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 #29:

FDNY Engine 59/Ladder 30

“Harlem Zoo”

The twenty-ninth release of First Due Firehouse Replicas:

FDNY’s “Harlem Zoo”

Code 3 produced replicas of both New York City Fire Department’s Engine 59 and Ladder 30 in 2007. These units have been protecting the Harlem district of Manhattan for over 100 years and are collectively referred to as the Harlem Zoo—the twenty-ninth release First Due Firehouse Replicas.

About the Firehouse

The Harlem Zoo firehouse is located at 111 W 133rd St, Manhattan, New York City. Engine 59 and Ladder 30 moved in together in their brand new firehouse on November 1, 1962. Their first due area is made up of old tenements, retail stores and several high-rise projects.

Engine 59 was organized on April 1, 1894 in a new firehouse at 180 West 137th Street, in the then rural area known as Harlem. Their apparatus replicated here is a 2003 Seagrave model JB 1000 g.p.m. pumper, placed in service on March 5, 2004 and carrying FDNY registration number SP (for Seagrave Pumper) 03039. It is powered by a Detroit Diesel series 50 engine and has a 500 gallon booster tank.

Engine 59 has been one of the busiest FDNY engines for many years. In 2006, they responded to 4,605 runs, of which 3,278 were workers. Among those, 1,484 were medical emergencies. They were the 8th busiest engine company in Manhattan and 20th for the entire city during 2006.

Ladder 30 was organized as Hook & Ladder 30 in their new quarters at 104 West 135th Street, Harlem on February 1, 1907. Their first apparatus was a new horse drawn 1907 Seagrave, equipped with a wooden 85 foot aerial, which was pulled by three horses. The 1907 Seagrave was motorized with a Christie tractor in 1916 and remained in service until 1926, when replaced with a new 75 foot Seagrave aerial.

The apparatus replicated here is a 2002 Seagrave 100 foot rear mount aerial powered by a Detroit Diesel series 60 engine. It has FDNY registration number SL (for Seagrave Ladder) 02013 and entered service on August 27, 2002. The truck has several distinctive graphics that have been added by the company.

Ladder 30 is considered one of the most decorated and hardest working ladder companies in the City. In 2006, they responded to 3,137 alarms, of which 2,495 were workers.

The members of Ladder 30 were among the emergency responders at the Collyer Mansion following the brothers’ death in 1947. The Collyer brothers were hoarders, therefore it took firemen several hours to dig through the contents of the house to locate them. The incident became so famous that the term “Collyers’ Mansion” is now used by firefighters to refer to any house that is made unsafe due to excessive hoarding.

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 produced replicas of both FDNY’s Engine 59 and Ladder 30 (not included with firehouse purchase).

Engine 59:

• Seagrave (series 4, #12840, 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

Location:

142 West 31st Street,

Manhattan, New York, NY

Years in Service:

1962-present

Companies Quartered:

•Engine 59 (organized 1894, quartered Nov. 1962–present)
•Ladder 30 (organized 1907, quartered Nov. 1962–present)

Videos:

FDNY Engine 59 uses its Federal Model 284 (Code 3 response, 2021)

FDNY Engine 59 + Ladder 30 (Code 3 response, 2017)

Release Date:

• February 2023

Dimensions:

• Base width: 12 inches

• Base depth: 12 inches

• Building width: 12 inches

• Building depth: 10 inches

• Building height: 8 inches

• Height to tip of flagpole: 10 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
•2 Bollards
•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.

Ladder 30:

• Seagrave Rear Mount Ladder (series 4, #12739, 2007)