Here we go again, another hurricane. So what do you guys do to prepare your model layouts when a storm like this happens, no basements here. 
When Rita came I took apart my layout, all buildings, locomotives, freight cars where all packed up. My layout looked like I just started it. Everything was to the bare bone and stored safely.
I live in NW Houston, near Tomball so I hope we wont get it to bad up there.
Stay safe.
Mark
Mark,
Iām just up the road from you in College Station. Weāre hoping it doesnāt follow the currently predicted path, 'cause thatāll put us right in its pathā¦on the bad side. granted, we wonāt have storm surge to worry about, but wind, rain, and tornadoesā¦
Letās just say that I wish I was in Colorado right about now.
'Bout the simplest thing to do is model the aftermath of total devistation. Do that on a permant basis and you donāt even have to worry about rivet counters or anyone saying it aināt prototypical. Just over spray every thing grey, brown or green ā pile junk everywhere and call it finished ---- come to think of it, Iām already there [:-^]
John T in the cow pasture 60 miles WNW of B/CS
Good luck to you all! We have family and friends in Houston and Austin, and friends spread out around Fort Worth area. Thoughts and prayers for everyone! My folks in NOLA just arrived back from the Gustav evacuation on Tuesday.
I live in west-central Louisiana just 18 miles from the Texas line where LA8 west becomes hwy63. Weāve been on the receiving end of several hurricanes in the past 10 years, with Rita being the worst. Each time I had to abandon my trailer and leave my layout to whatever fate awaited it. The only time it got any damage was when Rita ripped part of my roof off and the rain poured in and soaked a section of the layout measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. The damage was easily repaired. Repair operations involved the use of an old asbestos lined hair dryer, some glue and a lot of WS turf. Fortunately I hadnāt ballasted the track in that area yet. The hardest part was replacing the backdrop, but that was eventually done over the space of a week. I think before the next hurricane season comes around I may buy a few cheap shower curtains. Two to use to cover the layout and one to replace the 20 year old plastic curtain thatās in the shower now.
My layout is only 2ā x 8ā so if it gets destroyed Iāll just have to rebuild it. The layout Iām not concerned with. Itās the equipment that concerns me. Iāve got tons of train items that I donāt want ruined including many rare Lionel postwar items valued at quite a bit of money. I store my trains in water tight plastic tool boxes. Itās the best I can do. I too am near Tomball so hopefully I wonāt have a whole lot to worry about. Weāll find out in the next day and a half or so.
An extremely close friend of mine is at NAS Corpus Christi and I havenāt heard from her in a few days. Iām taking that as a good sign because sheās been too busy getting ready to leave and then leaving. Read they evacuated all the aircraft today so Iām reasoning sheās left too.
last i looked the eye was going over my house now it appears to be just slightly west of me
iām at I-10 and 610
im putting plastic bags over the layout and hoping the large oak tree behind my house remains standing
if not iāll have the bags to throw stuff in [:(]
I think thats one of the bad things about United States weather. Up north, snow/temp, South hurricanes, out west earthquakes, and midwest tornadoes. Where are you suppose to go???
Well good luck all down there. The only one I have ever been in was HUGO. That was back in 89 and I was only about 9 at the time. I am sure everbody layouts will be ok. If it gets flooded (layout) you could always make it a dock/shipping layout [:-^] .
All I know is this, and itās my opinionā¦I spent 6 years in Gulfport, MS in the Navy. RUN! Yup, like a scared kid. Run like crazy. Anything can be replaced except YOU. Do the best you can in the next day to protect it and get out of Dodge. Pack up what you can and leave the rest to Mother Nature. It exactly what my wife and I did several times.
Best of luck to all you on the Gulf Coast.
Iāll be hunkered down in College Station, as well. Iāll be off tomorrow; maybe arjay & I will get together to work on modules???
I hope my house and my layout in Corpus Christi come through the storm all right. We aqre on the edgeā¦
This is what REAL railroads did in Corpus Christi for Hurricane Allen back in 1980.
