To cover or not to cover?
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430 Posts
Sean,
The trouble with covering is that sometimes the cover itself will draw moisture up from the ground. Depends on how you do it.
Later
Rick Marty
The trouble with covering is that sometimes the cover itself will draw moisture up from the ground. Depends on how you do it.
Later
Rick Marty
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1,001 Posts
While I leave rolling stock outside in special car storage sheds I always bring the locomotives inside. Too much in expensive and delicete electronics to take the chance leaving them out. Anyway the total number of lokies used at any one time is a small fraction of the total equipment used and not that big of a deal to take extra care of.
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991 Posts
The issue is condensation and varmit/insect control.
Leave what you want out:
[*]Provide security. [/list]
[*]Provide protection from the elements and temp extremes. (Recommend that stock be brought in during the winter period)
[/list]
[*]Provide an environment that prevents condensation on the equipment. Ventilation and slow temp transients is key here. [/list]
gg
Leave what you want out:
[*]Provide security. [/list]
[*]Provide protection from the elements and temp extremes. (Recommend that stock be brought in during the winter period)
[/list]
[*]Provide an environment that prevents condensation on the equipment. Ventilation and slow temp transients is key here. [/list]
gg
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4,042 Posts
In the summer I might leave an inexpensive engine out in my tunnel and it must not have electronics in it.
I do have 8 cars that have been outdoors in the open for 6 years, no cover, no electronics.
Sean is only 2 miles from me and has the same weather conditions.
I do leave my power supply and TE's out year round and these are in enclosures to protect them from rain, snow, and critters.
Dan from southeast Massachusetts.
I do have 8 cars that have been outdoors in the open for 6 years, no cover, no electronics.
Sean is only 2 miles from me and has the same weather conditions.
I do leave my power supply and TE's out year round and these are in enclosures to protect them from rain, snow, and critters.
Dan from southeast Massachusetts.
When I do Sat/Sun open houses, I'll often leave the trains out Sat night and I'll pull them all into the station area and cover them with a plastic tarp for the night. But don't let anyone else know this as I would hate to come out Sunday morning to no trains.
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1,263 Posts
I never leave anything out at night. Even before I had a train shed.
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Interesting that not many here leave things out overnight.
We've been leaving pretty much everything outside continuously from the yearly early summer opening to late summer closing of the layout. The only time we bring anything back up to the house is if something needs servicing, or a battery charge. At summers end everything comes back inside for winter storage.
Are all of the responses here just for locomotives? Or do you really bring in everything at night?
We typically keep around 5 locos on the layout. Usually 2 LGB moguls, an Accucraft #5 goose, an Accucraft Whitcomb, and an LGB 2063 Davenport.
The 2 moguls are protected on twin 6 foot bridges which get wrapped in a heavy plastic tarp when not in use. The Goose and Davenport are protected in a roundhouse. The little Whitcomb goes into the mine for protection.
Here are the bridges with the plastic tarp (note the tarp is not secured nor wrapped in the photo), and mine:
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And here's a link to a too big for MLS roundhouse photo:
Roundhouse
We also use plastic storage bins to cover structures and some rolling stock we don't want getting too dirty from potential rain splashing.
But this is only during the summer when it's relatively dry in Southwest Colorado. Yes the late summer monsoons pose a problem, but our covering system has worked very well thus far. If we tried to leave structures and rolling stock out in the winter, the snow would likely crush them.
It also helps being out in the middle of nowhere sometimes. Not too many "punks" as Mik mentioned around here. About the worse thing we have that might "take" something away from the layout are pack rats. And I think we're safe from them taking any locos since the locos are bigger then they are
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We've been leaving pretty much everything outside continuously from the yearly early summer opening to late summer closing of the layout. The only time we bring anything back up to the house is if something needs servicing, or a battery charge. At summers end everything comes back inside for winter storage.
Are all of the responses here just for locomotives? Or do you really bring in everything at night?
We typically keep around 5 locos on the layout. Usually 2 LGB moguls, an Accucraft #5 goose, an Accucraft Whitcomb, and an LGB 2063 Davenport.
The 2 moguls are protected on twin 6 foot bridges which get wrapped in a heavy plastic tarp when not in use. The Goose and Davenport are protected in a roundhouse. The little Whitcomb goes into the mine for protection.
Here are the bridges with the plastic tarp (note the tarp is not secured nor wrapped in the photo), and mine:
And here's a link to a too big for MLS roundhouse photo:
Roundhouse
We also use plastic storage bins to cover structures and some rolling stock we don't want getting too dirty from potential rain splashing.
But this is only during the summer when it's relatively dry in Southwest Colorado. Yes the late summer monsoons pose a problem, but our covering system has worked very well thus far. If we tried to leave structures and rolling stock out in the winter, the snow would likely crush them.
It also helps being out in the middle of nowhere sometimes. Not too many "punks" as Mik mentioned around here. About the worse thing we have that might "take" something away from the layout are pack rats. And I think we're safe from them taking any locos since the locos are bigger then they are
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5,510 Posts
I don't leave much of nothing outside when I am not physically present.
Anything not nailed down or too heavy to carry dissappears within a few hours.
(I even lock my car when it is in the locked garage!)
Anything not nailed down or too heavy to carry dissappears within a few hours.
(I even lock my car when it is in the locked garage!)
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43 Posts
Since I completed a Train Shed I have been leaving my engines attached to their rolling stock parked in the shed. There are tight fitting doors on the openings but the roof has an open celestial style vent area on both sides, the entire length of the shed. There is a ¾” overhang of roofing to protect against dripping. The recent warm weather has allowed the edges of the roofing to droop a little increasing the protection of the edges of the subroof and the vent area.
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So far they seem to be weathering everything all right. We had three days of steady rain here last weekend and everything stayed dry to the touch inside the shed. I have a couple of engines with sound systems and I hadn’t worried about the electronics before this discussion. I think that I will continue to leave them in the shed through the summer months.
Regards,
So far they seem to be weathering everything all right. We had three days of steady rain here last weekend and everything stayed dry to the touch inside the shed. I have a couple of engines with sound systems and I hadn’t worried about the electronics before this discussion. I think that I will continue to leave them in the shed through the summer months.
Regards,
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991 Posts
I love this design, Beautiful work.
And yes when properly designed electronics can live outside. ( Think NEMA IV enclosures here )
My one thought and depending on where you live. Condensation can sometimes developing inside a structure depending on temperature, humidity and the dew point. As such a 40 watt light bulb inside with its residual heat and on a timer ( on between 10 pm and 7 am as an example ) would take care of this risk. Just make sure that the unit is insect proof via proper screening of any vents.
gg
And yes when properly designed electronics can live outside. ( Think NEMA IV enclosures here )
My one thought and depending on where you live. Condensation can sometimes developing inside a structure depending on temperature, humidity and the dew point. As such a 40 watt light bulb inside with its residual heat and on a timer ( on between 10 pm and 7 am as an example ) would take care of this risk. Just make sure that the unit is insect proof via proper screening of any vents.
gg
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