In 1898, Pittsford, New York’s fire department purchased two two hand-pulled hose carts, which they still own. One cart was stored in the fire house attic in pieces for over 40 years. When the pieces were removed from storage, they still retained some of their original paint and decoration. The surviving decoration and original red paint was a huge help in the final phase of the restoration process, allowing us to apply as original.
The fire fighting equipment, wood tool box, and brass hub caps were all missing. We made new hub cap using a cap from Pittsford’s other cart as a pattern, and nickle plated it as original. We fabricated a new tool box and sourced period equipment to finish.