Old Tom was built in 1935 by the Seagrave Corporation.  The original owner of this now historical antique fire engine was the Sausalito Fire Department.  For 20+ years this pumper served the town of Sausalito and included the Golden Gate Bridge which was constructed in 1937.

It is believed that sometime in the late 1960’s a private citizen from Woodside purchased the retired Seagrave for an unknown amount of money.  In the mid 1970’s ownership changed hands once again and for $1.00 the Menlo Park Fireman’s Association purchased the 1935 Seagrave.  The name “Old Tom” was chosen and named after one of Menlo’s finest, Chief Thomas Cuff. 

Needing a place to store the retired Engine the Association went to our good neighbors at the Saint Patrick’s Seminary.  A deal was made that if the fire fighters would clean out and dispose of the garbage which occupied the old gymnasium, which was later known as the “old Barn”, we could store Old Tom there.  After 10+ large dump runs the space was clear and that is where Old Tom rested for many years.

In the mid 1980’s the Firefighters’ Association and a handful of dedicated fire fighters decided to take action on the restoration of Old Tom.  The engine was stripped down to just the frame and motor and thousands of hours were dedicated to restoring the old fire engine.  The initial intension was to attempt to keep Old Tom original although working on a 50+ year old engine it was quickly discovered that minor fabrications would need to be made.

In 1999, a handful of Association members went back to work on Old Tom replacing the transmission, clutch, radiator and engine block which came out of an American Le France . 

Today we continue to work on Old Tom so our Fire Fighters Association can continue carry on a great tradition which was started some 20 years ago.  This historical fire engine gives our Association the ability to give back some appreciation to the citizens of our district and to those special events which have become tradition here at Menlo Park Fire.