what should i be considered with like my nce dcc system and decoders and dcc sound locos ? shed is water tight im in il us so right now its jan 8th and its -3 degrees sometime it gets colder here in the winter
EXTREME temperature variations should be avoided.....But cold storage CAN be done, provided MOISTURE is controlled.....
Desiccant (ie., silica gel, etc) is an inexpensive means of keeping moisture to a minimum.....just use enough for the area you're controlling..
Try to eliminate "air pockets" -- sealing locomotives in Zip-Loc bags with a small packet of silica gel, and REMOVING excess air...then packing in sawdust or shredded
newspaper will offer a lot of protection....
Obviously, if you bring something from COLD to WARM.....allow PLENTY of "thaw" time at room temperature before use....
Good luck!
May your freight ALWAYS roll smoothly...and ON TIME!!
Not a great idea. Especially if you're talking about storing things until next Christmas. Attics and outside sheds that are not enviromentally contrlled, as well as damp basements, are the worst places to store model train equipment.
Except for water when it turns into ice, most things shrink as they get colder. When you get into temps that low, and parts shrink, things are going to start loosening up that shouldn't. Plastic cases also become brittle, and crack much easier than normal. You'll also have the potential for condensation on and around electrical and electronic components when things are brought inside, where it's warm and humid, from temperatures that low. When summer comes, the shed warms up, things expand again, and micro-cracks start developing in plastic and metal castings. Humidty generally goes up, and not good things start happening to PC boards.
The first year or two, you may not notice anything's happening. But over time, you will start seeing problems with model train equipment stored in areas exposed to temperature and humidity extremes.
Len
Agree with Len.
I have bought new, unopened sectional track that had the plastic "warped", which in turn, caused one end to become out of gauge. I suspect it warped bc of it being stored in a place where the temp got high, for long periods. I have read of people reporting that happening after storing track in their attic.
I WOULD NOT RECOMEND STORING IN A SHED AT ALL.... NOT A GOOD IDIEA....
ok im out in the country there is are our old house i can store them in to where live a Mobile home right after moving out of the old farm house a tree knock off the blocks it was on built on it has to heat or electric going to it and im only storing them few a few months wail we figure out the electrical problem and fix it in the Mobile home just need room to work
Matt, is that the same mobile home you were reporting the burning smells from the freezer unit?
UP4014-
There are several places I would NEVER store model trains: attics, garden sheds regardless of their condition, mobile homes or campers, garages, or any other place with potentially uncontrolled heat or humidity. In my experience, cold temperatures are much less destructive as long as excessive moisture is controlled during warm up. This is usually as easy as sealing cold items in plastic until they warm up.
I have a wine room which stores that commodity safely and effectively. I would never use it for trains because wine
needs so much more humidity. However, the wine room does serve to demonstrate the importance of appropriate storage
for various kinds of goods.
-- D
Help me; why would wine in a bottle need humidity ???
yes it is jbrock27 now only half mobile home has power and the half that don't have power is the room with my trains in it and serve lights don't work and outlets now so where moving stuff in to storage in case that we have to move its already pack up and ready to go im concerned with the safety of trains i bought well of course my safety to
Yes Matt, that is certainly the primary concern. I thought there was a plan to move to a bigger, safer, farm house?
Make sure they have anti-freeze in the cooling system...
SGT C.
to Jbrock : It is to keep the corks from drying out on the outside and letting the cork crumble and cause the wine to leak or admit air to madaerize . John2.
Ahhhh, makes sense JH2. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question on the wine and humidity :)
we could not come up with the money to move and still don't jbrock27 how pack up your train and move/store them ?
Sorry about that Matty.
I would put as much stuff that you have it's original box for, in it's respective box, and then put those in Rubbermaid or Rubbermaid like plastic storage containers that have lids . If you needed "packing" you could roll up newspapers to put in the containers if you are concerned with them jostling around. I like the suggestion given to you earlier by das about putting in those packets to absorb moisture.