Now serving as Hose 4

Engine 6 on Rimmon Street (the good 'ol West Side) was originally known as "Fulton Engine Company 6" after Mr. Walton M. Fulton, the financier who paid for the station to be built in 1892 on the corners of Rimmon and Amory Streets (the bays face Rimmon Street).




Hose 4 was assigned here for only a few years with Engine 6 from 1971 to 1976. According to the MFD, Hose 4 would have run with a Mack Pumper and a 75ft Seagrave Ladder truck (Engine 6 and Ladder 6 respectively).

In 1976, Hose 4 was moved to Weston Street with Engine 10 and Truck 3. Weston Street was built in 1902 on the corners of Weston and Concord Streets which is located on top of the hill in the northeast corner of Manchester. Originally, Weston Street was the quarters of "Hose 4" back in the old horse drawn cart days from 1908 to 1932 when old Hose 4 was replaced with a motorized truck and renamed Engine 10. Pictured at the left is the original Hose 4 circa 1910. Below is a view of the Weston Street Station in 2004. Sadly, this station was torn down in 2007 and is now an empty lot.


Now this is when the history gets a little confusing. According to the history provided by the MFD website, Hose 4 was reincorporated on June 12, 1967 which would not match up with the history of the IHC BC-160. The history provided by one of the MFD officers I have spoken with states that Hose 4 came back into service in 1962 when the two trucks were purchased as Hose 4 and Hose 1. Curious discrepency I think! The MFD online history does state that Hose 4 was equipped with hose and a deck gun, which does match up with the actual truck (as my truck has hose and a deck gun). It would be interesting to see who is worng with the history, or if the original IHC 1962 Hose 4 is really what is being described in the online history which can be read here: http://www.manchesternh.gov/CityGov/MFD/History.html. I don't know, it really is slightly confusing actually! Hose 4 would stay at Weston Street until the station closed in 1982.

At this point the truck was in poor condition and was in need of some TLC. In May of 1982 the truck returned to Merrimack Street for a few weeks where it was rehabed and cleaned up. There was some body work performed and the truck recieved a much needed coat of paint.

Hose 4 returned to service later that month and was assigned to Engine 9 on Calef Road where it remained until 1987.

In 1987 Hose 4 was offically retired from service as the MFD purchased three new engines which had more capabilities in terms of the amount of equipment they could carry. There was no need to have a seperate truck just to carry hose as the new engines were large enough to carry all they needed to any scene they went to. Hose 4 was then sold for scrap and taken to a junkyard on Bodwell Road in Manchester where she would stay until it was rescued. . . .