Waukegan Fire Department history « chicagoareafire.com

Waukegan Fire Department history

This from Dennis McGuire, Jr.:

Found this on Facebook: X-Waukegan, Illinois now sitting in a field in Pennsylvania.

#chicagoareafire.com; #FireTruck; #WardLaFrance; #WaukeganFD;

found on Facebook

and from our files:

#chicagoareafire.com; #larryshapiro; #shapirophotography.net; #FireTruck; #WaukeganFD; #WardLaFrance;

Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: #larryshapiro, chicagoareafire.com, Larry Shapiro, larryshapiro.tumblr.com, larryshapiroblog.com, shapirophotography.net, vintage Ward LaFrance / LTI aerial, Ward LaFrance Ambassador, Waukegan FD Truck 1631, Waukegan Fire Department history

This entry was posted on October 3, 2022, 7:00 AM and is filed under Fire Department History, Fire Truck photos, Historic fire apparatus. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Comments

#1 by BMurphy on October 4, 2022 - 9:00 PM

Believe this rig replaced Waukegan’s early to mid-50’s open-cab 85’ tillered aerial ladder truck.

WFD had several WLFs, including a Hi-Ranger snorkel.
#2 by crabbymilton on October 4, 2022 - 12:47 PM

But I bet if it had the old DETROIT 71, it sounded good struggling.
#3 by Duane Trautman on October 4, 2022 - 12:47 PM

This Ward LaFrance cab does not have the tear drop side windows, which would indicate the last years of the firm after affiliated with Maxim. Outriggers are known as the ‘short Grove outriggers’, a name influenced by the original design. Note the chain drive sprocket covers on the side of the base section.

We had a 1976 model which was ordered during 1974. Truck was supposed to be on a Hahn, but the front axle weight capacity of the 1970’s didn’t bode well for the heavy, rear-mounted LTI. Ward certainly built a heavy truck even then. Original front wheels destroyed by the weight. Aerial started by Grove, finished by LTI. Confirming Henry Gruba’s comments on being underpowered; ours had an 8V71N Detroit coupled with an HT-70 Allison automatic. Lots of noise and didn’t really move too fast, but it was fun.

Interesting this Waukegan truck ended up in Pennsylvania and not too far from where it was built. They were beautiful and probably some of the biggest at the time.
#4 by Henry Gruba on October 4, 2022 - 8:48 AM

That truck was a beast. Rock solid ladder. But severely underpowered, it couldn’t get out of it’s own way.
#5 by Chuck on October 3, 2022 - 10:29 PM

This is what Chicago’s Wards would have been if they had sprung for a tandem axle. One tough truck.
#6 by Retired FF on October 3, 2022 - 5:46 PM

If I recall, that was a very heavy truck.
#7 by crabbymilton on October 3, 2022 - 1:31 PM

At least it appears to be intact. WLF’s were hard to miss in a good way.