Train Storage in the Midwest -----Brrrrrrrr

Make sure that they don't get dropped or jarred sharply when they are cold. The plastic gets brittle. There should be no problem until it gets below freezing. The original packaging will help, but I would keep them sealed. And be sure to keep them dry. Is the hot water heater in the garage? Is the garage attached or is it detached? An attached garage will be warmer than a detached one.

I would store them up high in the garage where it will be much warmer.  The winter sun on the roof will keep it quite cozy up there.  Also, at night, hang a 75 watt light bulb near the trains.  I don't think you need to worry about rolling stock but this would limit the extreme highs and lows for your engines or other electronics.

Dennis

RoyBoy posted:

Make sure that they don't get dropped or jarred sharply when they are cold. The plastic gets brittle. There should be no problem until it gets below freezing. The original packaging will help, but I would keep them sealed. And be sure to keep them dry. Is the hot water heater in the garage? Is the garage attached or is it detached? An attached garage will be warmer than a detached one.

No hot water heater in the garage, but, it is attached. Typically seems to be 10 degrees or so warmer in the garage then outside.  

Will the electronics be effected?

Dennis posted:

I would store them up high in the garage where it will be much warmer.  The winter sun on the roof will keep it quite cozy up there.  Also, at night, hang a 75 watt light bulb near the trains.  I don't think you need to worry about rolling stock but this would limit the extreme highs and lows for your engines or other electronics.

Dennis

A light bulb would help? It is a 2 1/2 car garage.

Any engines with a battery should be checked for corrosion and functionality as well.

If your garage is wide open a bulb won't be as effective as it would be if you put a floor under the boxes.  If you don't have a garage "attic" make one by laying some plywood or boards across the joists and even put some sides on the area.  A bulb hung in that enclosure will warm it quite a bit.

Dennis

I would store them up high in the garage where it will be much warmer.  The winter sun on the roof will keep it quite cozy up there. 

In the Northeast attics are supposed to be ventilated year round. I don't think we get any solar gain from the sun on the roof.

I had a layout in a garage that was not insulated and unheated for 5 Years. It got down into the teens and twenties on a regular basis. Never had a problem with any of my trains from Lionel or MTH. The electronics and the trains themselves held up well.

Dave

Field mice burrowing into cardboard for nesting can be a problem, store in plastic storage containers floor level or in the garage attic preferred. Check monthly stored items if mice are an issue, these little rodents can crawl through very small holes or gags around garage door seals/gaskets.  

I would create display shelves for you engines and send only the boxes to the  attic.

Mike,

I live in the same area and while remodeling the basement I had to store trains in the garage over the winter. I only stored rolling stock and non operating accessories out there and had no ill effects. I stored them on a new sturdy shelf unit covered with a sheet and put it right in front of my car figuring the heat from the cars engine would keep them warmer.

In my opinion, I would be much more concerned with the high heat & humidity in the summer months, than the cold of the winter months.

The only areas of concern, IMO, are:

-humidity in the summer,

-creatures/critters with their chewing and droppings,

-extreme cold in the winter making the plastic brittle - but only brittle while it is cold.

Here is what I have learned. Will store items on shelves in the garage and will not worry about winter temperatures. Will definitely move out by Spring. Have never run into "critter" problems...thus far. Like the idea about putting in front of car to take advantage of warmth and will cover with sheet. The area where they will be stored is the wall between the garage and laundry room. Thanks for the advice.

I would prefer to have some ventilation of the boxes and trains.  I would leave the trains in the original boxes and leave one flap not closed or not tucked into the box like it should be.  I would make sure that any plastic bag inside was open and arranged to allow a large open end at the end of the box with the unclosed flap.   I would put the train boxes in plastic tubs and find a way to have a crack/hole in the tub small enough that critters could not enter.  You could pole holes with an ice pick or make a hole/slot and cover it securely with wire mesh.  You would want the mesh on the outside of the tub so it cannot be pushed in by a critter.   Really fine wire mesh should also be a deterrent to roaches.  If the mesh is not actually metal wire, then they will chew through it.   I would want an exchange of air instead of a sealed environment, otherwise those trains will sweat with the temp changes.  I would separate an area of the garage from floor to ceiling that bordered an inside house wall.  I would hang clear plastic sheeting (painters plastic) from the ceiling to the floor to create a pseudo enclosure.  Put a light bulb on the floor or near the bottom and protect it from contact with the tubs or plastic sheeting.  Leave the bulb on and the heat will rise.  In doing so, there will be layers of heat generated.  At the top, the heat will escape in the crack or crevices between the plastic and the ceiling.  This hot air will cool and fall down to the floor.   At the floor level, fresh air will be drawn in as a replacement.  You will have to experiment with the bulb size to get the temp you want.  Critters will be drawn to this environment, so keeping a supply of roach and rat anti-food on the inside and definitely on the outside of the enclosure will hopefully fulfill their culinary tastes.   Wow, talk about long winded.

Some misunderstood my garage "attic".  It is ventilated from the outside as normal and is only partially floored so things can be stored up there.  The outer edges are open floor to roof.  My empty train boxes were stored up there for many years summer and winter with no damage.  They were covered with a sheet to keep the dust off.  I also installed an exhaust fan up there that I run in the summer with a couple windows below open.  I would not worry about storing trains and rolling stock up there if I needed to but they are all on my layout in the basement which is humidified in the winter and dehumidified in the summer.

Dennis

I can't speak from experience about trains, but just last year I discovered these in our uninsulated, boiling hot & ridiculously humid in the summer, breezy and frigid in the winter, northeast Ohio attic:

As near as I can tell, they'd been up there since at least the mid 60's.  The boxes are crisp and strong and there's not even the hint of warpage or crumbling on the figures.  Take it for what it's worth being Marx plastics from the Eisenhower administration, but personally I think they held up magnificently.

Ya know what really bugs me?  These things sat for 46 years just 8 feet away from where I've laid my head at night for 47 years! 

Sealed in a plastic container or (hopefully thick) plastic bags should help. Do it on a dry day too so you aren't trapping moisture inside. This with plenty of wood under and or around them, even chunks in the container will help keep moisture at bay (Why machinists usually choose wood cabinets for precisioin tool storage.) The cardboard of the boxes will do their share of absorption to.

Engine/car plastic/paint reaction to foam: did you keep the protective bag/wrap?

  More than min /max temp. effecting things , fast temp change causing condensation on cool metal is the real enemy. Avoid direct sunlight hitting the container causing a greenhouse effect..

While low temps aren't ideal for storage, your goodies should survive.

I found a Super O track set in a gift set box stored in our Michigan, detached garage attic, for over 30 years. It looked like new.

Eg, Electronic parts in theory may fail from expansion and contraction, but for the most part will do fine. Removing batteries is the biggie.

pennytrains posted:

I can't speak from experience about trains, but just last year I discovered these in our uninsulated, boiling hot & ridiculously humid in the summer, breezy and frigid in the winter, northeast Ohio attic:

As near as I can tell, they'd been up there since at least the mid 60's.  The boxes are crisp and strong and there's not even the hint of warpage or crumbling on the figures.  Take it for what it's worth being Marx plastics from the Eisenhower administration, but personally I think they held up magnificently.

Ya know what really bugs me?  These things sat for 46 years just 8 feet away from where I've laid my head at night for 47 years! 

They were waiting on an architect for a mini Disney Hall of Presidents.

Adriatic posted:

They were waiting on an architect for a mini Disney Hall of Presidents.

That's similar to what I thought when I found them.  Though I said "too bad the presidents are all on the inside!"