VIDEO/PHOTOS: A piece of Albany history is out for public viewing after being hidden away for 20 years.
The restoration of the 1925 Seagrave engine was an arduous process that took gallons of paint and even more patience. Inside what was once the old museum at Fire Station 12, Larry Allen and Brian Vorderstrasse put the finishing touches on the fire engine.
The room smells of cleaning agents and gasoline. Paint brushes, rags, measuring tape, stencils and toolboxes with wrenches pool over the tables and onto the ground of their workstation. The fire engine sits proudly, commanding space in the small museum-turned-workshop. For the past three years the two retired firefighters have worked to restore the engine to its glory. “It’s important because it’s preserving history,” said Vorderstrasse, sporting orange gloves and a shirt splattered with grease.