Sooo…Canazar, I notice you have a fairly extensive layout in your garage in the Phoenix area. I too live in the same area where, coincidentally, it can reach 120+degrees in my nice oven-like garage. Do you (and the others of you out there) do anything special to protect your layout in such heat?
We have a 4 X 8 layout I built for my son in the garage using Bachmann ready track. It had to be mounted to the table as the table folds against the wall when not in use. The only section of track not adhered to the table was a #6 crossover and the first summer we had it out there it buckled and expanded so much I could slide my whole hand under the turnout. We tore out half the track, drilled large holes and remounted the track using fender washers and stop nuts. Now everything expands and contracts just fine.
My argument with my wife is that if I built anything for myself out there the heat would just destroy it. Yet I see some people are pulling it off. Am I missing something or is my argument to my wife just bunk (as most of them are)?
What is your table made of? Wood will expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity more than the track does. Try sealing both sides of the table with paint if it is bare plywood, especially if it is thin plywood, and your buckling should stop.
The original layout that was in the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club’s building here in Sierra Vista, which is a non-temperature controlled environment, was unpainted plywood and it was continually warping out of shape throughout the year. We removed that layout and constructed the new one on hollow-core doors covered with 1 inch of Upson Board (Sound Board). We have had no bucking or expansion/contraction problems since then, even with a 40-foot long straight run along one wall (the layout is HO scale).
I just moved to Tucson from Washington State. I got a temp a couple of weeks ago of 121 close to the garage door. I moved all my still boxed up trains under the bed. We will be building a new model and train room in a year so I think I’ll just do a desk top display of a logging landing that can go on the layout later. Maybe put some more decoders into locos and finish a freelanced sawmill started a year ago. One of my neighbors told me today he is going to start a garden railroad in the back yard. Seems to me live steam would be real efficient in this country.
Other than that I haven’t got any advice. I read here a week or so ago that a couple of garage modelers put in portable air conditioners. I think the electric cost would be high and the temp drop only about ten degrees except right in front of the unit.
Sorry, should have been more specific. No trouble with the board warping (it’s MDF, painted) just the track. Granted it is the Bachmann track so maybe it is the plastic roadbed that is doing all the expanding but I know the heat causes the rail to expand too. My father, who lives around the corner from me, is a garden railroader and we have replaced a great deal of outdoor track due to the rail expanding and then breaking the plasic spike tops. Have since rectified the problem by adding expanders.
So, still curious, is anyone actually gluing track down out in their Arizona car ovens?
Cacole: I have heard of the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club. I would love to get down there and see it.
I am building a layout in my garage. Used pine for understructure, all painted. I used 1/2" birch plywood for deck … painted on top and exposed edges.
Now, the garage. I’m in a two story with garage under the upstairs bedrooms. Three walls of garage are insulated and I added insulating inserts (about 2" thick) to the metal garage door as the sun faces the garage door head on as the afternoon approaches.
It has been 100+ but not 121. My garage temp has reached 89 degrees at the hotest. At night it cools to about 84 or 82. I’m using no airconditioning other than a fan that I keep constantly running to keep the air moving.
I do not keep the door to the house open.
The track has not budged that I can tell.
I am no expert on wood but I believe most warping, expansion and contraction is from obsorption of moisture.
Somone posted a thread here sometime back on the expansion of just the rail. Basically, they had put the rail out in the sun on a really hot day for several hours, measured before and after and there was no appreciable difference.
Good News Desert Dwellers. I too have the garage from hell in Sunny Scottsdale, AZ. I just got a quote from an air conditioning source to install a small Fujitsu Halcyon roof top unit with remote air handler in the garage. He wants me to have more insulation blown into the crawl space, fur out with 2x2s insulate and dry wall the exterior wall, and install insulating panels (from Home Depot) and he guarantees year round cooling/heating comfort. Trouble is, I don’t think that $4,600 is worth it. But GOOD NEWS. Todays Republic came with a flyer from Pep Boys who have a 5,400 BTU FEDDERS wall mount unit on sale for $99.98 each after mail in rebate. I calculate that 3 would do the job, but I am going to put one in each corner to make sure. I will be in the Scottsdale Road store Monday AM to load up the Suburban. (It just might enjoy staying in the cool for a change). They have two locations in Mesa and one in Tempe Big John.
I plan to put a 9 x 22 foot double track test loop in my side so I can break in the engines and rolling stock that I have been accumulating in anticipation of building a model railroad building next year. I might even finally build the Diamond scale turntable I bought 25 years ago. OH HAPPY DAY!!!
Terribly sorry I missed your post. Been busy with work and ironicaly, with the heat, I have been out of the train state of mind. Figures that I take some off and I miss my one time I get called out…
I guess after 3 years of doing pretty hardcore modeling in the garage, I can almost get away with being an expert at it. [:)] Kicker is, all gagrages are a bit different and what options are avaible to some people, may not to others. It is a classic game of find out all you can, and do the best with you have. Here is what I have done to get the best out of my little empire.
