Fire hydrants

[Marmight]

I hope this is the right forum for this, if it isn’t, my apologies.

 

Being a UK resident, modelling North American O gauge, I’d like to add some fire hydrants to my layout. The railway is mostly industrial with a small harbor section and a Flour plant. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to where hydrants would be placed and what color are they painted? Are they all Red? If it helps, the layout is situated in the NE region, somewhere along the Canadian border around Burlington, Syracuse and Buffalo. Did the colours differ from region to region?

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[BR60103]

The local newspaper had an article a few months ago about a couple whose business is repainting fire hydrants. (noat available free).

 

Most around here are yellow with red tops.  There is a coding -- either colour or numbers -- giving information like the size of the main. I think they used to be all red in steam days.

 

Most are planted next to the road, either between sidewalk and kerb or equivalent if no sidewalk or on far side of ditch.

Spacing varies; minimum usually a fire truck's length apart. Farther apart in residential areas.

I'll have a look tomorrow.

 

[pH]

I would suggest using Google Streetview. Pick a town in the area you’re interested in and move along a street in the type of area you want to model. You should be able to pick out hydrants. If you go more than about a couple of blocks in town without seeing one, maybe go back and check you’ve not missed one.

[Marmight]

Thanks for the info, really helpful. Would I be right in saying that inIndustrial areas, there would be a hydrant outside each of the premises or buildings?

For all the times I’ve spent in Canada and the USA, I wish I’d paid more attention to street furniture...

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 10/09/2021 at 20:35, Marmight said:

Did the colours differ from region to region?

From my Googling around that area I would certainly say so. Some red and some yellow. Some look very pink but they may be red ones not painted for many years. 

A lot are on street corners in older residential areas, spaced on a roughly 100 yard grid.

[BR60103]

I was looking today as we drove to Lake Huron. On one industrial street, I think they were spaced about one per building, but I think just one side of the street.  There were a few other places where I couldn't see any at all.  I noted paint of yellow with red knobs and yellow with blue.  Some had black on the top.  I spotted a red one slightly down a driveway.

Many with numbers on them -- 12 or 15 low on the side.  Painting  consistent along a street, so I think this is the water main size.

 

Info: I believe that the top fixture is the faucet part -- on & off with a big spanner. The side bits unscrew to attach hoses.

 

[Marmight]

16 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

From my Googling around that area I would certainly say so. Some red and some yellow. Some look very pink but they may be red ones not painted for many years. 

A lot are on street corners in older residential areas, spaced on a roughly 100 yard grid.

Brilliant, thanks a lot. I now have some distance figures to work with.

Cheers

 

Martin

[Marmight]

13 hours ago, BR60103 said:

I was looking today as we drove to Lake Huron. On one industrial street, I think they were spaced about one per building, but I think just one side of the street.  There were a few other places where I couldn't see any at all.  I noted paint of yellow with red knobs and yellow with blue.  Some had black on the top.  I spotted a red one slightly down a driveway.

Many with numbers on them -- 12 or 15 low on the side.  Painting  consistent along a street, so I think this is the water main size.

 

Info: I believe that the top fixture is the faucet part -- on & off with a big spanner. The side bits unscrew to attach hoses.

 

Great information, thank you.

[BR60103]

I just looked at the street our house is on.  They're red with green fittings. (approx, GWR green).

 

[Peter Beckett]

If you want something different try these we saw in Canada   

[peach james]

800' apart (typically).  Colour can be determined by flow (sometimes) or by ???.  The ones with the photos above- the big port is called a "Steamer Port", will be 4" or 5" thread.  The other two will be 2 1/2".  The steamer port now is often a 100mm Storz fitting, in my area (Vancouver Island) usually indicated by a black band.  

The valve is 4-12' below the ground in the areas that are frost prone.  West Coast/California generally have the valves in the hydrant body.

 

James