Before the dalmation became the favourite animal of fire stations around the country, the horse was the most common creature seen around a fire station. These were remarkable horses for they not only drew engines, pumps, and firemen to a blaze, but they did so amidst a pandemonium of noise, never letting the chug of the steam-pump, the clanging of bells or the shouting of orders upset them or break their focus. One of the most respected names in horse-drawn fire-fighting apparatus at the time was Merryweather. The firm's roots dated back to 1750 and, by the mid -1800's, Merryweather & Sons was at the very fore-front of fire-fighting technology. In 1861, Merryweather produced its first steamer, The Deluge, followed by The Torrent and the Sutherland in 1863. Merryweather guaranteed its stature in the history of fire-fighting in 1899 when it produced the first self-propelled steamer and again in 1904 when it pioneered the first self-propelled motor pump to be used by a public fire brigade. Now, the splendour, grandeur and beauty of two powerful horses drawing a vintage Merryweather steamer is re-created in a handsome replica combining die-cast metal and hand-painted sculpture. Authentically detailed and meticulously crafted, the 1880 Merryweather Horse-Drawn Fire Engine is produced by - and available exclusively from - Matchbox Collectibles, the greatest name in die-cast.

Scale: 1:43