Unlike some coastlines, the Texas Gulf Coast is not rocky, but sandy and low lying. Areas suitable for steamship docks are often areas that will flood when hurricanes come. Rails need to run into the low lying areas to access the docks, but levees and flood walls need to be built to protect from storm tides. Occasionally, the best alignment for a gradual rail line conflicts with the need to cut off a tidal surge route. A break will be left in the storm wall for routine use by the rails, to be filled in on an emergency basis during a hurricane watch or warning. I know of storm walls with railroad openings like this at the Port of Corpus Christi and also at the Conn Brown shrimpboat harbor in Aransas Pass.
Of course, the only time to see or photograph the storm gates in use would be the few days every few years during a storm emergency. When Hurricane Allen was approaching the Texas Coast in 1980, I took a few extra minutes from my newsgathering duties the day before the storm to run down to the port tracks and shoot a picture. (I could justify the side trip on station time, shooting a video clip for the news as part of the storm preparations.)
Notice that a permanent concrete storm wall comes up to a clearance point on each side of the rail r.o.w., with a notch for installing pre-made āgateā sections across the tracks. Then fill dirt is bulldozed against the gate to stabilize it against tidal forces.
Good look to all of you. I lived in Houston (290 & 610) until just a few years ago and still have lots of family there and down in Angleton. After the storm passes, let us know how yaāll came through.
bnsf76
I just bought a generator to keep the fridge, tv, and a fan running and it wonāt start! Lousy Chinese junk! Now I need to go take apart a NEW product and fix it myself. I think I got the very last one in the city too so I canāt take it back now. Oh how I wish I had a steam powered generator! If I can burn it, I can make power. Maybe that will be a future project. Then again maybe Iāll jsut get a propane regulator and make this work off of it instead. I can do it but donāt have the tike before the storm hits to do it. Oh well.
I have everything about boarded up here in Sugar Land. Right now the eye is supposed to go right over us but it may go either side. I evacuated for Rita but plan to shelter in place for this one. See you on the other side.
Colorado! 300 days of sunshine a year, no earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes. mostly just 70 degree weather
Iām out here on the north west side of Houston. Iāve filled all of my generator fuel cans, stocked up on groceries, bottled water, etc, and have everything outside buttoned up and battoned down to the best of my ability. If we lose power and we probably will, weāre going to pass the time playing cards, dominos, checkers and watching movies on the portable DVD player. It wonāt be any fun but hopefully weāll all get through it okay.
Tracklayer
[C):-)][8][?]
Our thoughts, prayers, hopes and best wishes are with all our good buddies and their families that will be enduring the wrath of Ike.
Hope it is short and over-rated and all will be back home before long.
We have had a few Tornados up this way over the years but of course never feel the brunt of the ocean, or the monster size of some of these Hurricanes.
Bless you all.
Keep us posted as to how you all make out.
Johnboy outā¦
It appears that Iāll be high and dry here in Austin since Ike took a northward turn towards Galveston and Houston. Iāll be on the west side of the storm as it passes towards Dallas and north Texas. Weāre expecting winds tonight and tomorrow in the range of 40-70mph and about 2-4 inches of rain. I guess my new roof will be tested in the storm!
My thoughts go out to all of the Forum members that are closer to the coastā¦
Don Z.
300 days huh?, you must work for the Chamber of Commerce, I have a bridge for sale, would you like to buy it? Those forest fires and snow storms can be rather bothersome canāt they? [D)]
I just returned from Biloxi MS, Hwy 90 was closed this morning bcause it was overtaken with the surge. I barely got out of the parking garage, I had to drive through water up to the doors in a Ford Explorer. Along I-10 the wind gust were āexcitingā to say the least. I was a long way from Galveston/Houston area.
This is not going to be good, my hopes and prayers to my friends in that area, I hope you got out. [:(]