Delco re:View Winter 2018 - 38

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a surgical loupe for which I was fitted at a medical supply house.
One must be entirely familiar with all of the instructions and
blueprints before commencing any construction. It is also critical
to check the raw materials against the parts list to be certain
there are no missing parts. It is very frustrating to be well into
construction and discover a part is missing that may take weeks
to obtain. Most parts must be prepainted before installing, and
therefore, timing of when to paint and what parts to paint is very
important.
Pictured: Murray's most recent creation,the
1869 Allerton Steam Pumper
Technical Characteristics:
Scale 1:12, 1" = 1 foot
Length: 14-1/4"
Width: 5-3/4"
Height: 9"

he Pennsylvania Lawyer, Summer, 2018, featured
"Lawyers who Create Art." Readers were asked to share
words and images about their artistic endeavors; how
art enhances their work and relieves stress; lifelong practice
and "happy accidents." The Honorable Murray S. Eckell's
submission now appears here in the Delco re:View.
Murray S. Eckell Enjoys the Intricacy & Detail ... In the early
1960s, I began building model trains for my sons. When my
grandsons did not show much interest, I turned to other pieces to
utilize my time in the winter when golf is unavailable.
The more intricate and detailed the work, the more enjoyment
I experience. Time passes quickly while modeling and it
definitely relieves any tensions imposed by the practice of law.
The more intricate the details, the less opportunity there is to
think about legal problems. Now that I am partially retired,
working three days a week, the hobby has taken on even more
meaning.
Model kits come with strips of basswood in various sizes and
dowels in various circumferences, together with miscellaneous
other materials, five or six blueprints and an instruction book.
Having the proper tools is critical. Due to aging eyes, I have

38 | Winter 2019

I have been asked how long it takes to build a project so I
kept time records for a paddlewheel boat: 248 hours over a fourmonth period. If anyone is interested in trying their hand, a good
place to start is at modelexpo-online.com.

History of the 1869 Allerton Steam Pumper
Throughout the mid-19th century the City of Wooster's Fire
Department was made up of several independent fire companies.
In the spring of 1869 steam fire engine; the fire company raised
funds for the purchase and the City of Wooster agreed to provide
funds to aid the purchase. In the summer of 1869 a contract was
made with the Allerton Iron Works Manufacturing Company of
Naugatuck, Connecticut to purchase "a second-class steamer and
2,000 feet of India rubber hose, with patent couplings," to be
delivered to Wooster for the sum of $6,000.00 - approximately
equivalent to $103,500.00 in today's money. The steamer was
delivered in September, 1869.
The 1869 Allerton steamer remained with Relief Company
No. 4 until the City of Wooster re-organized the fire department
in 1888 as a paid fire department with volunteer support. The
independent fire companies were disbanded and much of the
equipment was used by the new fire department, including the
1869 Allerton steamer. It remained in use by the City into the
20th century. At the start of 1919 the fire department's horses
were replaced with motor vehicles but the horse-drawn steamer
remained at the station and on the apparatus roster as a back-up
pumper until the mid-1930s.
By the 1950s the steamer was completely removed from
service and put into storage and, eventually, almost completely
forgotten - out of sight, out of mind. Many firemen of that era
and later believed the steamer fell victim to the scrap metal

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Delco re:View Winter 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delco re:View Winter 2018