Auburn #502 Hose Truck

Next up in our coverage of vintage Auburn fire and emergency vehicles is their #502 Hose Truck. If  I'm not mistaken, this was one of the toys I had as a kid back in the '50s (NO not the 1850s - although I feel that old sometimes LOL). This truck had been posted years ago on the blog but this sample is in better shape and now there are more photos. It measures  7 3/8" (18.73cm) L x 2 1/2" (6.35cm)  W 2 1/8" (5.39cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Previously on Toys and Stuff

pliable vinyl plastic with silver detailing and black wheels

rigid vinyl with no silver over spray and black wheels

The new guy

Auburn #502 Hose Truck - Rigid SP

We have covered the #502 Hose Truck before, back on Apr 29, 2011 but it was the earlier rubber version. Today we're going to look at the latter vinyl version. In 1953 Auburn started phasing out rubber toys in favor of injection molded vinyl which was a rigid soft plastic. I do remember having a piece or two of the rubber trucks as a kid - perhaps they were swaps I made with the neighbor kids or hand-me-downs. But mostly I remember the rigid vinyl trucks and they were the Army vehicles like personnel carriers and halftracks, not the fire trucks as shown here today. That being said, it only took me 50 years to finally catch up and get one of these LOL  Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Auburn #502 Hose Truck

Today on Fire Engine and Emergency Vehicle Friday, let's continue our look at the Auburn Rubber Company's line of nifty rubber and vinyl vehicles. Today's featured toy: the Auburn #502 Hose Truck. You'll notice the 'sway back' body of this truck which is a fairly common deformity, but as my particular toy looks to be fairly new and un-played with, it's hard to say whether the sway back was a result of factory processes or improper storage of the toy. The silver detailing is in real good shape on this toy and highlights the details quite well. Enjoy!