It was a revolutionary innovation at the time. In December 1937, the Springfield Fire Division took delivery of a closed-bed American LaFrance sedan pumper. This unique rig was assigned to the Central Engine House as Engine 1. There wasn't a rear running board like most engines of the era.
Everyone traveled in the cab or the covered hose bed. Firefighters dubbed it the "Covered Wagon" - like the horse-drawn wagons in old Western movies. It remained a front-line pumper until 1959 and was eventually left to languish in a city park.
