The museum is building a new facility that will house the Squad 51 in Carson, California, where the show was filmed.
It was in service at Universal Studios from 1965 to about 1987 when it was placed in the care of the Los Angeles County Fire Museum in Bellflower, California, United States, where it resides today.
The second Engine 51, a 1973 Ward LaFrance, was retrieved by the County of Los Angeles Fire Museum on August 8, 2008, from Yosemite National Park.
The LACoFD rigs were 1250 gpm triples powered by Cummins NHCT295 turbocharged Diesels driving through Allison HT-70 5 speed manual transmissions.
After a couple more cameo appearances, Universal's parent company, MCA, transferred the engine to Yosemite National Park, where it had the concession contract.
In 2010, The County of Los Angeles Fire Museum started to restore the Ward back to its 1970s appearance, and equip it fully, as when it starred as Engine 51.