Keystone Fire Station No. 247 1950 - Marx look-alike - Redux - Pt 4

So here's the last of the Keystone Manufactuirng Co. Fire Station with Burning Building set. This Hook-&-Ladder truck uses the same body casting as the pumper featured yesterday and it too is a rare survivor of Keystone's power launch feature! Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Keystone Fire Station No. 247 1950 - Marx look-alike - Redux - Pt 3

The two fire engines that came with the set have become very hard to find. My theory is that the spring loaded launchers inside the fire stations probably caused a good many of these engines to self-destruct. The pumper shown here is an operating toy in that water is fed into its tank from the reservoir in the Burning Building then, using the plunger atop the truck, water is squirted onto the two fire 'targets' (or flame towers or fire flags - heck, every time I write about them I come up with different names). The truck measures 4 7/8" (12.38cm) L x 1 1/2" (3.81cm) W x 1 1/4" (3.17cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Keystone Fire Station No. 247 1950 - Marx look-alike - Redux - Pt 2

For me the most interesting part of the Keystone Fire Station set is the Burning Building. Measuring 8 3/4" (22.22cm) W x 3 1/4" (8.25cm) D x 6" (15.24cm) H, it has a water reservoir, hose, and two 'flame towers' or perhaps 'fire flags' (for lack of a better description). The reservoir holds water which is fed into the Keystone Pumper Fire Engine water tank and then pumped onto the two flame towers. The two flame towers are designed such that when hit with water they are pushed back as in a target game. The photos below will explain it much better. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

In this shot the two flame towers are hidden behind the front wall

The two flame towers or fire flags, or.....

The holes in the bottom of the dowels allow them to be placed on pins just behind the front wall, theoretically allowing them to move back and forth

The water reservoir

One of the flame tower dowels being placed on its holding pin

The hose leads from the reservoir and, when not in use, is attached to a plug sticking out of the front wall

Here, the hose is now attached to the pumper fire engine. The water would flow into the engine and the pump atop the truck depressed to shoot water onto the 'fire'

Just as in a target game, you aim the water at either of the two roiling flames and they are supposed to fly backwards. However, the holes on the dowels in my toy have become so widened that it would be difficult - also, I am NOT going to mess with water on this vintage paper and masonite toy!!!