A stiff, chilly breeze and sunshine greeted the return of a peripatetic 1929 Oak Bluffs fire truck No. 2 last Saturday. With Donald Billings, 77, of Oak Bluffs behind the wheel, the truck rumbled off the ferry Nantucket into Vineyard Haven. Riding shotgun next to Mr. Billings was the Maxim truck’s former owner, Robert A. DiPoli of Medfield.

The truck had not been on the Island in over 50 years.

The two sped off to Oak Bluffs without stopping. “It was so cold without a windshield,” Mr. Billings said later. They drove past a small reception of Oak Bluffs firefighter fans, headed by fire chief Peter Forend.

“We just wanted to get it to the fire station as soon as we could,” Mr. Billings said.

The truck was shiny in the sunlight as it headed up Water street toward Five Corners.

“I never realized how bad it was without power steering,” Mr. Billings said. The last time Mr. Billings drove the truck was in the 1950s.

The truck was purchased for $10,000 by a spirited group of Oak Bluffs Firemen’s Civic Association members, led by two retired firemen, Mr. Billings and William D. Norton. Last summer they sought to buy the truck from Mr. DiPoli, a retired Needham fire chief. Mr. DiPoli had owned the truck for 22 years and was hoping townspeople in Oak Bluffs were interested. The fire chief learned that the truck was available through an e-mail.

Mr. DiPoli had bought the truck from a neighbor, who had it stored in a garage in Moultonborough, N.H. The truck had been around, riding in Fourth of July parades and attending at least one regional fire chief annual meeting in Springfield. The truck was brought to Woods Hole on Saturday on a flatbed truck and was driven right onto the ferry. “It starts nice,” Mr. Billings said. Several steps are required to get the truck running.

Although the truck is paid for, Mr. Billings hasn’t stopped fund-raising. He and Mr. Norton plan to put up a 28-by-24-foot building that will house the truck and serve as a small museum.

To that end he has raised $20,000 and needs another $15,000 to complete the project.

“Construction will begin as soon as we get the building permit,” Mr. Billings said. The building will be constructed opposite the Nelson W. Amaral fire station on the corner of Wing and County Roads. Mr. Billings said the building will sit on a grass island that fronts the fire station.

For the next month the old fire engine will reside in the fire station in a vacant stall where Engine 4 resides. Engine Four is away being serviced from an accident last summer.

Mr. Billings said contributions to the museum building can be made out to the town of Oak Bluffs, with a notation on the check for the fire department restoration fund.

Checks should be sent to Donald Billings at P.O. Box 143, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. Mr. Billings is receiving the checks in order to keep track of the list of contributors.