anti-UV coating outdoor experiment has started

[FJ and G]

The noble experiment continues and there's some news to report.

On Oct. 15 (Saturday), after just one week in the outdoors in admittedly rainy weather, the 027 rail is pitted with rust; even a portion of the rail that I coated with clear coat acrylic gloss! The rust just formed anyway.

As you can see from the boxcar, there's no noticeable change in color (fading). I expect that would take much longer, and besides, the experiment is being conducted at a poor time of year when angle of sun is lower.

I also started another experiment outdoors, using a truck. I'm particularly interested in axle rust. I coated one axle, including the points, with WD-40. I'm not sure if that's the best rust inhibitor, however, as I suspect the rain will wash it off.

Grease would work better but would attract dust and dirt. I'm not sure if there's any ideal coating to use. Perhaps someone can weigh in.

BTW, the Realtrax after 1 week is completely unaffected by rust.

As far as the boxcar goes, I'm more concerned with the plastic getting brittle than with fading, which I consider a natural form of weathering. I'm also testing the Realtrax for brittleness using the step on it test. For the boxcar, it's the squeeze test. You should be able to gently squeeze it slightly. If it were brittle, it would crack like an egg.

Anyway, I'm finding the experiment useful as well as entertaining, if only to myself. I'm a bit of a crackpot, I guess.

[Anonymous]

A noble experiment, Dave, but I'm not sure how practical or necessary such steps might be over the long term. I've been involved with garden railroading (Large Scale trains) ever since LGB popularized that niche in this country, so my outdoor experiences, while fairly extensive, are restricted to that scale. I have no real experience with operating O gauge outdoors.

Seems to me that the real concern with operating O gauge outdoors would relate to the track, which presumably one would leave in place year-round, just as is done with most Large Scale garden layouts. That being the case, you certainly would want to use a track system that will hold up not only to UV deterioration of the ties, but that will also hold up to the rest of the natural elements that would normally affect track--moisture, temperature variations, and that sort of thing. I would use a solid-rail track system, and definitely not tubular track. Then, the only thing you need to be concerned with would be the track ties and/or roadbed--the components most likely to be affected by prolonged exposure outdoors.

I wouldn't think that the trains themselves would pose much of a problem since, normally, they would only be outdoors when they're actually being used (again, as is done with most Large Scale garden pikes). For those relatively brief periods of time, and assuming they would be operated on "nice" days, it shouldn't be necessary to coat or otherwise protect them from UV--certainly no more so than if they are exposed regularly to direct sunlight indoors.

As has been noted by others, just about anything that is exposed to the elements outdoors over a prolonged period is going to be affected by the action of sunlight, temperature, and moisture to some degree. I doubt that there's any sure way to prevent that. I have several identical LGB cabooses in my collection. One of them is the one I regularly used outdoors over a period of years back when I had an outdoor pike. When I place it side by side with one of the others, it is readily evident which one has been used for outdoor operations, even though LGB trains are made with the highest quality plastics and paints. Ditto for the various structures that have been used (and left) outdoors for long periods of time.

So, while I do think you'll want to pay particular attention to the track you use outdoors, regardless of the brand or type, I'm not so sure you need to be overly concerned about the trains themselves. They will fade over time, and O gauge trains will likely warp or even melt if exposed to a whole lot of direct sunlight and heat, but in most cases that shouldn't be a problem because you'll be taking the trains indoors when you're not actually using them. As far as the trains themselves are concerned, I would be more concerned about the affect of the elements on the working mechanisms of the items. I imagine that the electronics crammed into so many of today's O gauge toy trains might be easily damaged by exposure to excessive heat or even relatively small amounts of moisture. That's one thing we don't have to be concerned with in Large Scale since the operating mechanisms are generally sealed in "bricks" and/or otherwise intentionally designed with the necessary protective measures to keep them running in heat, cold, and very moist conditions.

There's nothing quite like using a Large Scale snowplow to actually remove the snow from track on a crisp winter morning! Really a pretty neat thing to see!

[Anonymous]

They do not make a good clear coat that gives UV protection. If they did I would put it on my stained fromt door that only faces the east morning sun. The newer polyurathans are better than varnish but only last 2 years at the most. The clear coats used on cars last the best at maybe 5 or so years. The clear coats themselves are poor at UV protection.

If you use a paint that has pigment, the life is much better than clear coats. I may have to paint my door brown. The clear coats used over metalic paint are the worst as the metal flakes reflect some of the UV back to give the clear coat a double dose of UV.

David you may just have to settle for a realistic dull, weathered car look, like the real trains! Most of the rolling stock I see is terrible looking. There is a reason many railroads paint their locos black.

But have fun testing and I wish you luck. May you can manufacture some shade or store your colorful cars in shade of a car barn or tunnel.

Charlie

[Anonymous]

Is all that coating stuff really necessary? I live in deep south Texas, where the sun shines hot and dangerous all summer long, and I have never had any problems with the rays damaging equipment or structures. I left Rail King farmhouses out all summer, with no problems at all. Gragraves track with plastic ties did just fine too. Just my view

[wrmcclellan]

Dave - if we did your experiment here - the stuff would melt before it faded!

