A 1926 American LaFrance Type 31 ladder truck, brought back in fully restored condition after being sold to a Pennsylvania truck dealer in the late 1970s, will be unveiled at Vintage Days on May 4 at Market Square.
The ancient vehicle, fire-engine red with gold-leaf striping and lettering, was originally purchased by the city of Brownsville in 1927, a time of rapid growth for the city when the buildings were getting taller. It is 55 feet in length with a 75-foot wooden ladder in three sections, and came equipped with a folding “life net,” which resembles a trampoline, once used to rescue people from the upper stories of burning buildings.
The Type 31 was manufactured by the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company of Elmira, N.Y. It is a rare “tillered” ladder truck, meaning the front and rear both are steerable — essential to navigating the tight spaces of early downtown, said Eugene Fernandez, the Brownsville historian whose sleuthing led to the vehicle’s homecoming.