N Scale Scratch built Hose Drying Tower

Didn't know that had them as separate structures. But after looking it up its pretty exact. Now all you have to do is get some drivers so they dont back into the fence

@sjm9911

Thanks and the towers came as apart of a structure or separate - there really was no standard for them other than they had to be high enough to hang hoses from and have a means of getting the hoses verticle.

As for the Driver's - I'll have to talk to them BUT the cost of putting the fence back up will come out of their pay packets - oh wait, poo - they're all volunteers

I meant to include the dimensions of the thing above but it is 3 1/2" high 3/4" square at the base and 5/8" square at the top. The hose hangers are .020 Brass Rod and I have Tichy windows that I am considering putting in, if I can at this late stage. This was only suppose to be a mock up for when I built the proper one

Yea, where I am in jersey, the hose towers were all built into the buildings, even the older ones. This is just my experiance, and can differ in other parts of the country or even jersey.

Can you see the hose tower? Sad part is this place is now a beer garden restaurant.

That is one heck of a tower! It is definitely a shame that it has been turned into a beer garden restaurant All too many things, not just fire houses and railway things, from the past are being converted or knocked down or just left to decay and vandalism - it really is a shame.

The town up the road from where I live (in the bush) was a fairly major freight hub early last century, complete with repair shops and round house. Now, Alstom took everything over and there isn't much of the original left.

Impressive building and I love the Tower.

How do they get the hoses up that tower you built

Conductorkev said:

How do they get the hoses up that tower you built

Click to expand...

Generally they used a pulley and rope system. A rope was slung over a beam or pulley and the hoses were attached to it then pulled up. The weight of the hose would allow it to be lowered once dried.

Later on they may have gone to using winches, but that is just a possibility and not a certainty.

wombat457 said:

Generally they used a pulley and rope system. A rope was slung over a beam or pulley and the hoses were attached to it then pulled up. The weight of the hose would allow it to be lowered once dried.

Later on they may have gone to using winches, but that is just a possibility and not a certainty.

Click to expand...

Ahh never seen the system used so I was like no ladder or no way to get to the top to hang them lol. I'm sure n scale would be rough to put in the pulley system and probably would not be visible anyways so why waste the effort...

Our hose towers are built into the fire station building…..and are heated with a roof over it….hoses won’t dry in the winter when it’s well below freezing….

Conductorkev said:

Ahh never seen the system used so I was like no ladder or no way to get to the top to hang them lol. I'm sure n scale would be rough to put in the pulley system and probably would not be visible anyways so why waste the effort...

Click to expand...

Quite a few did have ladders and stairs in them as well, and most likely for the reason you mentioned. Many also had a look out/observation house on top of them or Bells that they would sound before the invent of sirens I guess.

About the only things I might add is an observation house/bell housing and hoses hanging from the "beams". I am also looking at adding some windows and a door to it just for the hell of it and to see if I can

Old_Hobo said:

Our hose towers are built into the fire station building…..and are heated with a roof over it….hoses won’t dry in the winter when it’s well below freezing….

Click to expand...

Most here, and in Australia, are covered as well; although, I don't think too many are still in use for drying hoses, I maybe wrong of course. I just haven't gotten around to putting a roof on mine yet

Yea, they still use them. As for the bells, in the 1920s , they had air whistles, like on a train. Compressed air that filled large storage tanks. They then had a cog system that ran the system. You put a cog in that corasponded to how many and how long the whistle blew. This told you the area of the fire. The whistle was tested 2x a day and was wound up daily. I have no idea how it worked, just that it did. It was made by the gamewell compony.

@sjm9911

Thank you for the information - you learn something new every day

Something like this, but way more complex to activate it.

I cant find a picture of the control pannel, if I remember I'll shoot a picture at work next week. Its atually really wild looking.