DISNEYLAND FIRE ENGINE
1916 American LeFrance
Venice · LAFD#63 · Kimball
1916 American LaFrance is a combination, meaning it has a pump and a hose, but no water tank. This vehicle was in service with the Venice Fire Department, in Venice, California until the Los Angeles Fire Department took over the Venice Fire Department. This became LA Fire Department Engine 63. To the best of our knowledge it was retired sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, at which time it was purchased by a man by the name of Ward Kimball.
You may know Ward Kimball as one of Walt Disney's first animators. Jiminy Cricket is one of his characters. Ward Kimball liked to collect things like fire engines, trains, model trains, ships all sorts of scale models. On his property in Temple City he had a small firehouse, he had an engine house for his narrow gauge locomotives. He had a train depot movie prop from a movie that was filmed by Walt Disney. The town in that movie was called Grizzley Flats.
So, Ward restored the 1916 ALF and he painted Grizzley Flats on the hood, and his train depot was named Grizzley Flats as well. This fire engine was also used by Mr. Kimball to drive around Disneyland with his band, the Firehouse 5 Plus 2. The Dixieland style band would be in the hose bed and they would entertain everyone at Disneyland.
When Ward Kimball passed away, his family donated the fire engine to the Museum. They also donated his 1888 Silsby Steam Fire Engine to the Fire Museum. The history of this little fire engine is rich, not only with Los Angeles Fire Deparment history, but with Ward Kimball and Disneyland.
1916 American LaFrance is a combination, meaning it has a pump and a hose, but no water tank. This vehicle was in service with the Venice Fire Department, in Venice, California until the Los Angeles Fire Department took over the Venice Fire Department. This became LA Fire Department Engine 63. To the best of our knowledge it was retired sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, at which time it was purchased by a man by the name of Ward Kimball.
You may know Ward Kimball as one of Walt Disney's first animators. Jiminy Cricket is one of his characters. Ward Kimball liked to collect things like fire engines, trains, model trains, ships all sorts of scale models. On his property in Temple City he had a small firehouse, he had an engine house for his narrow gauge locomotives. He had a train depot movie prop from a movie that was filmed by Walt Disney. The town in that movie was called Grizzley Flats.
So, Ward restored the 1916 ALF and he painted Grizzley Flats on the hood, and his train depot was named Grizzley Flats as well. This fire engine was also used by Mr. Kimball to drive around Disneyland with his band, the Firehouse 5 Plus 2. The Dixieland style band would be in the hose bed and they would entertain everyone at Disneyland.
When Ward Kimball passed away, his family donated the fire engine to the Museum. They also donated his 1888 Silsby Steam Fire Engine to the Fire Museum. The history of this little fire engine is rich, not only with Los Angeles Fire Deparment history, but with Ward Kimball and Disneyland.
A Tribute to Ward Kimball
Walt Disney Studios Jiminy Cricket, an original animation drawing in pencil (147 x 130 mm). Drawing was used in the 1940 animated Disney feature Pinocchio. Disney animator Ward Kimball was the creator of Jiminy, who became the first Disney feature character to speak directly to the audience.
