Avoiding Dust

[GerFust]

All:

One of the things that is a turn-off is visiting a model railroad that has a layer of dust on it, making the scene look like an attic storage item rather than a piece of art.

In Sam Posey's book "Playing with Trains" he mentions that he had plexiglass panels installed around his layout to reduce dust. What are other methods folks have used?

My plan is a shelf layout with a sheet that I can lower over (but not touch) the layout. It'll take some work to make it look nice, and I'm not sure how effective it will be.

Thanks,
Jer

[tatans]

Remember, dust doesn't "FALL" it's that positive/negative static stuff that makes it adhere to things.ever clean walls? how does dust stick to vertical surfaces, If you find the answer that does not involve a giant clear plastic dome with a 40 h.p. suction system ,let us know.

[Anonymous]

You can keep the door to the room closed so passing traffic in the hall or to other rooms doenst stir up the dust, use a tile floor instead of carpet, but it carpet it used, keep it well swept. Keep the filter on the furnace real clean also is a big help, I myself have asthma so a clean house is very important. You can also buy one of those small vacs for computers and very carefully use it to clean up the layout. I do this at least once a year or more. Of coarse you have to make sure all your grass, ballest, ect are glued down first. Cheers Mike

[cwclark]

i usually dust and clean the room at regular intervals, keep it neat, do all the sawing and sanding outdoors and vacuum the layout once in awhile with a small hand held vacuum cleaner...Chuck [:D]

[Anonymous]

Try getting an "Ionic Breeze Quadra Silent Air Purifier" (or similar product) for the train room. these things attract dust like a mouse to peanut butter, thus they should reduce the amount of dust on your layout to a controllable amount.

or you could do the old method of covering it with a tarp when not in use (or the variation of a tent over the layout and open all the sides when in use.)

[Anonymous]

another item I use is the "air in a can" used to clean delicate surfaces. You can direct the air and does a nice job.

[fiatfan]

If your layout is in the basement, try painting or otherwise sealing the floor. I put the Rustoleum epoxy paint (the kind with the speckles in it) on all of my basement floor. It has made a huge difference in the amount of dust on my layout.. My wife is very happy with the appearance of the floor. The paint also seems to cut down on the humidity.

Tom