[FJ and G]

Buckeye,

I hope you can get the outdoor RR back up and running! BB the beagle would have been interested in the critters in your yard.

Roy, John,

Only seen hawks and geese around here, as well as a starling that's nesting in my air vent, which i'll have to figure a way to clean out

[FJ and G]

Paul,

I wish I would have known about the matte product before purchasing the glossy product. Anyway, I've decided to start the experiment using what's at hand, the glossy, and later purchasing the product you mention, as these products say their shelf life is only 12 months.

What I'll do next spring is purchase the product you mention and paint some of my locomotives and rolling stock with it; run them outdoors in the sun for a year, and see if everything's OK before doing all of the fleet.

As you can see, I've started the experiment now, out back at the grape vinyard area, where there's lots of sun. The pickle boxcar is the unlucky candidate. Figured if any color is going to fade, it's gonna be red! In addition to painting half of the boxcar with the glossy product, I've cut a chunk out of the other side which I'll keep indoors as a color match control.

Also, hanging up on the vinyard fence (the fence is so BB the beagle can't get at the grapes) is a section of Atlas 2-rail O gauge ties. I painted glossy half of them. I don't know if you can make it out or not. Additionally, there's an 027 rail hanging in the fence for fun to see how long it takes to rust.

Also, I painted half of a Realtrax roadbed with glossy just to see how it holds up.

So, I'll be monitoring the changes and report the results. I'd rather plan ahead with a good experiment than be sorry! Hopefully, this experiment will be of help to others who are thinking of venturing out to the al fresco.

[pbjwilson]

Dave,
Interesting idea with the clearcoat. I'm a painter by trade and the new waterborne paints are great. The years of painting with alkyd enamels are behind me. I use almost exclusively acrylic waterborne paints. The ease of application and quality of finish can't be beat. I'm betting you will have success with your experiment.

In addition you might want to check out a product by Sikkens. They make an extensive line of clearcoat products for exterior use. They have several sheen levels including a matte finish. Sikkens is distributed by Akzo Nobel Coatings, Pontiac, Michigan, 48341.
My local Benjamin Moore dealer carries it. I think it's available nation wide. Wouldsave you an extra step with the dullcoat.

[csxt30]

Have to tell you this. The Bald Eagles seem to be making a pretty good comeback ! Quite a few over in the Pymatuning area of Pa. And I was at a model flyin at Cooperstow Pa. a couple years ago & one came down close & made a fly by right over the runway ! I thought that was really something !! Thanks, John

[wrmcclellan]

My wife's sister in Anchorage lives about 1/2 mile and up a hill from the Anchorage zoo. They regularly witness a bald eagle swooping in and plucking "lunch" out of the zoo. The eagles are nesting in a tree line farther up the hill.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Dave,
The squirrels bury the hickory nuts beneath the track on my garden railroad. A mole used to live under one of the small houses and of course the tree fell on the whole thing this spring.

[FJ and G]

forgot to mention that dullcoat can be used to dull the shine.

[FJ and G]

Was on the Garden Forum discussing the UV thing and was advised against Armoral and to use something that is more permanent.

Went to Pep Boys. Nothing. Advised me to go nextdoor to Sherwin-Williams. They were helpful at latter place and looked up in computer a producted called "Sher-Clear" which is clear glass waterborne acrylic liquid in 1 gallon container ($30).

For my experiment (and I'll post pictures between now and Tuesday), I'm going to take a sacrificial piece of rolling stock, actually a boxcar, and coat half with Sher-Clear and the other half leave alone. The boxcar I think is red. I'll leave it outside in the sun (south facing) for 6 months and provide you'all a report if something happens in between or at end of 6 months.

Recoat time is 2 hours. Planning on 2 coats. Says it's UV protective. Goes on milky and dries clear. However, complete cure time is 14 days so won't take it outside until it cures. Also, as additional experiment. Gonna coat some non-UV protected track ties and see what happens to those and possibly a piece of RealTrax.

The trucks are a bit troublesome. Mine are plastic but the wheels are some sort of metal. I don't know if the wheels can be popped off or not like they can in HO. Perhaps someone can advise. If not, I'll have to go careful with a brush.

Lots and lots of planning to do between now and April, when I plan to install a pond and waterfalls and then do the roadbed followed by track. I'm reading a lot in Garden RR magazine about other people's mistakes and want to learn from them (stuff like poor wiring, overflowing ponds, burned out pumps, limestone ballast that coats rails and kills fish); it's almost humorous if it weren't so tragic. If you think you've made mistakes, you ought to read about some the dousies that garden RR people have done, from Herrons eating all their fi***o dealing with juvenile delinquents.

BTW, my buddy's neighbor has a pond stocked with carp. But they kept disappearing. Then early one morning, my friend saw a herron pluck a carp out of the water and fly over to his porch and start eating it.

Well gotta get back to work. Any ideas or comments appreciated.