American LaFrance

The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company was founded either in 1845 (as the 1923 logo at left suggests) or in 1823 (as stated in the “history” section of the American LaFrance web site). Either way, as the “LaFrance Manufacturing Company“, it began builing hand-pumped fire engines some time during the first half of the 19th century.

In 1873, following the patenting of a rotary steam fire engine, it was re-named “LaFrance Steam Engine Company“.

In 1882 the company began producing an 85-foot “screw-driven” extension ladder truck (the “Hayes aerial”) and three years later began manufacturing a new piston-driven steam fire engine.

 

The company was re-organized in 1903 and renamed to the “American LaFrance Fire Engine Company” – also often called as ALF.

In 1910 it started production of its first gasoline-powered fire apparatus.

American LaFrance, Toronto plant, Catalogue No. 20,
D500-III-723

By 1923 the company could boast that its plant in Elmira, New York, covered 7 acres and that including its branch factory in Toronto, it employed 1200 people. In 1931 it introduced a 240 horsepower, 12 cylinder engine capable of pumping 1500 gallons of water per minute.

1929 American LaFrance merged with the Republic Motor Truck Company to form LaFrance-Republic

In 1995, American LaFrance was acquired by Freightliner Corporation (and thus by Daimler-Benz) as a subsidiary, and a new 74,000 square foot plant was built in Cleveland, North Carolina.

In 2005, American LaFrance was then acquired by the investment company Patriarch Partners by Lynn Tilton.

In January 2014, the company finally announced that it would crease operations.

 

 

This is our part of ALF History – 1946 American LaFrance Pumper

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