Author: Olivier Burger
The procurement of an airfield firefighting vehicle was on the agenda in Switzerland at the beginning of the 1970s. In the search for the right mobile firefighting vehicle, those responsible came across the Walter company in the USA. The company was founded in New York in 1898. Not by an American, however, but by Wilhelm Walter, a Swiss national who emigrated to the USA in 1863. Between 1950 and the end of the 1970s, his company was the leading manufacturer of airport fire engines and number one worldwide.

14 years in use
Zurich Airport purchased the Walter Yankee vehicle, model CB-3500 4×4, built in 1971, for use at the airport, which went into service in 1972. For 14 years, the extraordinary American was in use there. The entire body is a self-supporting aluminum construction. Only 99 vehicles of the CB 3000 and 3500 models were produced. In terms of performance, the vehicle had a lot to offer by the standards of the time: It had 11300 liters of water as well as 1800 liters of foaming agent. The three-seater was equipped with two Ford V-8 petrol engines, each with a displacement of 8.9 liters and an output of 275 hp. The operating weight was 26.7 tons. The vehicle was taken out of service in 1986.

Elaborate restoration
The ravages of time were gnawing away at the unusual airfield fire engine in an outdoor storage area due to the effects of the weather. In 2017, Thomas Brügger, a former employee of the Zurich professional fire department who had long been involved with vehicles from Yankee-Walter, bought the disused fire engine. He was determined to keep it. Within three years, the vehicle was extensively restored by a team of enthusiasts and with the support of Scania Schweiz AG. It was a lot of work, says Brügger: "First of all, the four wheels came off. One wheel weighs 690 kg. That was the first problem: We needed a new one. But then we really got down to the nitty-gritty. The rims and all the other sheet metal on the vehicle were rebuilt, sandblasted, primed and repainted." In addition, the entire interior - from the transfer case to the engines - was removed and repaired. Even though the Yankee is no longer drivable, it remains a real eye-catcher.

Enrichment for exhibition
"This vehicle," says Brügger proudly, "is one of only a few vehicles in the world that still exists in this good general condition and has survived its time in service." The rare exhibit is currently a permanent guest in the arena of the Swiss Museum of Transport. The airfield fire-fighting vehicle is located in familiar surroundings under the Convair CV-990 "Coronado" HB-ICC: an ideal addition to the aviation exhibition.