Originally Posted by Seacoast:
...I do not know of many that the leave their engines outside.
No, the Large Scale/garden railroad crowd almost always keeps the motive power and rolling stock sheltered in some way when not actually in use. Security is one reason in many cases, but there's also no reason to expose costly trains to the elements 24/7.
However, many Large Scale garden railroaders do routinely operate in the rain and snow. That's part of the fun--actually plowing snow with your train.
