1911 Christie

[Harry P.]

This is the 1/12 scale Christie fire truck, issued under various labels (Airfix, MPC, AMT). The model depicts an early attempt to "modernize" horse-drawn fire equipment as the days of "horseless carriages" were replacing horse-drawn vehicles. In this case, John Christie invented a front-wheel driven tractor that could be hooked up to older, horse-drawn steam pumpers, to allow local fire departments to upgrade to self-propelled rigs without buying a completely new vehicle. The old horse-drawn pumper's front axle was removed, and attached to a Christie tractor, resulting in the strange hybrid you see here.

The days of these odd hybrids were numbered, though. As the years went by, more and more purpose-built self-propelled fire trucks were offered, and many fire departments simply retired their old horse-drawn steam pumpers altogether and bought new equipment. But the Christie tractor (among several other similar competitors) did allow fire departments around the turn of the 20th century to extend the lives of their old horse-drawn pumpers. But by the 1920s, these Christie-powered pumpers had pretty much disappeared.

This particular model depicts a 1911 Christie tractor hooked up to an 1899 Ahrens-Fox steam pumper. The Christie's wheels were propelled by a transverse-mounted four-cylinder gasoline engine. The wheels were driven by a chain drive off the engine. The grille was just for show, as the radiator was in back, behind and below the driver.

This is the MPC version of the model... you will see by my photos that I went for a much more "de-blinged" look.

[Harry P.]

In case you're interested, the full WIP can be seen here.

And here is the finished product. Comments, questions, and critiques are welcomed.

[1930fordpickup]

[hgbben]

Utterly remarkable.

[Belugawrx]

Wow that brass looks hand popped AWESOME!!

you and your fellow members are why I keep building

Thnx for the inspiration

GREAT SITE

[Danno]

Purely stunning, Harry! A masterpiece.

[Jordan 191]

That is really cool! So much to look at.

[doggie427]

Great job Harry, especially on the metal finishes.

I've never seen this kit actually built before.

[flat-top]

Awesome job Harry. Another fine museum quality model.

[ChrisR]

Great as always, Harry.

[PappyD340]

Simply OUTSTANDING!!

[o-man]

Wow Harry, that's awesome!! But, its missing rear view mirrors

[Chris White]

Harry your build is outstanding. I am always trying to build to perfection (in my eyes) I would stop if I built that.

[Apriliadan]

Very beautiful

[peekay]

Absolutely flawless, totally convincing, like all your work. Looking forward to more in 2014.

[slusher]

Impressive build and amazing detail Harry..

[sjordan2]

This belongs in the magazine with your Dennis fire truck.

[tbill]

...................beautiful................

[Dinky]

Very nice

[Ramfins59]

Just gorgeous Harry. Another masterpiece from your workbench.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I had no idea those kist could turn out this good.

[pharoah]

Very inspirational, Harry. You just raised the bar again.

[carrucha]

Excellent build. I really admire your craftsmanship.

[GeeBee]

This is the MPC version of the model... you will see by my photos that I went for a much more "de-blinged" look.

You may have de-blinged it, but to me looks a lot more realistic than the box art, another masterpiece Harry, love it .....

[Harry P.]

Thanks for all the nice comments, guys.