Summer Storage for Engines

My layout is in a 1 car garage and it does get very hot in the summer. I have found no problems in over five years having all my engines there on the layout year round. I do have portable heat and A/C  when the temps get extreme. But they are only on when I am operating. Works for me.

btw all my trains are dcs and legacy.  

If it were me, I would try and find some place below to store (at minimum) the engines. I've seen plastic bodies that have warped in attic temperatures.

Simon

I used to have an attic layout that got very hot in the summer - over 100.  I did not do anything special and never had any problems. 

I can't see any harm in putting engines on the floor, not sure about the boxes though. 

Bill

I doubt summer and winter temperatures will hurt your trains in any way. I'd  be more inclined to worry about moisture and try to combat that, keeping windows open and maybe running a dehumidifier with a tank and drip line to outside.

One thing to think about is that the exposure they got in transit to you was probably worse - sitting in containers moving across the pacific under tropical sun or freezing winter storms, and then in uninsulated, uncooled and ubheated train cars and trucks as they make their way to you.  When my RK 0-6-0 arrived several weeks ago, it had been in the back of the UPS truck all day in bright almost-summer sunshine, and the box was surprisingly warm to the touch when the guy handed it to me.  No damage done.

If the engines are packed in styrofoam or out in the open you should be OK. If they are packed in gray foam (like 3rd Rail) the foam can break down and discolor the model surfaces. Those engines would do better left out maybe covered in a cloth to minimize dust.

Pete

My layout is in my garage, and in Florida, so heat and humidity are very real concerns.

Before I started building, I installed a portable air conditioner in the garage.  I run it on about 80-82 during the summer months--not so cold it becomes a significant factor in the utility bill, but enough to keep the heat and humidity under control.  Also, a small portable fan at the other side of the garage maintains air movement.

The only thing I had to do was train the wife and kids not to open the main garage door unnecessarily!

I would make sure that I didn't wrap the locos in any type of plastic, paper or foam - the heat can cause these items to leave a residue on the trains that is next to impossible to get off.  I've even had light tissue paper stick to the finish of the locos! Perhaps wrapping them in a light cotton material (pure cotton, like baby diapers) would do the trick.

I keep mine in a storage cabinet with many shelves.  I let the engines and cars sit on the shelves (but not touching one another) and then close the cabinet doors to protect them from dust and bugs. It can get up to 90 degrees sometimes when I'm not there.

If you decide to keep yours in boxes, I would not wrap each engine or car in anything. Maybe, you can get a few of those inexpensive "rubbermaid" rolling carts that have several drawers that you could store them in - I use those as well. 

insulate and install air conditioning

Important thread.  On the flip flop side of the house is the basement.  As a full fledged member of the Brotherhood of Crappiest Basements, I worry about humidity.  Stone walls in an 1890 Victorian home can create a lot of humidity.  I have stopped all of the water seeping in by repointing the stone inside and out.  I have a 75 pint dehumidifier and an 18" floor fan (very helpful to move the air).  I keep the humidifier set at 50% which translates into a range of 48-54%.  I have been using this 50% humidity level for many years and I have not seen any rust developing and/or seen any electronic glitches related to dampness.

My added question to the post is what do you feel is a safe humidity level for your collection and expensive equipment? 

I find 55% humidity in my basement works well. Besides my trains I have a dozen or so guitars hanging, drums, piano and recording equipment. I do keep any cardboard boxed items off the floor a few inches so they get airflow around them.  I run one dehumidifier and a fan on low on other side of basement. Never a problem with anything. 

Trains have been kept in attics for many years with no issues. Some of us probably own a few that have seen 130+ degrees and oppressive northeast humidity over dozens of summers. As a kid in the 1970's, I remeber my fathers attic being so hot that we didn't run the trains during the summer because we would be a sweaty mess after five minutes up there. I'm still runing his trains many years later, Lionel postwar, MPC, and some modern engines through the 1990's. 

Maybe I'm not as big a train "nut" as others, but I could never understand why some people talk as if their trains were living organisms and needed to be shielded from the perils of indoor living. Yes, I understand we want to protect our investments, but if your house hasn't burned down yet, the attic is probably not hot enough to destroy your trains.

They're not? Please, don't tell my family and friends. They think of me as being a normal run of the mill train "nut". I must admit that I do talk to my trains from time to time.

A friend showed me he MPC Chessie System U-Boat that he rescued out of his parents attic after prolonged storage. The paint was cracked and flaking off. Never saw that before on semi-modern models.