Rensselaer Valve Mfg. Co. - Troy, NY
Rensselaer Valve Mfg Co was located in Troy, New York and manufactured fire hydrants from the 1880's until around 1969. Their earliest hydrant was patented in 1889 and had a slide gate design mainvalve. All subsequent Rensselaer Valve models used a toggle action main valve which is the reason for the off-center operating nut. What is presumed to be the second model the company developed, the List 90, dates back to before 1895 and is commonly referred to as a "Corey" hydrant after the inventor William W. Corey of St. Louis, Missouri. Their next model, the L-90A, was produced from the 1940s to the mid-1950s. The company's final model, the L-90B, was produced from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Rensselaer fire hydrants can still be found in service throughout the United States.

At the time that the company went out of business, it was acquired by Ludlow Valve, another fire hydrant manufacturer in Troy, NY. After the acquisition, hydrants manufactured by the company were cast with " Ludlow - Rensselaer."
The first Rensselaer model, the List 90, has "THE COREY" cast onto the top of the bonnet. The "List 90" model name does not appear on early hydrants. Three styles of wording can be found which are of different vintages; however this is NOT a safe indication of whether a half-buried hydrant can be deemed to be of a 1 pc. or 2 pc. barrel design. All 3 vintages of hydrants may be found both in 1 pc. and 2 pc. barrel design.

1. The earliest List 90s have cast onto the barrel the company name as "RENSSELAER MF'G CO.", then location, and then have patent dates of "MAR. 12 1895" & "DEC. 3, 1895". This wording is off to one side of the barrel; and the name "RENSSELAER" is cast in an arc.
2. On later List 90s the company name was permanently changed to "RENSSELAER VALVE CO." and the patent dates were dropped. The wording is in a similar location off to one side; and both "RENSSELAER" and "VALVE" are cast in an arc.
3. Later yet the wording was moved to the front of the barrel. Additional information was added including valve opening size and model (eg. 4 - 90) above the company name and location. And a year of manufacture was added below this. Similar wording style and location on the barrel continued on with later L-90A and L-90B models.

There are also two bonnet style variations; the "rimless" which gives a rounded look to the bonnet/upper barrel and the most common has a rim. The "rimless" bonnet hydrants, which we believe to have been made first and then dropped from production are listed separately before the "rimmed" bonnet hydrants. The "rimless" bonnet style has only been found in the 4 and 5 bolt bonnet hydrants.

The many List 90 configurations are grouped below by size on this and the next two pages; followed by multiple valve List 90s.
  List 90s (4-bolt bonnet)
This smallest size of the List 90 has a 4-bolt bonnet and has a 4" main valve opening. The barrel I.D. is ~6", and O.D. is ~6¾" measured near the ground line O.D. rib.

The earlier "rimless" bonnet hydrants are shown first. It has been demonstrated that the two styles of bonnets are interchangable even though there are barrel differences as well. The hydrant shown in image #0738 immediately below was likely manufactured as a "rimmed" bonnet hydrant as it is identical otherwise, including a 1956 date, to the hydrant in image #1019 further below.
1018
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: John A. collection
Photo: © 2002, J. Anderson
0738
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 2 pc., dated 1956
Location: Platteville, WI
Photo: © 2000, J. Anderson
1014
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 4½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Private collection
Photo: © J. Kaminski
1485
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 5" (leaded-in)
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Massachusetts
Photo: © 2001, J. Kaminski

The "rimmed" bonnet hydrants shown below are the most common version ...
2469
Nozzles: 1x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Pamela Williams collection
Photo courtesy: Pamela Williams
0660
Nozzles: 1x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/o patents
Location: Willis L. collection
Photo: © 2000, W. Lamm
1714
Nozzles: 1x 5"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/ patents
Location: private collection
Photo: © J. Kaminski
0766
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Willis L. collection
Photo: © 2000, W. Lamm
2389
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/o patents
Location: Private collection
Photo: © 2006, J. Kaminski
1015
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 2 pc. w/patents
Location: Massachusetts
Photo: © 2001, J. Kaminski
2075
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 2 pc. w/o patents
Location: Massachusetts
Photo: © 2003, J. Kaminski
1912
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 2 pc. w/o patents, dated 1949
Location: Janesville, WI
Photo: © 2002, J. Anderson
1395
Nozzles: 2x 2½" + monitor flange
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Jeff K. collection
Photo: © 2001 J. Kaminski
1019
Nozzles: 2x 2½"
Barrel: 2 pc., dated 1956
Location: Platteville, WI
Photo: © 2001, J. Anderson
0589
Nozzles: 1x 2½", 1x 4"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Note: Marysville spec.
Location: Willis L. collection
Photo: © 2001, W. Lamm
0861
Nozzles: 3x 2½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Private collection
Photo: © J. Kaminski
0571
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 3½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Massachusetts
Photo: © 2001, J. Kaminski
0505
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 4"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/o patents
Location: Willis L. collection
Photo: © 2000, W. Lamm
0119
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 4½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: John A. collection
Photo: © 2000, J. Anderson
2261
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 5"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: Jeff K. collection
Photo: © 2004, J. Kaminski
0960
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 5"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/o patents, dated 1941
Location: Massachusetts
Photo: © 2002, J. Kaminski
1886
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 4½"
Barrel: 1 pc. w/patents
Location: New York
Photo: © 2003, J. Kaminski

This last of the 4-bolt bonnet List 90 models has a bonnet flange which is "squared-off", eliminating the nut recesses underneath the bonnet bolts, giving this hydrant a mushroom-like appearance.
2211
Nozzles: 2x 2½", 1x 4½"
Size: 4" V.O.
Barrel: 2 pc., w/o patents
Date: 1970
Location: Wisconsin
Photo: © Jim Quist


List 90 - Part 1 (4-bolt) , 2 (5-bolt) , 3 (8-bolt) , 4 (multiple valve) | L-90A & L-90B
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