Darley built pump serial # 1003 in 1940. It is an M500 model that pumped 500 gallons a minute at 120 psi when first built.
In April of 2021, it came back to them for repairs. Given that it was more than 80 years old, it was in surprisingly good condition when they got it back. The pump was sent to them by Chief James Maxon of Fountain, CO, Fire Department.
New chief in Colorado Springs
When they received the pump, they could tell it had been very well cared for but needed several repairs
In one of the earliest e-mail chains that started this project, Neal Brooks, Darley's National Sales Manager, wrote: "James wants it to 'pump water like it should'. That was his comment to me. The truck itself looks great, runs great, just does not pump really well. We took it for a 15-mile ride, and it turned a lot of eyes."
Neal Brooks adds: "He hosts chiefs’ meetings, and it was his suggestion that having an 80-year-old Darley that 'still pumps' might be a good selling point when it is placed next to his new rigs. He says he knows the new chief in Colorado Springs and is getting to know all the other chiefs in the area."
Evaluation and re-assembly
When they received the pump, they could tell it had been very well cared for but needed several repairs. They still had the original pump spec on file, bill-of-materials and hand drawings! Jerrod Bromeisl, the R&D machinist, creatively made the repair parts needed.
Heston Hughes, pump assembler, led the teardown, evaluation and re-assembly, before passing the pump to Dale Isaacs, the test room technician, for testing. After quite a team effort, it pumped 510 gallons a minute at 120 psi–better than the original testing done more than 80 years ago!