Keep in mind, my biggest obstacle is that I am renti
Well John, and fellow desert dwellers. I bit the bullet and bought two 8000 BTU Fedders A/C units last Tuesday. For a trial run, I put them in the garage door opening and closed the door down on them. I filled in the other spaces with cardboard boxes. After 6 hours of operation they had gotten the temperature down to 82 with ambient of 105 in sunny Scottsdale. SO, I bought a third one on this Tuesday, and they got it down to 78 by nightfall. They are a window air conditioner that exhausts heat to the outside. My SW facing wall is of 8 inch cement block construction, so I will have a contractor cut three windows near the top of the wall, and then fur it out with 2x2s and dry wall it. Like John, I will install foam padding on the garage door. It makes all the dfferance in the world, going from an unbearable oven to a pleasant temperature. And for a little over $600.00 bucks it was well worth it. These units have a remote, with programable timer for on/off, hi/lo fan speed, and temperature setting so I can zero them in to obtain the best operating circumstances. I will keep you posted after the renovation is complete.
Ah. Lots of good tips. Thanks for providing all that information. Will bookmark it for future reference. Yes, Canazar I do live in AZ. Just over in Gilbert. I like the attic fan idea something I knew from my days working in an old building but hadn’t thought of for the garage. I had considered putting the box type airconditioners in the wall and will be curious to see how that works out. Our current house airconditioner barely handles our square footage and there has been talk that if we have to upgrade sometime I could build a small room in our third car stall and have that cooled at the same time. That looks a long way off if ever. Dust is the other big issue. Those dust storms can get in everywhere. We have two wall vents that I suppose I could put air filter material in but don’t know what that will do to air flow. I really just need to convince my wife to get a really high paying job and to buy me one of those rare AZ homes with a basement.
And Canazar, about the way you dress in your garage. I can honestly say I’ve made trips out there in similar attire in an attempt to beat the heat. Oh well. 2 more months of summer here in AZ then we’ll get our 3-4 months of winter before summer starts again.
Ah…Ha! I have had the same thoughts actually… I also have those vent holes in the wall and realized all the dust…which, is a pretty big problem. I was thinking the same thing of cutting some air filter materail and pushing in there against the screen. Personally, I dont think it will hurt the air flow at all. I just havent gotten off my duff long enough to do it.
Once it starts cooling off in the nights, I seal up the garage, prop open the door to the house, and open windows in the bedrooms to pull air through the house… which is a great way too cool it down and cut back on air condtioner costs too. Which, the wife thought was a great.
In Gilbert eh? I live over in Mesa around Baseline and Alma School. Nice to bump into someone so close.
You desert dwellers sure have a lot of stamina! We had a 100° heat wave here in PA a few weeks ago and we thought maybe the sun had exploded – of course it wasn’t a “dry” heat (LOL). Nice layout Canazar – I don’t see a refrigerator with your beverage of choice – that would be my first priority in that heat! Ah – a cold beer and me in my underwear running trains. Life doesn’t get any better.
Well, there is some truth to the whole dry heat. 95 and dry is actually fair and ok if you have a fan. Then again, I might be a bit warped and work in the heat everyday in shop at work, which has no AC either… Yes, the cold beverages are a must. And yeah, it is pretty close to pure joy when a on the occasional hot day running some trains with a cold one in hand. only drawback is a gotta drink it quick…otherwise, its warm with in 10 minutes… yuck
Oh the inhumanity of it all…!
Its OK thoguh, its almost Sept. One more month and atelast we will get cool nights again. I dont think we have a had a night time low below 80 in the last 2 months.
I agree, the dry heat thing really makes a difference. If you can keep in the shade you can still function to a degree (ha!) at 95 to 100. I was out in Boston a few weeks ago, it touched 90 and was pretty miserable!
Baseline and Alma School, you’re not far at all. Probably spend as much time and money as I do at Roy’s. Have to agree on the cold one theory. I keep mine in the freezer for about 1/2 an hour before taking it outside. Gives me about 10 extra minutes to drink it. If you’re ever having an open house let me know, I’ll bring the beverages. Uh, I’ll probably wear clothes though. My wife frowns on my leaving the house any other way.
Feezer eh? Thats a great idea. Hadnt thought of that. But then again, I have hard time plannign that far ahead. [:)] As far as Roy’s goes… Well, I probably spend alot of time there, but you might beat me money spent. [:P] But a tight summer. All though, I try and get up there atleast once or twice a week, if all else fails, just to hang out. How often do you get up there?
Moto, was going to send you an email but I couldnt find one listed for you. I was thinking about haveing a open house but not sure. I admit, I dont think my layout is “open house quality”. Maybe a limited one on invation or something. As far you are concerned though, you can come up any time you like, visitors are always welcomed here. It still a little warm in the evening, (90’s) but it is rather nice in the morning, say low to mid 80’s through out the morning. Shoot me an email or message when you think you would like to come up I do have 2 cabs so make sure we get time to run some stuff. be in touch.
Brothaslide just asked about the same things we’ve been running through here. Hopefully, this post will move the entire thread up next to his.
I, personally, have a meeting scheduled with a building inspector come Monday, to sort out what I can do to reduce the temperature in the oven (3+ uninsulated outside walls, steel door facing the sunrise so it heats up early…) I can operate in 100+ temperatures, but having sweat pour into my eyes while I’m trying to do detail work is a bit too distracting.
I have my layout in my garage. We live fairly close to the oceane so the temperature is faily consistent and does not get too hot. You can click the Weblog button below to read about my layout.
