Displaying Engines on Tinplate Track

Coach, ….have a ball,…display your trains ….I think most of that is hoopla and a lot of over reacting,…..traction tires may get a tiny dent in them from sitting, but I doubt that’ll show up in running…..and if it does, then the tries probably warranted replacement anyways …….maybe it might weaken magnetraction, but like you said, that’s not your worry,…..as far as dissimilar metals,…that would take forever to show itself in any kind of decrement……if it worries you coach, take the pieces you’d like to display on, hit em with a wire brush, and spray paint them a color you desire ,……I use old dead O gauge track for displaying, I used Dupicolor engine enamel Cast Coat Aluminum paint gives old rusty track a satin silverish look,….

Pat

Interesting, I always thought the opposite was true. I have my uncle's Lionel 202, and it seems to have the strongest magnetraction out of any of my postwar pieces. My grandfather stored it with a paperclip bent so it would be on the wheels. I'm not sure where he got that idea from, but I doubt he came up with it on his own.

I've been doing this for 35 years Coach Joe. Magne-traction is as strong as ever on my many engines. No corrosion issues.

Can't say about flattening on traction tires as I have no engines with them. BUT, I don't see tinplate track being any worse on them than any other track or rail storage system.

I dont use rails I just cut 2 grooves in my wood shelves and set the trains in them.

@CarGuyZM10 posted:

My grandfather stored it with a paperclip bent so it would be on the wheels. I'm not sure where he got that idea from...

Probably elementary school. That's where I learned it, anyway. I doubt the paper clip had much of an effect, but it didn't hurt anything.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_keeper

Hi folks,

Any magnet not in active use should always have a keeper to help the magnet retain its magnetism.  The bent paper clip acted as a keeper.  The keeper would typically connect the north and south pole magnetic fields to each other, along the lines or directions of the magnetic flux.  Even just having one pole on a keeper helps it retain it's magnetism more so than lying around with nothing.  That's one thing any steel based track will help with.

BTW, it takes quite awhile to degrade the magnetic force.