Actually, very little of my straight sections is nailed down at all in the hopes the staights would do this in the summer and not strain my curves too much. This is the first summer with the track out there and I am assuming[:-^]it will return to it’s somewhat original shape in the fall. My son’s layout (also in the garage) has Bachmann snap track w/roadbed. It moves a great deal but always back to shape.
Im not sure if comfort is the right word,[8D] but I have thought about it. I camp quite often along the Sunset Route between Gila Bend and Maricopa. Yes, I only go during the winter. But i have thought about those guys hoggin’ those huge steam engines through that awful country at 110-115 and higher on bad days… Got to wear gloves the whole time so you dont burn your hands on everything. Even the poor souls who had to be stuck in the old GP’s and SD’s before they had air-condtioning. Atleast I can stand out there in my boxers and flip-flops and a cold one in hand. Eesh. Getting hot just thinking about it.
Years ago, my grandfather had a Lionel layout in his basement. I built a layout in the garage when I lived in Phoenix, and without an A/C, you wouldn’t even consider working out there during the daytime. I moved to Missouri from Phoenix back in 1999 and haven’t looked back (I DO miss my family, though). My basement stays warm in the winter… nice and cool in the summer… Ah, how wonderful are train rooms with a house over them? BASEMENTS ROCK!!!
Hey Big John, Know axactly what you are going through. I live in Riverside Ca. and it was 106 today and I had the pleasure of working outside, luckily my vehicle had AC. I actually do very little on the layout durring the summer as I work outside most of the time and when I am not working I just don’t want to go outside.
I cut many gaps to prepare for the banchwork/rail expansion/contraction problems that will show up. Even though I cut many gaps in the first summer I needed to double how many gaps. Every time there is a temperature/humidity swing the layout changes a bit. New problems come up every time.
By the way we really did not need to paint the picture of you in your underwear, that will not draw any operators over for ops night.
Well Big John, its BigRusty in Sunny Scottsdale. 111 here too.
My garage overhaul is 99 percent finished and ready for the Big Day! I had the NW exterior wall that gets late afternoon full sun exposure furred out with 2 x 3 lumber installed flat and with 2 inch foam panel insulation, drywalled, textured and painted.
We also put 2 inch batts from HD in the steel overhead garage doors, they face NE and don’t get much sun after about 10 AM but at 110 and up they get really HOT.
The best move was 3 8000 BTU window units installed in windows cut into the cement block wall about 6 feet up on the wall. They have remotes so it is easy to control them. I have them set to maintain 85 degrees and they are doing that just fine. Each one is on its own dedicated 20 amp circuit and another new 20 amp circuit on the layout wall should be enough to run everything.
The finishing touch was expoxy garage floor finish, two coats with spackles thrown on the second coat and then a clear coat to seal it all. NO MORE DUST from that cement floor. AND, it looks gorgeous!
I also had a row of 5 4 foot 2 lamp flourescent fixtures installed over the planned layout area. WOW, does that light the place up. I am now torn between an 8 x 18 foot “test” layout where I can get everything out of the boxes where they have been for over 20 years and lube them and tune them up. OR, a 15 x 18 full scale HO layout where I can install the modules that I will be making to go into my future layout in a separate 22 x 40 foot building. Some day!
Yeah right. It’s lets see… 59*F over here. Have fun over there. Well at least it ain’t raining…
Big John–
Condolences, big fellah, we’re starting the same boat here in the Sacto Valley. 103 the past several days (though today it seems to have cooled down to the high 'nineties). I just hope we’re not in for what we got LAST summer, when I had to almost move everything plastic (which mean almost EVERYTHING in from the garage so it didn’t melt in the three-week long 110+ degree heat). And it’s not a particularly dry heat, either, it’s just kind of half-sticky Yuck that starts smelling of SUV fumes after about three days.
But I guess we’ll all muddle through, somehow.
Tom [8D]
Cool spell is over SteamFreak, we here in the Northeast better make friends with our Air Conditioners again![sigh]