weather,cold etc.

[talon104]

ok, i have a question basically cause i am worried about my new train comming but, also the time i have spent and, will spend on my layout. What effect if any with the weather have on my layout? i live in south texas and it doesnt really get too cold here but i think in the next couple days it is suppost to get in the 20's. my layout is in the garage so will it hurt it any ? And how about my Locos/ will they be affected by the cold ? reason being if it will then i'm throwing some of the furniture away in the house and moving it in the living room [:D] thanks for reading and responding .
C.C.

[selector]

Aside from contraction of all materials when they get cold, locos, track, benchwork, and scenery, and the thickening of lubricants, there should be little effect. The only place where there could be problems is where tolerances are very tight, and need to be kept tight. Shrinkage may open gaps...but I can't think of an instance where that would be a problem. I think you should be fine.

However, you may find that your cold layout and items will develop condensation if you permit a fast, moisture-laden air to flood the room and the layout too quickly. Best to let the trains and layout warm up naturally and dry out if that is possible.

[talon104]

thanks selector just thought i would ask, i have a few southern pacific locos comming in the mail and i dont want them messed up !! i be P***ed if they did.!! thanks for your suggestion and post i look forward to reading all your post when the chance comes up
Chris

[selector]

You are welcome, Chris. Trust me when I say that I am still a newbie, myself, but I am learning quickly.

If you can stand it, let your locos warm inside the parcels overnight. But honestly, I think if you just had to peek, they wouldn't mind. [:D]

[colvinbackshop]

Condensation in a package would/could be bad! Especially if it gets trapped, which can cause corrosion!
I bought a fellows layout (all packed in boxes as he was moving and getting out of the hobby) as trading, bashing, building stock. I should have gotten it into a warm, dry place to acclimate, or maybe the damage was already done before I got the stuff, but I had some corrosion of metal parts.
Crandell has the right idea...always let it warm and dry with out forcing a moist heat, unless you can get it up to temp. with a hair-dryer!!!
Any chance of you being able to get some heat out in that garage?? That would be your best situation!! Just don't use an un-vented source of heat (LP wall heater, with no vent to outside air) as that will add a lot of moisture to the air in your trainroom...That be Bad, Bad, Bad!!!

[canazar]

C.C.,
I have a garage layhout here in Arizona. Of course with me, during the summer, I have the oppisite problem. Heat. But I have come up with some good ideas for dealing with weather.

1) (I would recommend this anyways) Try and use foam if youcan for your layout construction. humidity and hot/cold wont affect it.

2) With extreme cold, maybe store your paints, oils, glue, etc, inside so they wont be affected by the cold as much. The egines can be bit tricky and wil most likely need to be warmed up. As the good fellow above stated grease,and oil will thicken and if you are in the 20's and 30's in there. Your engines will be like the real thing and may need a few laps to wram up.... Or, you can store the engines in the house. That way they stay warm and cozy and you dont havet o worry abotu stubborn cold starts.
Somethign to think about if this happens to you too..... only get out there on the weekends like I do sometimes, bring in 'em to stay warm Just dont put them in bed with you..... You might get some weird looks [:D]


Best Regards
John k

[talon104]

As always i'm never dissapointed by the feedback i get. Thanks alot for the ideas and info guys. I dont think anythnig bad will happen i'll just keep my locos inside like canazar suggested. sounds like a better precaution to take. About the putting them in bed with me hum.that might be funny for a reaction from the wiffy but, hum nope i'd be afraid i'd roll over on top of my little guy and break them [:D][:D]
heck i think it will warm up here soon , doesnt get to cold too often for to long in del Rio texas [:p] so, everything should be fine.
Thanks for the post everyone
Chris

[csmith9474]

I have noticed that in extreme cold plastics become brittle and can break very easily. I don't think you will have much of an issue though. I get a little worried because I am expecting some stuff being shipped via UPS and they just leave the stuff outside. It was -6 F when I walked out the door this morning. I am originally form San Antonio and have never seen this being a problem.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

However, you may find that your cold layout and items will develop condensation if you permit a fast, moisture-laden air to flood the room and the layout too quickly. Best to let the trains and layout warm up naturally and dry out if that is possible.

I would not overlook this statement, especially with PC board circuits and things that have memory chips. Rule of thumb as it was relayed to me in the IT industry is a minimum of 6 hours for acclimation to prevent damage, longer if the component is critical.