who used to serve in Winchester, first reached the Chief’s ears, Baldwin admits he wasn’t even looking for the ‘old girl’.
“We found out about her through a friend who specializes in tracking down old fire truck apparatuses, and heard she was in West Virginia,” the Chief explained.
“In talking to the owner, he actually [already] had several offers [on the table], but he made us a deal which was about half of what the other offers were, because he really wanted [the fire truck] to come back to Winchester."
Going with his gut, Baldwin bought the truck out-of-pocket, and brought her back to the City to start reclaiming the rest of the missing pieces.
“We're trying to put it back to as it was in 1967, when it went out of service in the city,” said Baldwin.
After her quiet return, rumors about a ‘long-lost fire truck’ began to spread.
“We were really lucky, because people began donating original helmets and jackets from when she used to be in service,” said Baldwin.
Of all the missing piece, Baldwin says the piece he’s focused on locating is the trucks bell.
“When it left the City, there was a bell on the vehicle,” said Baldwin. “We're trying to track it down and really we think it might be in Wardensville or Mathias, West Virginia, because it served in [those places] after it left the city."
Whether or not Baldwin ever finds the bell, the Chief says he’s just happy the ‘old girl’ has found her resting place in the city where her story first began.
Note: Baldwin says he’s still searching for any information or missing apparatus pieces people may have. To contact him, click on this link.