Warm weather and trains

Year round train running here. In addition to being too COLD in winter, it is too HOT in summer around here.  

Going to spring York is really going to be weird for me. Model trains are a fall winter hobby for me.  Anything I purchase at York will more than likely sit in the basement until fall.  Summer time is for chasing the real ones

Where I live, you might as well run trains all summer because it's too hot to go outside between about 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. My workshop/train building is air conditioned so I can play with trains year-round. 

Once per week I sneak over to the club layout and run for an hour or so. I have a couple of ERR conversions to do this summer on rainy days.

And come Labor day we relocate the club layout to Steamtown for Railfest.

Conductor Earl 

Just the opposite for us. With a record cold winter with lots of snow, going to the train room was not so easy. With the nice weather, much easier situation.

The trains get run less in the warm weather months.  Still, I don't forget the trains...that's the time of year I get to paint projects that I worked on over the Winter.  During the warm months, my basement is nice and cool, so I work on O gauge projects while watching the Cleveland Indians games.

Jeff,

In my younger days the warmer weather meant one thing, it's "party hearty" time. Now, it's A/C time.

It may sound strange, but as it gets warmer, I work on the trains more. There are two reasons for this. One, it's cold in the basement in winter, and takes two hours for it to get warm, so that makes me less eager to go down unless I am down there all day. Two, I usually have my summers off from work/school, so I have more time.

I run 'em year round. Although I must admit I do run my trains a bit less in warm weather. 

Spring, summer and fall are train running seasons.

As a famous politician said "What difference does it make?" Winter, Summer, Day or Night. Any chance I get they run or are worked on.

Ray

When I lived in St. Louis and it was hot and humid in August, an air-conditioned basement was always a fine place to be.

I'm an all-year round guy, but admit when it's 72 sunny and perfect I go outside.  Still there are times when I'm just in the mood and go downstairs regardless.

year 'round for me......

year rounder mostly due to club activities.

All year for me. I used to combine 2 activities and ride my bike to the local train shop in warmer weather until it closed down. John

 

Sort of my situation as well.  With a layout in an unheated garage, not too fun to stand out there in January and watch trains.  Now as the weather gets warmer it'll be a lot more pleasant standing trackside!

 

- Mike

I don't forget but it's real hard to think about them drinking Coronas in the pool, and grilling outside.

 Year round in basement. Not to bad in the winter here in Georgia.

I don't forget about them but have other things on my mind. Busy time at the office has also meant that I really haven't touched the trains in a month or so. I was down there this morning and am going to York - actually next weekend, with some help, I'm going to rebuild my train table as it is warping, twisted, etc. 

 

Today involved heavy yard work. My neighbor planted mint on our property line. Nice right? Well, kind of. Mint spreads and is considered an invasive species. Last year was OK but it was starting to take over. Long day of digging it up and special weed killer as my koi pond was right in the way and couldn't let anything in or near there. Also replaced old planter boxes on the bridge over the pond, etc. Pond season is starting. Love this time of year! 

I'm a cold weather dog. Now that my kids are grown, spending the warm, humid nights in my buddy's air conditioned basement .... where our layout is ..... is very enjoyable. The smoke units get switched off, though ... that's the only bummer. LOL.

We spent last saturday and sunday at the barn where we keep our horses.  We were there from 10am to 8pm today, and will go back there after church tomorrow.

 

Trains definitly take a back seat.  Shame too as I've got most of my benchwork set up and I just received an engine that I'm dying to run.

Train running season runs from January 1st to December 31th for me.

What trains?

       
       


Yep, I second this statement.

I don't normally slow down for the weather, but this year has been a little different. We bought a gazebo for the back yard and paid to have it delivered and installed. Make a long story short, guess who ended up picking it up and building it? The whole point of the thing was for me to have a shady place to sit, as the sun is not my friend.

 

I'm not normally the outdoorsy type, but I'm actually starting to like this thing. The personal investment in the construction, might just find me enjoying a lemonade or Bloody Mary out there when I need a break.

 

After this, I need a vacation, and I'm going to get one! When I get back, it will be full time trains again.

I spend the morning in the train room.  My son wanted to put the pier in the lake, but when there is a North wind, it;s not happening.  But we did clean the pontoon. That's how my summer will go, if it is cold, raining, or north wind, I'll be in the train room. If it's nice I'll be outside.

Attention to the trains runs pretty heavy from December through about August.  For someone reason the fall season drags me in other directions.  But I seam to remain on the lookout for new items year-round

 

 

Summer here as the shed is to cold in the winter.James

All year long but not as frequently during the summer period. Vacations and hiking interrupt electric train operations.

My trains are the jealous type, if I neglect them they start acting up

 

I usually try to play golf in the am and run trains in the pm, but sometimes I switch it up just to fool them both

The hobby is 365 days a year with me.  Not that it is spring, and in fall, I like to be outdoors some - will be working in the garden today.  But when its hot?  I've invested too much in air conditioning: I stay indoors with my trains. 

Yesterday it finally got to the 80s so I kinda saw the trains sitting there and passed by to be with the family to walk in the park and hang out. running in the winter it is very cold in the garage but I still run some but spring summer and fall is my time to run trains. But I am looking for a good way to cool down in summer like a small floor ac unit.

I tend to run my trains less in the summer months.  I do try to spend some time on Sunday mornings exercising the turnouts and running trains over all the tracks.  On a rainy day I will clean the track and, if really a dismal day, I will clean the rollers. However, I do keep up with the forum to keep abreast of what's going on.  I usually do this with my ipad while sitting by my pool.

My signature/byline below says it all.

Jeff,

    Our train layout is dismantled and stored thru the summer months, however Major maintenance & upgrading, like adding female Banana plugs to the old ZW & KW transformers definitely goes on during that time of year.  Along with switch repair and upgrades to DCS equipment along with attending some trains shows to look for original Tin Plate rolling stock.  The train layout is dismantled but far from forgotten during the summer months.  There also has been some serious thought given to engineering & constructing an over head book shelf type layout for the Log Cabin living room, for the constant running of the original Williams UP City of SF, which needs a large area to function in correctly.  Also I do a lot of engineering planning for the next level of the Christmas layout during these summer months.  

PCRR/Dave

 

 

One of the old ZW's with female Banana Plugs installed

Model Trains have been and continue to be a winter (cold weather)  hobby. This phenomenon was established years ago. This is why the vast majority of model trains in the Lionel/Flyer era were sold in the NE. When there is snow outside and the temperature is 10* what do you do?  If you are not a skier your hobby activity heads inside. During summer and in warm weather, hobbies like classic cars, antiquing, and shooting come into the picture as do activities like fairs, flea, markets, vacations, camping, hiking, sightseeing, and the beach. Point is that there is so much more to do in summer for NE folks that I join the category of the winter train hobbyist. My train season begins about Nov and continues to the end of April for six months.

 My club the Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers in Bethlehem Pa is air conditioned (both floors). The HO guys on the second floor have it the worst during summer as the second floor gets real hot and it takes a while to cool off..........but who cares they are HO guys. We run trains all year long.

 

JohnB

I'd like to be one of those guys that says "year 'round," but do have to admit that it slacks off a bit in the warmer months. Case in point: Have spent all of the last two weekends -- which have been beautiful -- outside with the spring yard work, etc.  Lots to do after the winter and it will continue through early June or so.

 

I'm also a Washington Nationals season ticket holder and spend lots of time at you know where this time of year. In fact leaving for the ball park shortly.