# water on the tracks



## Da&Co (Jan 27, 2016)

No, not a watered down Bob Dylan album nor a noobie disaster. Just a question. What happens if water gets on the tracks with the power on? I don't necessarily mean a lot of water, just a bit. The reason I ask is that there may be open windows near the layout during the summer .... I will obviously protect the track and keep water away, but I'm wondering what happens if there's a big rain and some gets on ....


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

Da&Co said:


> No, not a watered down Bob Dylan album nor a noobie disaster. Just a question. What happens if water gets on the tracks with the power on? I don't necessarily mean a lot of water, just a bit. The reason I ask is that there may be open windows near the layout during the summer .... I will obviously protect the track and keep water away, but I'm wondering what happens if there's a big rain and some gets on ....


Occasional dampness won't cause any major issues, but will eventually rust the track (unless it's brass).

Now if it's puddling enough to make connection between the rails, then you have a short and will probably blow a fuse.


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## Da&Co (Jan 27, 2016)

highvoltage said:


> Occasional dampness won't cause any major issues, but will eventually rust the track (unless it's brass).
> 
> Now if it's puddling enough to make connection between the rails, then you have a short and will probably blow a fuse.


Thanks. I was guessing that water connecting the tracks would cause a short, but I wasn't sure about a drop here and there. Your answer, on the whole, is reassuring.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I had a drain pipe break above my layout. The power was off but there was damage. The wood in the table expanded and the contracted at a much greater rate and amount than normal. The cause buckling in a yard 5 feet away at the switches. There was ground cover damage as that was put down with water based white glue. The paper background also wrinkled. Luckilly I was near it when the pipe let go and only a few gallons go on it.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

I had a serious roof leak that puddled on my former streetcar layout.
In addition to dissolving the dry wall paste streets it caused the plywood
base to warp and made the layout unusable. 

Better provide some protection to the layout when the window is open.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Don, as usual, has terrific advice.

In my opinion, your biggest problem is not going to be the occasional raindrop hitting your layout, but the effect of humidity changes on your benchwork, which could wreak havoc with your trackwork. Make sure all of your woodwork, top and bottom, is thoroughly sealed by paint, shellac, polyurethane or what have you.

I have had a joint in a hot water pipe above my layout develop a leak; there was no serious damage to the layout. A quick track cleaning and patching some ballast and ground cover took care of it.


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