A 1924 Garford fire engine has been returned to "pristine condition", and grateful owners, thanks to the efforts of the Tamworth Classic Fire Engine Club.
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The fire engine arrived from Nyngan in August 2023, in the hopes it could be restored to take pride of place in a new museum being created in the former Nyngan Fire and Rescue Station.
Bogan Shire mayor Glen Neil and Nyngan Fire and Rescue captain Rob Avard made the trip north on Wednesday, May 1, to take delivery of "the old girl", and were blown away when they saw how she had turned out.
"There are no words to explain how Glen and I feel about how the restoration turned out ... we are over the moon and still coming down," Captain Avard said on Friday, May 3, once the engine had landed back in Nyngan.
"It's probably better than what we thought we'd get.
"I spent a bit of time in Tamworth during the restoration and I said to Glen (Neil) 'don't be surprised if the engine comes back better than what we were thinking'.
"It's back to the way it was, as if it's just been delivered from Sydney - it's unbelievable, she's in A1, pristine condition."
Tamworth Classic Fire Engine Club vice president Brian Hoy said at least 1000 hours of work from up to 15 club members, across seven months went into the restoration, and "the look on the faces of the owners when they arrived to collect it made the effort all worth it".
The 1924 Garford fire engine was the first motorised fire appliance to go into service across NSW.
Mr Hoy said the restoration job was special for a number of reasons.
"The age of the engine made it special - the engine is 100 years old - but also the fact somebody came and asked us to do it for them ... we felt that was a big feather in our cap to have somebody approach us," he said.
"Then to see the look on their faces when they walked in and saw it."
'Hunt' for restorers
The unit was Nyngan's fire engine until the early 1960s, when a local landholder bought it and stored it until the property was recently sold. The owner then donated the engine to the community.
Mr Hoy said there had been a "hunt" for somebody to do the restoration and the Tamworth club was "dobbed in".
"We got a phone call, went and had a look because we happened to be looking for a project at the moment, and decided to take it on," he said.
"The engine was in pretty good condition, despite its age, with only two tiny bits of rust - vehicles were made of better steel back then.
"We needed to strip the vehicle back, rebuild the brakes, generally give it a tidy up, put new brass and aluminium sheeting on it, repaint, it and pretty it all up.
"We didn't have to replace much at all ... just things like fan belt and new lights."
Mr Hoy said it was now back to "full working order".
Drawing attention
Captain Avard said the engine attracted quite a lot of interest during it's trip back to Nyngan.
"A couple of people have already seen it and are amazed at the result, and when the young truck driver carting the vehicle back to Nyngan pulled into Coonabarabran for a break it started a lot of activity on Facebook,' he said.
The team at Nyngan is now preparing the engine for a special showing at the Nyngan Show on Sunday, May 5.
In the meantime, word is spreading and the Tamworth Classic Fire Engine Club has already been approached by people at Walgett and Cobar to take on new restoration projects.
