The cab interior of X-Engine 8. Backdraft Engine 17 on the day it was purchased. December 20, 2003, during early restoration efforts. Rear jump seat behind the officer.
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This is the second installment of a three-part series by Dave Weaver, the organizer of the Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show at www.EmergencyVehicleShow.com
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In 1990, two iconic rigs—X-Engine 8 (D-374) and its sister unit X-Engine 106 (D-375)—were among the second batch sent for refurbishment. They were the last to return in June 1990. These units were later leased to the production company behind the film *Backdraft*. D-374 was temporarily assigned as Engine 17 from July 1990 to February 1991 and then as Engine 51 from October 1990 to February 1991. Notably, the hose bed of Engine 8 played a key role in the movie’s scenes inside Engine 8’s house. During filming, most of the exterior shots and some interior scenes of Engine 17 were captured using X-Engine 8. X-Engine 106 also appeared as Engine 17 in certain scenes.
To distinguish between the two, Engine 8 had a gloss black interior with diamond plate flooring, while X-Engine 106 featured a flat black interior without any diamond plate. Another subtle difference was the placement of the siren speaker—on X-Engine 106, it was mounted higher in front of the windshield.
After the film wrapped, D-374 was reassigned to Engine 69, stationed at 4017 N. Tripp Ave. Engine 69 gained notoriety during the Great Flood of 1992 when it helped pump out City Hall’s basement. As part of Chicago’s short-lived super-pumper initiative, it was equipped with four hard suction lines and 1,000 feet of 5-inch LDH. It also had a 140-gallon foam tank designed for quick highway responses. However, Engine 69 was taken out of service on June 13, 1995. Its transmission and PTO box were removed to keep Engine 34 operational after it suffered gear failure. On August 28, 1996, Engine 69 was sold at auction to Erickson Trucks-n-Parts. It was first transported to their yard in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and eventually ended up in their bone yard in Jackson, Minnesota, in 1997. It was discovered there by its current owner in 1999 and purchased in 2003, starting a long restoration process.
Meanwhile, X-Engine 106 (D-375) was assigned to Engine 113. Like D-374, it was later sold to Erickson Trucks-n-Parts and ended up in the same Jackson, Minnesota, bone yard. Engine 113 is now in the possession of a friend of the current owner of Engine 69, but it’s in poor condition and may be used as a parts rig for the Engine 17 restoration project. Another related rig, Engine 14 (X-E113), was completely stripped and later shredded after being chopped and left to rust.
Interestingly, Engine 34 (X-Engine 49), which never appeared in *Backdraft*, was later converted into an Engine 17 replica before being sold to the East Norwegian Township Fire Department in Pennsylvania around 1999 or 2000. For years, it was incorrectly advertised as authentic. A few years ago, it was spotted online for sale, stripped of its markings, and its current location remains unknown.