I hope this has’nt been posted before and I offend anyone, I tryed to find it in search but it dont seem to work…anyways… I have my railroad empire up in my attic, which is a little cold in the winter, but I never complained, but really hot now. You can’t beat the space though. Is it ok for my proto 2 engines and accessories and cars and etc… or should I maybe bring them down until the heat of the season is gone? If anyone had any past experience with this it would be much appreciated, I have a small fortune up there and I would hate to see it ruined… thanks…
I would get the trains out of the attic ASAP. The heat can damage trains as bad if not worse than water. Insulation on wires can become brittle, plastic can melt or warp, and the heat is probably hard on electronic components. I have many pieces that have been ruined from being in the attic during the summer months. Get the trains out before it is too late!
[#welcome] John to the forum !! I would only worry about the plastic possibly melting, though I doubt that may happen. I would think oils & grease in the engines could run out easier. Only would worry or move them till it cools down a bit if it is really extremely hot up there. You really have to make that determination yourself, & I think I would, though, if it were me. Better safe than sorry !!
I see you are in Ohio, there are lots of us here, come on over to The Coffee Pot if you have time !!
my G scale are kept in a metal 10x10 storage shed all year round… locomotives and cars… I keep my USA GP38s with Phoenix in the house and MTH J and Dash8 as well as the TIU. My Aristo TE and 10amp power supply are left in the shed.
Now I run all winter and summer, today is 90+ and NO RUNNING, rails hot in sun and anything with traction tires would most likely loose them (as well as in cold winter) and lubricants I’m sure take a beating. I have had the TE shut down in really hot temps, have fan however havn’t installed as yet (only 5 years on the shelf)…
Winter and extreme cold takes it toll as well, have lost gearing in USA SW that’s been in service since '98 outside all the time. I take what the weather gives and except for the SW, a GP38 and RS3 all else is inside so there are some failures, breakage and your attic (except for the dirt, snow and ice) would compare.
John : I would at least get the engines & cars to a little cooler place. Depends on the accessories you have, metal ones may be ok, but again, plastic could be warped.
Oh, where in Ohio are you ? !! May hit 100 tomorrow !!
John, I would think that reasonible temperatures not much over 100 wouldn’t be a problem since the trains a shipped from China in closed containers at all times of the year. The containers might be in the hold or on deck, either way they see temperature extremes.
Get those locomotives–especially the ones with electronics in them–and plastic rolling stock out of that area as soon as you can. While a lot of Large Scale (G gauge) stuff is made to tolerate extremes in heat and cold, virtually nothing made in the smaller scales, including O gauge, comes even close in terms of being able to hold up in such conditions.
With temperatures this week expected to top the 100-degree mark in many parts of the nation, folks who have layouts in heat-prone portions of their home really need to exercise some precautions. Computers don’t like extreme heat, and keep in mind that many of today’s modern locomotives have what are, in effect, computer components inside.
Simple guideline is that if you wouldn’t like being treated like this, neither will your trains. Exremes in heat or cold or humidity will not sit well with this stuff. BTW, While we tend to focus on high humidty issues (rust and mold), too low can cause problems with static electricity that can also wreak havoc with the delicate electronics inside the trains and acessories.
Could anyone put a number on what you’re saying? I’m on a ventilated sunporch that gets pretty warm and pretty cool, but not extreme either way. It probably stays warmer than 40 and cooler than 90.
(If the train has to come inside, I’ll have to go outside. I’d rather the train stay out there.)
My trains have been stored in Pennsylvania attics for 20 years and I have had no problems due to heat. Most of the time, they were in their boxes, the past two years they are sitting on the layout. Most are MPC era Lionel but I’ve added quite a bit of new stuff in the last 8 years. I’ve got one Railking engine with Locosound that acts up a little when it’s cold (sweatshirt chilly) in the attic but no heat related problems. My attic gets hot in the summer but is bearable for short periods of time.
When I worked in the vending industry, if we moved a machine, we were always concerned about allowing the electronic pinballs and video games to warm to room temperature in the winter but never worried about them cooling down in the summer.
Thanks for everyones input. I live near the cleveland area and I just got off of work and checked up there and it is pretty hot… I think I will be safe then sorry and move it all…It will be a lot of work but better than ruining it all. Thanks again everyone and stay cool…
Almost all electronics are designed to operate at maximum temperatures of 50 degrees C or above (=140 deg F). Of course, that is internal temperature but the components aren’t generating any heat when they are off.
So the real issues are the lubricants running out and the plastics softening. If you use transmission fluid, lubricant temperature is a non-issue also. Don’t know about the Labelle lubricants. Plastic softening is difficult to predict. Thin sheet stryene is probably the most sensitive to temps in the 110-120 deg F range. This would typically be found in lighter plastic cars and structures. The older Bakelite and PW plastics are probably pretty safe, as would be the UV-stabilized plastic used in the better G scale stuff.
I’d play it safe and get them out of the attic. I doubt anything would melt but the extremes are probably not overly benifial to the overall well being of your trains.
Interesting replies. My post war “stuff” was stored in a walkin attic that went from cold [above freezing] to hot in the summer. Was stored for 20 years and no damage. I had been told that humidity would be the worse enemy. Got them out, lubed the engines and away they went.
Suggestion: Insulate the roof by putting batt insulation between the rafters. Your trains are worth the $$$$. Do it yourself and save. Hit Home Depot or Lowes when they have the 12 months same as cash. Pay it off a little each month. I just did this to the walkin attic I’m going to run trains through the walls. Now I leave the door open [you can’t do this with your attic] and this winter was very confortable and now it is OK. Makes a big difference. Now for the summer, get a gable end fan with thermostat. [I’ve got a monster one in my attic attic with humidistat too]. In the Ohizo winters, cut off the gable end fan and block off the gable end vents and put a little [or maybe two] thermostat controlled electric heater up there. I have only one in my shop [well insulated] and it keeps it above freezing and hardly runs at all. With enough insulation, you can really make a difference. Now with a “hip roof”, you have a problem.
Mark, your sunroom is OK. Summer, keep the direct sun off, as it will heat things up [especially black], with shades or blinds. Just keep the humidity down in the winter. If it gets too cold in the Hill Country of Texass, try the little electric heater trick.
Heat and humidity is more of a problem than dry heat and can do a lot of damage over time. Dust can settle on the plastic and turn to fungus, staining the paint. Modern ABS plastics and paints are good at resisting heat and humidity but still, it is not a good idea. Metals will of course corode, causing the paint to bubble. If the trains are wrapped up, humidity gets trapped, condenses and cause even worse damage. I would play it safe and get the trains out of there. The ideal temp to store trains is in the 70’s f and 40% or less humidity. You might consider a large gable vent fan and get the air circulating up there.
I have seen advice that exhausting air from the attic with a fan will suck air from the living space through the numerous openings in the walls and ceiling of a typical house. If you are using an air conditioner for cooling, this is counter-productive. But that expensive dehumidified air might be good for the trains in the attic.
Bob, not if you have the ceiling joists full of insulation and sealed around your stairway. I hope modern houses are tighter than that. My old 1940’s house is. It drops my attic attic temp quite a bit. I have three gable end vents [big ones] and I mounted mine so it is exhausting out the afternoon hot side of the house. Thus, pulling in air from the two that are shaded [one north and the other east]. Makes the upstairs cooler too. Mine will come on and exhaust with the humidity over 60% [where I have it set] too. This will also help save your roof. I even have one mounted in the gable end of my equipment and boat shed. The metal roof was getting temps over 100 under it. Now it is a lot cooler. Good insulation is a big help.
