Storage in Garage

charsand Jun 25, 2021

  1. charsand

    charsand TrainBoard Member

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    I am moving in a few weeks and will have to store my trains in an attached garage in my house in Texas. The garage door will be opened a few times a day.
    I was wondering if the trains will be okay. Currently they are stored inside a house.

    Thanks
    Charlie
     
  2. MRLdave

    MRLdave TrainBoard Member

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    Define "OK". Humidity will be the biggest factor and can cause some issues down the road.......usually a good cleaning of the electrical contacts will put things right again. Extreme heat can also be an issue......how hot will it get? Some plastic parts can be damaged if the temp gets too high, but I'd hope the temps in your garage wouldn't get that high. Your trains certainly won't be destroyed by storage in the garage.....storage in a damp basement would be far worse. Any time your trains aren't in a temperature and humidity controlled environment it isn't the ideal situation, but other than a little TLC when you return them to service your trains should be fine.
     
    JMaurer1 likes this.
  3. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

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    As in, trains in boxes, or a layout? Heat can cause enough rail expansion to pop some rails out of their "spikes".
     
  4. Traindork

    Traindork TrainBoard Member

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    I wouldn't leave them there longer than a few weeks. I'm down here in Houston and between the humidity and the heat and the 6 legged critters, things can go bad real quick. Can you put the engines and any other electronics inside the house? I'd try to do that if at all possible.
     
  5. Bookbear1

    Bookbear1 TrainBoard Supporter

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    Summers in Texas are brutal.. high heat in some places, high heat and humidity in others. Neither is helpful for trains. If at all possible, store the locos and rolling stock inside. You have a good chunk of change invested in the engines and rolling stock.
     
  6. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    I've found that dust and pollen can be nasty in the summer in the garage.
     
  7. James Fitch

    James Fitch TrainBoard Member

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    Personally I would want to cook my models in a garage for any length of time.
     
  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Most garages are far from air tight. They quickly get plenty of dust, grit and critters. Few are decently insulated, and suffer from seasonal temperature extremes. Unless you have absolutely no alternative, I would hope you can find somewhere inside the house. If space is tight, consider under bed storage boxes, etc. IF your garage can be sealed off, or a dedicated, climate controlled space built within....
     
  9. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Maybe place your locomotives in sealable gallon-size plastic bags with a bag of Desiccant tossed into each one? That'd keep the dust and humidity at bay for a while and protect your most expensive assets.
     
  10. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    All this and make sure the boxes will not get any direct sunlight. If they do, you may have warped shells or worse, blobs.
     
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  11. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

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    Depending on where you are in TX, it could be high desert, or humid woods and coastal areas, or virtually anything in between. The danger to storing trains in non-climate-controlled is not just heat, but both diurnal and seasonal temperature changes, and potential for condensation, causing expansion/contraction, corrosion and other damage.

    I would seal the locomotives, rolling stock and electronics in plastic bags with desiccant and as little air as possible, and store them in a closed ice chest(s) or other insulated container(s) (cheap styrofoam ice chests will do fine if they are handled carefully.) This will reduce both humidity and temperature swings. You might do the same with delicate scenery and structural models removed from the layout. The layout itself could be covered in multiple layers of foam or bubble wrap (like used for shipping) to reduce the temperature swings.
     
  12. bill pearce

    bill pearce TrainBoard Member

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    I'm just having trouble getting my head wrapped around this. I would be unwilling to store locos, rolling stock, and structures in a garage for more time than it takes to get them out of the car and in the house. As to track ad scenery, prepare yourself for a lot of lost time repairing things when it (finally) gets in the house. And when moved out of it's prison, I would want it to have six months to a year of time to acclimate it'self to the indoor weather and humidity.
     
    Shortround likes this.
  13. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    If you have to store in a garage store at the lowest level possible to avoid the high heat that builds in the upper areas of a garage. But high enough to keep out of water. Suggest a rubber maid or tight sealing tote box. They will at least float in a flood.
     
    BigJake and mtntrainman like this.
  14. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Just watch the heat. I stored some newer O scale trains in the top of a closet inside of the house and later when I got them down, the cars were destroyed, warped beyond recognition. They looked like someone had wadded them up like paper.
     
  15. SOO MILW CNW

    SOO MILW CNW TrainBoard Supporter

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    I store my current layout (15 free-moN sections) about 120 locos, and 800 or so freight cars in my garage in central Texas. Have not had any issues warping, deforming. I have one track issue,,the track on my highway bridge tends to move,( not secured down).
    I would just say do what you are comfortable with,, I am not in the sky is falling, everything is going to melt club.
    But one thing , my house is 6 years old. The garage has no insulation.
    Just my thoughts and opinions

    Greg
     
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