1929 Ahrens Fox – the Rolls Royce of Fire Engines

The Ahrens Fox Fire Engine Company

The Ahrens Fox Fire Engine Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced some of the most distinctive motorised fire engines of the 20th century with their prominent exposed pumps mounted with a large sphere in front of the radiator and bonnet. In 1870 the Ahrens Fox Company began making steam fire engines, but by the early 20th century they reaslied there was a market for producing motorised fire engines that could match the capability of the steam fire engines, which at the time were still producing superior pumping capabilities. The Ahrens Fox Company created their first motorised fire engine in 1910, with the company manufacturing almost all its own components, to the highest possible standards, developing a reputation as the "Rolls-Royce" of fire engines. The fire engines they produced were mainly used by an American market, however, a few made their way to Australia.

Installing the first and only Ahrens Fox Fire Engine in NSW

By the early 1920s, the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB, now Fire and Rescue NSW; FRNSW) were still operating the 1891 No. 18 Shand Mason Steamer (aka Big Ben) whose high-water pressure and volume capabilities were so impressive that they could not be matched by the new motorised pumps of the time. The steamer, however, was becoming outdated, so in 1928 the NSWFB began looking for an equivalent motorised vehicle to replace it. After considering quotes from several English, European and American manufacturers, an order was placed in December 1928 with The Ahrens Fox Fire Engine Company for one of its P series pumpers. This new fire engine was then shipped from the Ohio factory on 28 February 1929 and was delivered to Sydney on 10 May 1929.

The Ahrens Fox is seen here at Woolloomooloo Bay undergoing trials, 1 August 1929 [Museum of Fire Collection]

This new Ahrens Fox fire engine could pump over 4,500 litres per minute at pressures of up to 3,000Kpa, utalising multiple piston type pumps connected and mounted distinctively in front of the engine. The Ahrens Fox Company usually produced complete vehicles for its customers, but the NSWFB decided to purchase just the bare chassis and then build the body in its own workshops. Construction of the bodywork was completed by late July with its first official trials being carried out on 1 August 1929 at Woolloomooloo Bay, where it underwent pumping tests off the wharves. After some successful and impressive trials, the Ahrens Fox was officially handed over for service on the 3 August 1929 and placed at Headquarters Fire Station (now City of Sydney).

One of the earliest fires the Ahrens Fox attended occurred at Langdon & Langdon’s timber yard on 18 October 1929, where it pumped water for one hour and forty-five minutes, delivering over 430,000 litres of water. Another notable, and biggest, fires the Ahrens Fox attended was the Goldsborough Mort Wool Store Fire in September 1935. The Ahrens Fox pumped water continuously for 144 hours, delivering roughly 4,320,000 gallons to the fire.

The Ahrens Fox continued to serve at Headquarters Fire Station until it was transferred to Redfern Fire Station in 1948, then to Glebe Fire Station in 1964, before it was put into storage at Liverpool in 1964 and withdrawn from service the same year.

Ahrens Fox outside Redfern Fire Station, c. 1950s [Museum of Fire Collection]

“The Ahrens Fox was a beautifully engineered piece of machinery, but it was exceptionally heavy in the steering. Most of the weight was over the front wheels and at slow speeds you really had to wrestle with it. Once you got it going, the steering improved but then the whole appliance would start bouncing up and down with a quick rhythmic movement that was disconcerting to say the least. She was supposed to be capable of 90 miles an hour, but I doubt if anyone here ever tried to prove it!” – Deputy Chief Officer J. E. Meeve.

Testing the Ahrens Fox at Woolloomooloo, 1 August 1929 [Museum of Fire Collection]

Preserving the Ahrens Fox for Future Generations

Ahrens Fox pumping demonstration at the NSW Fire Services Museum at Walsh Bay, c. 1980s [Museum of Fire Collection]

As the Ahrens aged, it was used less frequently at major fires, and more at training sessions and displays. By the early 1960s, the NSWFB decided that it was time to retire the Ahrens for good, so they approached the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) to donate the vehicle to them. The MAAS was initially hesitant to acquire the Ahrens Fox as they lacked display space for this large fire engine, but did accept it into their collection a few years later where it sat in storage. Then, in 1979, the newly formed NSW Fire Service Museum (now the Museum of Fire) acquired the Ahrens Fox and after major refurbishment in 1981, became a star attraction at the Museum where it remains today. It was later put on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2004.

The Ahrens Fox on display at the Museum of Fire, 2025 [Museum of Fire Collection]

-Story by the Museum of Fire Heritage Team