In a world full of fun and amusement, a 1962 issue LIFE made a bold claim. “The best toy in Wheeling, W.Va.—or anywhere in the whole world for that matter—is a geniune, full-sized fire engine. all equipped with ladder, hose, red warning lights and wailing sirens.”
The fire engine, being put out to pasture by the volunteer fire company in the nearby town, was purchased by Robert Levenson Sr. for his 14-year-old son, Robert Jr. The old truck cost him $175 (that’s about $1,900 in 2026 dollars.)—both a splurge and also a good deal, considering what he was getting.
The pictures by LIFE staff photographer John Dominis back up LIFE’s claim that the old fire truck is the best toy in the world by showing the joy of the neighborhood children. And it certainly helped that this toy was in the hands of Levenson, who treated the truck like a community resource, with friends and neighbors welcome to climb aboard.
The elder Levenson captured the experience brilliantly when he told LIFE, “If you can visualize what it’s like to be Santa Claus with his sleigh, giving out presents, you have some idea what it’s like to give kids a ride on a fire engine.”
If you’re wondering how much it would cost to pull off a similar stunt today, the simple answer is: a whole lot more, because trucks today are bigger and more complex than the one Levenson bought for his son. In 2026 you would have to spend six figures to buy a used fire truck, and while they are undoubtedly more sophisticated, they don’t look quite so much like a toy.
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Children enjoyed playing on a used fire truck, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Children enjoyed playing on a used fire truck, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Fire Engine
Child holding on the fire truck’s steering wheel, West Virginia, United States, May 1962
Children enjoyed playing on a used fire truck, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Children riding on a fire truck invited a basset hound named Dr. Watson to come aboard, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Children invited a basset hound to join them for a ride on a fire truck, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson bought a used fire truck as a present for his 14-year-old son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Children watched a drive-in movie on a used fire truck that Robert Levenson had bought for his son, Wheeling, West Virginia, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
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Series of photos of kids riding old fire engine
Robert Levenson enjoyed giving rides on a used fire truck he bought as a present for his son, 1962.
John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
