O Gauge Outdoors

[Anonymous]

Hey everybody,

I recently decided to get back into model railroading and when I found this train forum, I must have spent 4 or 5 hours browsing the old posts. What a mountain of information! I was an novice HO modeler as a kid, but have since fallen in love with the realism and latest gadgetry available in O (Railsounds, EASY TO USE Command Control, etc.) The question I have for the group is: Can O gauge trains & track be used outdoors? I see a lot of info on G scale garden railways, but nothing on someone using Lionel, MTH. Atlas O, etc. outside. I live near Chicago, so rain & snow are an issue. My space in doors is limited for a permanent layout. I have lots of room for a temporary floor layout around the Christmas season, but only room for a permanent 4X8 laout. I do have a 23 X 18 unfinished, unheated attic, but I cannot afford to finish off (and buy my trains). Won't the high heat/humidity in the summer ruin my tracks & switches? (I could store the trains downstairs in a closet). The only other thing that comes to mind is the 60,000 SF of land with which I have to play. Will O gauge nickel-silver track withstand the elements? Any suggestions?

Sorry about the "ranting" - if anyone has some insight, I would greatly appreciate it. [:D]

Rob in St Charles

[Kaufu2]

I do not see any problem with running O outdoors, as long as you don't leave the locomotives and rolling stock at the mercy of the outdoors. Gargreaves makes a stainless steel track and I got a couple of sections, and left them outdoors this summer. Last weekend, without cleaning, I applied power and the locos ran OK.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Kauku2. Sounds like Gargreaves track outside in California is a possibility. I wonder how tracks would hold up through the changing seasons of the upper midwest (Chicago)? I did some more poking around and found that Atlas O is marketed as outdoor-capable, too. I like the look of Atlas O, but has anyone ever used it in an outdoor layout, with switches, etc., where the sun, rain, snow, and cold temps have beat on it for a season or two? Am I wasting my time planning an outdoor O gauge layout?

[Kaufu2]

This experiment was done in Canada, in the Toronto area. I am going to leave the track out this winter as well, and see what happens. I am going to add some Atlas O as well, in the stainless steel. I think the biggest problem of an outdoor O guage will be laying and securing the tracks to allow for the contraction and expansion due to temperature, and maybe some of the rolling stock and locos may get damaged from the prolonged exposure to the sun.