FIRST DUE FIREHOUSE REPLICAS

Website by Andrew Benzie Creative Design.

About the Owner/Designer/Builder/Author

Andrew Benzie began collecting model emergency vehicles in the 1970s when his grandparents gave him his first Corgi and Dinky toy fire engines. He has an extensive collection and knowledge of Code 3 models, and has published three books on Conrad, Siku, and Tomica emergency vehicles. Andrew currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where he runs a design and book publishing company, and plays bass and drums with several local bands.

First Due Firehouse Replicas

Release #28:

Boston Fire Department

Engine 30/Ladder 25

The twenty-eighth release of First Due Firehouse Replicas:

Boston Fire Department’s Engine 30/Ladder 25

Code 3 produced replicas of both Boston Fire Department Engine 30 and Ladder 25 in 2007. These companies have been quartered together in the West Roxbury section of Boston for over 100 years. Their firehouse located at 1940 Centre Street (near Park Street) was built in 1898—the twenty-eighth release from First Due Firehouse Replicas.

About the Firehouse

Boston Fire Department’s Engine 30 and Ladder 25 respond to the West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park sections of the city located about 5 miles southwest of downtown Boston. The neighborhoods served have a mostly suburban feel to them with tree-lined streets with single- and multi-family homes. The firehouse opened on June 1, 1898 when Engine 30 relocated from a nearby firehouse on Mt. Vernon Street.

Engine 30 was first put into service on July 10, 1883. Up until 1921, Engine 30’s apparatus was a horse-drawn pumper. Code 3’s replica of Engine 30 is a 1996 Emergency One Cyclone II pumper with 1250 gpm pump and a 750 gallon tank.

Ladder 25 took up residence with Engine 30 in this firehouse on April 21, 1905. Ladder 25 was horse-drawn until April 24, 1917. Code 3’s reproduction of Ladder 25 is a 1990 Emergency One rear-mount 110 aerial ladder. Both of these units report to the District 10 chief.

Four plaques are mounted on the exterior of the firehouse to commemorate four firefighters who died in the line of duty. A memorial stone and plaque is located near the front corner of the firehouse in memory of a West Roxbury native who died at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001.

About the Replica

First Due Firehouse Replicas goes to great lengths to capture as much accuracy and detail as possible within each model we produce. Once the research is completed and a firehouse is chosen to replicate, the process involves taking photographs, creating an architectural building plan, assembling and editing the photos to digital 1:64 scale artwork, printing the artwork on glossy poster-quality paper and mounting the prints to foam-core board. Next the walls are cut out using a professional-quality mat cutter (to achieve 45° angle cuts for joins), and each model is then assembled by hand. Additional exterior details are added including air conditioning units, railings, exhaust vents, etc. Finally, remaining small details are hand-painted, the custom-built apparatus bay doors are installed and the raising of the flag completes each firehouse replica.

Fore more information about this product, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page. If have any further questions, please Contact Us.

Code 3 Collectibles produced 1:64 scale replicas of Boston Fire Department Engine 30 and Ladder 25 in 2007 (not included with firehouse purchase). These two releases came in a slightly brighter color red than Code 3’s previous Engine 24/Ladder 23 similar releases.

Engine 30:

• E-One Cyclone Engine 30 (#12337, 2007)

About the Apparatus

How to Order

You may Place an Order for any of our products online. Once we receive your order we will contact you via email with more information about availability, payment, shipping costs, etc.

About Us Firehouse Replicas Custom Models Fleet Services FAQ Contact/Order

Join our Facebook Group where you can learn about upcoming releases and share photos of your own models.

About Us Firehouse Replicas Custom Models Fleet Services FAQ Contact/Order

Johnny Lightning produced a 1959 delivery van lettered for the Boston Fire Department as part of their Forever 64 series.

Delivery Van:

• Chevrolet 3100 Panel Van (Johnny Lightning #438, 2012)

Location:

1940 Centre Street

Boston, Massachusetts

Years in Service:

1898–present

Companies Quartered:

•Engine 30 (organized 1883, quartered June 1898–present)
•Ladder 25 (organized 1905, quartered April 1905–present)

Boston Fire Historical Society:

https://bostonfirehistory.org/firehouses/active-firehouses/engine-30ladder-25-1940-centre-st-west-roxbury/

Videos:

Boston Fire Engine 30 Responding (Code 3 response, 2020)

Boston Fire Ladder 25, Engine 30, Boston Police, and Boston EMS Responding (Code 3 response, 2020)

Release Date:

• January 2023

Dimensions:

• Base width: 8.5 inches

• Base depth: 11.5 inches

• Building width: 9.5 inches

• Building depth: 11 inches

• Building height: 8.5 inches

Features Included:

•Black base with 2 inch apron in front
•Removable roof
•Working apparatus bay doors (slide them into any position with the touch of a finger)
•Flag/Flagpole
•Printed firehouse fact sheet booklet

Pricing:

Our introductory price for this firehouse replica is $359 plus shipping (Note: the models of the apparatus are not included). The price covers the cost of the photo-quality prints (starting at about $50), the building materials (various paper, foam, plastic, wood and metal products), and around eight hours of time to construct (not including the many hours of preparatory research and design time spent to create each prototype model). Note: We create each or our replicas by hand—this is NOT a 3D printed or laser cut model.

Corgi released a Boston Fire Department fuel tanker truck as part of their Fire Heroes line in 2003.

Fuel Tanker:

• GMC (#90099, 2003)

Racing Champions produced a Boston Fire Department Tow Truck in 1999 as part of their Fire and Rescue series.

Tow Truck:

• Ford F-150 Tow Truck (Racing Champions #4, 1999)