[Guest]

Ok so i will be moving soon to the new house if all goes well, i will need to store some of my trains temporaly in the attic. now in my old home my attic got about 120 degrees in the summer so i stored the trains in the basement, but will not have that option with the new house. do any of you have experiance with storing trains in the attic? if so did it harm them or any of there components? its almost 100 degrees here in NY today and im a bit nervous about have to store them in the attic in the heat/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/ermm.gif
Nick...

 

[Trains]

Nick,

I don't think I would do it. I have empty boxes up there, but I wouldn't put trains up there.

 

[Spule 4]

Stored stuff in the attic here in Nashvegas, TN for years, ditto with a friend, wood, brass, plastic, no harm....

 

[Allan W. Miller]

I wouldn't do it (I do have an attic available myself, but would only consider storing empty boxes there). It's up to you, of course, but my advice would be to avoid storing trains--any trains--in a really hot attic.

 

[NTCGRR]

Put a thamometer up there and see just how hot it is. we set roof power fans at around 150 degrees. I worry more about the winter cold on the plastic.\
It may not be as hot as you think.
Sitting out on the RR they get over 100 in full sun easy.
Have a roofer check to see if its properly vented.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the advise Guys. Marty i will do that as soon as we get in there, and check to see what the temp really is.. thanks all.
Nick..

 

[Torby]

Susan's dad found a shoebox in his attic with some marbles from when Susan and her sisters were kids. The shoe box was in fine shape, but the glass marbles had flattened and were no longer round! Susan thought they must have got hot enough to melt, but the cardboard box wasn't marked at all.

 

[Spule 4]

Remember, the majority of our model RR stuff comes to the US by containers on the decks of ships, which get as hot or hotter inside Vs. a ventilated attic. Insulated ones are reserved for drugs, chemicals, foods, etc.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

160 degrees is about the limit. I think this comes from tests long ago in closed cars in Arizona.

The heat will age the plastic faster and make it brittle, but many people in Arizona will attest to temperatures like this outside.

I would think an attic fan will keep it cool enough not to worry.

Speaking of heat in containers, I just received a box of 5' Aristo straights, and a fair amount of the wax had melted and screws were all over the inside of the box. I'm assuming it's from the containers, but it could have been storage by the distributor.

Regards, Greg

 

[Pete Thornton]

experiance with storing trains in the attic

I didn't store mine - I ran them. We dry-walled the attic and I got to use it as a train room.

It was outside the a/c area, but when the guys did the walls, they installed 'troughs' of expanded plastic under the insulation, against the roof, between the rafters. These provided an air channel from the soffit behind the gutter to the airspace at the top which was vented by the usual end gable vents. I was astounded how cool it was, even in a NJ summer.

So my suggestion would be to put some insulation between the rafters and fit these air circulation channels behind the insulation. Good vents should help. A fan to the outside with a thermostat that turns on when it gets hot should keeps things even cooler.

 

[Rayman4449]

I wouldn't do it. Even with an attic fan the radiant heat that will come from the roof (unless you install radiant barrier like I did) will still heat the trains.


Raymond

 

[Guest]

Welp i went over to the new house yesterday to check on the tile guys, and i stuck a meat thermomiter in the attic and went back today at about 3pm and that bad boy said 136 degrees, now mind you this is a bare attic right now with just eve vents....im thinking that maybe to warm for the trains, im afraid the grease and oil will start to get thin and run off the engines/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gifthink i will have to come up with another ideal for storage for now...i cant put them in the basement for a while as it will be almost filled with stuff from the move for 6 or 8 months. maybe i will have to look into renting something for the short term....
Nick....

 

[Rayman4449]

How much room is your girlfriend taking up you think?

Just trying to help... /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif


Raymond

 

[Guest]

More than i want to give her, but you know how that goes... give a little they take alot/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/shocked.gifi tried to tell her this house is going to be different... trains 1st evrything else 2nd, but no she has to go change her mind about a 100 times really starting to get on my nerves and you all know what a none confrintational person i am../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gifanyway at least i get to keep my flat screen tv and my trains so life is good/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/cry.gif she says i have to buy a new chair for the living room cause it doesnt match or somthin, i was like what the ****!!!! i love that chair its been with me thru 2 wifes and i cant tell you how many girlfreinds, and she looked at me like she wanted to throw a pot at me or somthin..../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gifso why not im thinkin, shes makin me buy all new pots and pans and plates and bla bla bla. i can tell you what this arrangment is seriuosly cutting into my train buget and my last nerves... HE HE HE/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/w00t.gifNick...

 

[Pete Thornton]

love that chair its been with me thru 2 wifes and i cant tell you how many girlfreinds

Nick - that's the problem with the chair. She'll NEVER be happy about a chair that you tell her has been thru 2 wives, etc.

As long as she leaves your trains alone, go with the flow....

 

[Chris Scott]

$0.02

Rent storage at a U-Stor-It (or whatever name) near you. But make sure it is insulated or weather proofed. Newly/recently built units tend to come standard with weather proofing. If your trains will fit in an attic you probably only need a small storage unit so the cost will be minimal. Believe me, attic baked trains are not worth the risk.

 

[Robert Fasnacht]

Nick, for me, it's either put them in the attic or set them outside forever. Den is filled--to my sweetie's eternal disgust, 16X24 shed is overflowing and I'm simply at my wits end where to store stuff. So far, it has been my experience that the attic environment has not adversely affected my rolling stock. No locomotive subjected to temperature extremes because of lubrication concerns. Attic is located in Northwest Florida where summer temperatures nearly reach 100 degrees F. Nevertheless, when I climb up to get some cars I want to run, I routinely discover nothing has melted or assumed an odd shape. I too worried about the effects of high heat but now believe that attic storage is not necesssarily a bad idea. I daresay, rolling stock sitting on an outdoor track in the hot sun is probably subjected to the same type of temperatures present in the attic. So hundreds await my beck and call over my head. Bob

 

[Mik]

My grandpa had his Lionel train layout and collection in a finished attic for 50+ years... Maybe they were made of sterner stuff?

 

[Madman]

Glass marbles ......flattened /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gif

I'm not buying it. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/unsure.gif

 

[Spule 4]

Posted By Chris Scott on 07/23/2008 8:06 PM
$0.02
Rent storage at a U-Stor-It (or whatever name) near you. But make sure it is insulated or weather proofed. Newly/recently built units tend to come standard with weather proofing. If your trains will fit in an attic you probably only need a small storage unit so the cost will be minimal. Believe me, attic baked trains are not worth the risk.






Having been around both attics and U-stor-its (from climate controlled to the metal shed) I do not see any difference between an insulated unit (non climate controlled) and a house attic?

The outdoor comments are valid, there you are dealing with the sun and uneven (roof in sun, bottom in shade) heat which brings about warpage.....