Steam-up Demonstration of CSFA 1902 American Steamer Engine

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Three to four times each year the CSFA Steamer Team performs a steam-up demonstration of their 1902 American steamer engine. Their most recent steam-up was the highlight of the 2009 Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA) Winter Conference and Muster. There, Dave Hubert, the owner of the 1902 American, and his crew, showed a crowd of excited onlookers how firefighters fought fires 107 years ago.

History of Steamer Engines

The 1902 American was known as the Metropolitan, as it was most commonly used in cities. Dave Hubert's American served the city of Reno, Nevada for twenty years, and it is the only one of its kind that is still in working condition. According to George Toussaint, one of the California State Firefighter's Association Steamer Team members, "In Reno in 1902, they didn't have fire hydrants. They used the river for their water supply. You didn't want to live too far from the river if you valued your house."

Steamer engines were a revolutionary innovation for the fire service, as they were more efficient than hand pumpers. Operating the steamer only required 3 men, whereas dozens were needed for the hand pumpers. Also the horse-drawn steamers were mobile and could travel at 12 MPH, which was impressive and important during that era, as many homes were made of wood and were highly combustible. According to Toussaint, many towns were destroyed if firefighters could not quickly contain a fire, as they rapidly spread from building to building; thus, the speed and efficiency of steamer engines was an excellent addition to the fire service.

At the turn of the century, steamer engines were accompanied by a horse drawn hose wagon, which laid hose lines from the steamer to the fire ground. A ladder truck also responded with the steamer engine and hose wagon for multi-story building rescues.

1902 American Steam-Up Demonstration

Giving spectators a look at how firefighters worked in the past, members of the CSFA Steamer Team went through the steam-up process on the 1902 American at the SPAAMFAA Conference and Muster; however, they performed it at a much slower pace than firefighters of the period would have done it, for the sake of safety and preserving the 107 year old machinery. The steam-up began by starting a small wood fire in the boiler, which holds about 75 gallons of water. They started the fire approximately an hour before they intended to actually pump water, in order to slowly let the boiler warm up to prevent it from exploding or malfunctioning. However, Reno firefighters in 1902 would have brought the boiler up to temperature right away.

Once the boiler was ready, the crew charged the lines, keeping a close eye on the fire and the steam pressure, which needs to remain at 75 lbs. Dave Hubert, the owner and Engineer of the 1902 American, always watches the discharge pressure so that the men on the nozzle are not overwhelmed. It is also his job to monitor the water in the boiler. Toussaint explains, "You don't want to get the boiler too full of water or too empty. If you get it too empty, it explodes. If you get it to full it doesn't work." Over one hundred years after it was built, the CSFA Steamer is impressively able to pump water at 1000 GPM using a mere 5 lbs. of coal.

The 1902 American steamer engine is a true testament to engineering and craftsmanship at the turn of the century and is always a crowd pleaser. George Toussaint says of the demonstration, "The machinery comes alive when it is operated. It's not just a static lump of steel. All of a sudden you see how it was meant to perform." As beautiful and amazing as it is, performing the steam-up demonstration involves a lot of hard work and clean-up afterwards for its crew. Despite the effort involved, the team of men thoroughly enjoys giving people a look at American Firefighting History. Toussaint jokes about it saying, "It will take three of us three 8-hour days to get it presentable for a parade and two weeks to get it back to where it was. And every time we do it we say, 'Ah, we're never going to do this again. It's too much work!' And in a week we forget and we say, "Oh that was fun! When do we steam up again?'"