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 #17:

West Haverstraw Volunteer

Hose Co#2 / Engine 23

“House of Blues”

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.

The seventeenth release of First Due Firehouse Replicas:

West Haverstraw Volunteer Hose Co#2 / Engine 23

“House of Blues”

In early 1915 the Village Board of West Haverstraw, New York approved the formation of Volunteer Hose Company No. 2. Eighty-five years later, Code 3 replicated the company’s new 2000 Sutphen pumper in 1:64 scale. Our model of this historical firehouse is the seventeenth release from First Due Firehouse Replicas.

About the Firehouse

The newly formed Volunteer Hose Company No. 2 purchased the former site of the Manhattan Theater on Railroad Avenue for $500, and construction of the original firehouse began in 1919. Bricks were donated for the new firehouse as a gesture of gratitude after the company extinguished a fire at a local brickyard. The members of the company performed most of the labor themselves.

Financial help was received from the Village Board with the appropriation of $8,000 toward the cost of materials and any additional hired labor. When completed, the building was turned over to the Village of West Haverstraw.

The two double apparatus bays were added at later dates. The original building now serves as the company’s lounge which was renovated by the members for their 100th anniversary. Company No. 2 is proud of their rich history and of the job well done by the members and village officials through the years.

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.

Volunteer Hose Co# 2 maintained a strong loyalty to Mack for 75 years. They have operated a 1925 chain driven Bulldog, a 1949 L, a 1965 B, and a 1980 CF. The 1965 Mack known as 23-1000 remained in service until the year 2000. It has since been restored and is maintained in pristine condition for use on the local parade and muster circuit.

In September 2001, Code 3 replicated West Haverstraw’s latest pride and joy—a beautiful blue and white 2000 Sutphen pumper (not included with firehouse purchase). The model proudly displays the “House of Blues” motto above the windshield.

Engine 23-1501:

• Sutphen (#12291, 2001)

About the Apparatus

How to Order

Location:

30 Railroad Avenue

West Haverstraw, NY

Years in Service:

1919-present

Companies Quartered:

• Engine 23 (organized June 4, 1915, quartered 1919–present)

• Engine 23-1501

• Rescue 23

• Patrol 23

• Engine 23-1000 (retired Mack B)

Websites:

https://www.westhaverstraw.org/government/departments/fire_department.php

http://www.unyquefiretrucks.com/West_Haverstraw.html

Release Date:

• June 2022

Dimensions:

• Base width: 15 inches

• Base depth: 9.5 inches

• Building width: 15 inches

• Building depth: 8.25 inches

• Building height: 7.5 inches

• Height to tip of diaphone: 8 inches

Features Included:

•Black base with 2 inch apron in front
•Removable roof
•Removable apparatus bay doors Note: for this one-story apparatus bay area the side roof must be removed to remove/insert the bay doors.
•Flag/Flagpole
•4 Bollards
•Diaphone (siren on the roof)
•Printed firehouse fact sheet booklet
•Apparatus re-number sheet (a poster-printed sheet of apparatus numbers you can use to convert existing models into units quartered in this firehouse)

Pricing:

Our introductory price for this firehouse replica is $379 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.

Unfortunately Code 3 never produced any other models of West Haverstraw’s apparatus. The other replicas on display were custom made in-house. A printed sheet of unit numbers is included with the firehouse to assist in creating these models.

In 1991, the company added Rescue 23 to its roster. This Ford workhorse was refurbished in 2011 with LED warning lights, a light tower and new paint. Features include a 20-ton winch in the extended front bumper, Hurst extrication tools, Rescue 42 struts, an ArcAir torch, and water/ice rescue equipment.

Rescue 23:

• Ford F-800/Saulsbury (custom made by First Due Shops, 2021, cab 3D printed from Shapeways, chassis by Greenlight)

We created the fictional blue ‘Ambulance 23’ in-house.

Ambulance 23: (fictional unit)

• Cadillac/Miller-Meteor Ambulance (chassis and body by Johnny Lightning, decals by First Due Shops, 2021)

Patrol 23 is used for utility purposes and personnel transport.

Patrol 23:

• Ford F350 (chassis and body by Ertl, decals by First Due Shops, 2021)