# Layouts and Humidity



## Freightliner (Jul 30, 2016)

I have a idea for layout for a enclosed trailer. Has a window unit 
I'm worried about the humidity. It's very humid and hot in Florida! I'm thinking 2X4 framing and foam. I know plywood warps.


----------



## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

Freightliner said:


> I have a idea for layout for a enclosed trailer. Has a window unit
> 
> I'm worried about the humidity. It's very humid and hot in Florida! I'm thinking 2X4 framing and foam. I know plywood warps.




All wood warps. How much and how quickly are the key points to consider. Seal the wood and it will take longer to warp.


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

thin plywood and 1x2's made as L girders. (maybe a few 1x4's) covered with foam. My guess is that it will be more resistant to humidity than big lumber. Or just use 1"or 2" foam, definitely more humidity resistant. (green or blue foam not the pebbly Styrofoam that's used in packaging)


----------



## thysell (Jun 8, 2013)

Would L girders made out of 1 inch foam be strong enough to support a foam platform?


----------



## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

Is it possible to screw metal L shaped shelf bracket into the trailer walls?


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

thysell said:


> Would L girders made out of 1 inch foam be strong enough to support a foam platform?


The advantage of the L girder is that it overcomes a weakness of 1x lumber -- it will bend and sag in the long dimension with the grain. By putting together two pieces of wood with opposing grains, you give it strength in both directions. 

I really don't think you have much to gain by using foam to support foam. 2" of foam is pretty darned rigid, but it would still depend on how much weight you put on it whether it would hold things flat enough.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I have seen benchwork made out of aluminum struts. It's a pricey solution, but it would take humidity out of the equation.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You might need 3 appliances for that Florida train room.

1. Dehumidifier to protect the trains.
2. Air Conditioner to make you comfortable.
3. Heater to take the frost off your ears.

Don


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Freightliner said:


> I have a idea for layout for a enclosed trailer. Has a window unit
> I'm worried about the humidity. It's very humid and hot in Florida! I'm thinking 2X4 framing and foam. I know plywood warps.


You might be better off using Marine Ply. It's the variations in heat/humidity that's the real killer. Unfortunately I can only get Chinese ply here, more like mouldy French cheese than the ply you know.


----------



## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

Freightliner said:


> I have an idea for a layout in an enclosed trailer...


I picture a work trailer, similar to what you might haul a car or tools in. Is that what you mean?

Doesn't sound comfortable even with an air conditioner. Is this your only option or are you just thinking things out?


----------



## Guest (Aug 23, 2016)

I would suggest using resin folding tables with metal legs for benchwork and covering it with extruded styrofoam.









It's a little expensive but there's nothing that will warp and it's strong enough to support any size trains.


----------



## MarkVIIIMarc (Oct 19, 2012)

plastic and foam.


----------



## Freightliner (Jul 30, 2016)

I'm thinking things out.


----------



## Freightliner (Jul 30, 2016)

It's comfy with the AC. Window unit really puts the air out.


----------



## Justin9 (Dec 30, 2011)

I'm in south GA... 100% humidity and 100 F days from May to September...

I've explored cargo shipping containers with A/C (even the refrigerated units), enclosed trailers, camper trailers gutted, and have considered building a outside room on skids like those rent to own storage buildings, even those portable office trailer buildings (you can buy a 24x36 around here set up and delivered for around $8,000...

Cargo shipping containers.... you can get a lot of sq footage for the same money, downside is metal box you have to keep cool and those things attract humidity and keep it... also, 8 foot wide is narrow, but I am interested in HO around the room with two-three levels... so one whole end of the container could be walled off and have my helix levels in it, hidden from the main room.. also, these can easily be moved if i move, cause I own my home, but its not what I dream of owning all my life... which is why i need a disconnected train room, cause I have a family of 4 and now spare rooms in 1600 sq feet. I also considered installing hardie board siding on the shipping container to make it look like a building, not a metal box... this should also help insulate it... I think a simple slope roof could also be added to keep water from sitting on top of it after rains and you could insulate under that too...

wooden storage buildings... you buy them or build, then you have to wire and insulate... and hope you can fit a big enough building into your space.. whereas a 8x40 container is 320 sq feet. a 12x24 is only 288... but the cost is high, and you still have to complete it... 

cargo trailer (for like lawn service companies or contractors...) I think these would flex too much. which is the same reason I turned away from a camper... of course, if you never move them, it may not be bad... but you are probably limited to 8x20 or so.. small....

What thoughts do you guys have??? I also live in a small town, so there's not much interest in trains from others, so there are no clubs or anything... thats a bummer cause there are some office spaces available that could be rent if i had some others to go in with....


----------



## scaleddown (Mar 13, 2014)

Opposite problem here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Humidity is not so much the problem, the garage gets up to 100 degrees throughout the Summer months. Any cautionary concerns that I might be facing with the surge of heat (dry heat)?

(Perhaps the wrong thread to ask this question, but since we are discussing various heat/humidity concerns)


----------



## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

scaleddown said:


> Opposite problem here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Humidity is not so much the problem, the garage gets up to 100 degrees throughout the Summer months. Any cautionary concerns that I might be facing with the surge of heat (dry heat)?
> 
> (Perhaps the wrong thread to ask this question, but since we are discussing various heat/humidity concerns)




Wood warps as it drys unevenly.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

The other problem you might face scaledown is the rails themselves expanding and buckling. I remember seeing on YouTube an Australian modeller who experienced this problem in his shed.I think the solution was leaving a good gap at joins.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Country Joe said:


> I would suggest using resin folding tables with metal legs for benchwork and covering it with extruded styrofoam.
> 
> View attachment 218186
> 
> ...


These would certainly be far too low for my taste -- at 46", my layout is 50% taller than a table.

I would also be very concerned about them moving around under the layout, although you could certainly figure out some way to fasten them down.. Not all of them are perfectly flat, either.


----------

