# How HOT does your train room get?



## Tucgary (Sep 21, 2015)

It has been hot even for us in the southwest. Sunday afternoon my train room reached 101. This layout is in the garage and has insulated walls and a ceiling. But the roll up aluminium door faces the sun all afternoon,and it is not insulated.
I have brought the locomotives and special cars in the house to there display case, but the everyday train cars and Plasticville are out there.
The race track fans [held by Bard's Tacky wax] are dropping like flies. Unfortunately so are the real life hikers.
So how hot does your train room get and do you do anything special to protect some items?
Tucgary


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

A good friend of mine lives in Tucson. In the winter when it’s in the teens here, he sometimes sends a teaser email with a photo of his wife in the back yard wearing shorts. I’ve been thinking about sending him a teaser email lately to let him know it’s a balmy 90 degrees here. My train room is in the attic. It was 98 degrees this afternoon with the attic fan on. I ran some trains, but not for too long. This time of year, I usually run the trains in the mornings before it gets too hot.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

My "train room" (a corner in the family room in my basement) stays pretty much in the low-60s to low 70s temp. Wintertime we use a gas fireplace which brings it up to 72, but without the heater it stays around 62. Summer doesn't change things much, except the temp does rise to near 70. Sure doesn't need A/C!

I just don't understand how you folks stand it down there!!!!!!!! 

Well, we are 101º today......


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2016)

My train room is a spare bedroom, heated in winter and air conditioned in summer so it's always comfortable. In my new home being built in Florida my train room will be the Den, also climate controlled.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Same here. My train room is a spare bedroom, so its always comfortable and climate controlled.

Mark


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

My train room is in a separate building with an insulated room with a window air conditioner and a separate dehumidifier. Local temperature has been in the upper 90s. The room stays @75.
The dehumidifier runs almost continuously in warmer weather-April to November.


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I'm also in the garage and only got back to HO after finding this site and posting about Garage Layouts. It can get up to close to 100 and humid in the summer so I take the loco and power pack inside to protect the electronics but it doesn't seem to be a problem with rolling stock. I suspect the warehouses and containers from China are not that worried about temps.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

My layout is in a second-story that what was, at one time, a separate apartment. No central air or heat in this room. The insulation in this room is minimal -- some on the ceiling, none on the walls. And the room is surrounded by attic crawl spaces that get very hot. In the summer, it gets up to the in 90s there. I have a window unit A/C, but it is undersized. If I wait until the sun goes down, the A/C will pull the room down to the mid to high 80s.

In the winter (such as we have in Alabama), the room can get down to the 50s at times. I have a gas space heater that is NOT undersized. It will warm the room up in about 30 minutes.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

I just completed the benchwork in a newly constructed room in our otherwise uninsulated 2X garage. Regular stud framing, fiberglass bats, and poly tacked up and taped on the inside face of the studs. Over that, drywall with mudded joints. The only window faces south, as do the insulated and decommissioned single garage door and insulated man door. We have had a number of hot days, but not many in a row, so it's too early to tell. I can tell you that the train room is much more even in temperature than the rest of the garage. I have a window air-conditioner ready, but may not need it...we'll see as July and August roll around. 

For humidity, because I have milled lumber and plywood framing for the layout, I do keep a dehumidifier active year-round. It can go weeks without working, and then there's times I have to empty it every other day. I set the lower limit at 50% and the upper limit at 66%. That works well and keeps everything stable.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Mine is in a room finished attic. I added AC, but not quite enough, and it gets up to 84 deg F on really hot days. I can turn on two ceiling fans, but they blow smoke and all around and ruin some of the fun.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Full basement here in Ct. In the summer it gets up to 65-70. In the winter down between 55-60.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

My train room is part of a 30'X40' building in my backyard, which also houses a couple of classic Buicks.
It's very well insulated, so it stays between 70 & 75 during the summer even when it's 90 outside. In the winter it's heated by a forced air natural gas furnace out of a mobile home and is thermostatically controlled to my desired temperature.
Life is good!
Bob


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

My central heat and air keeps the train room at
around 78 the year round.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Mine is in a below-grade basement. I have an insulating blanket nailed up over the access to the casement door. Hottest I've ever seen it is 67 degrees; coldest is 58.

My special problem is humidity. I have two dehumidifiers running 24/7 to keep up.


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## Tucgary (Sep 21, 2015)

Thank you for all the great replies. Sound's like I am fine since it gets into the 70"s most nights.
What is this humidity you speak of?  
Tucson Arizona, "It's a DRY heat". Tucgary


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Tucgary said:


> Thank you for all the great replies. Sound's like I am fine since it gets into the 70"s most nights.
> What is this humidity you speak of?
> Tucson Arizona, "It's a DRY heat". Tucgary


That is what I was going to say 101 but it is a dry heat?
I don't care what you say to me 101 IS HOT. dry or wet!

Mine is in the basement, I never checked the temperature but it is nice and cool in the hottest days of the summer.
In the winter it gets a little chilly at times, but I like the cold.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

We have humidity in the 75 to 80 % range quite a bit.
I keep the train room at 50 to 60%.


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## SDIV Tim (Nov 19, 2015)

Spence said:


> Full basement here in Ct. In the summer it gets up to 65-70. In the winter down between 55-60.



Spence is the Lucky dog, wish everyone could have this weather in there train rooms.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

rogruth said:


> We have humidity in the 75 to 80 % range quite a bit.


Child's play!!! Tell us when it gets in the 90%'s. 

Seriously, 50% to 60% is the right range. Anything above 60% and mold can grow; below 50% wood starts to dry out and get brittle.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

CTValleyRR said:


> Child's play!!! Tell us when it gets in the 90%'s.
> 
> Seriously, 50% to 60% is the right range. Anything above 60% and mold can grow; below 50% wood starts to dry out and get brittle.


Right now it is 47%. Very nice but a killer if in southern Arizona.We do get into the 90%s rather often. When it is like that I have a neighbor who looks as if he was just getting out of a swimming pool all the time.


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## Tucgary (Sep 21, 2015)

It is not uncommon to have single digit humidity and even a negative dew point. If it's not ac season we will use a humidifier a little bit. 
Joke: At negative dew point you can pee off the roof and it will dry before it hits the ground!  Tucgary


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I went to a Baseball game several years ago in Tucson, at the start it was 108 and 15 innings later in the middle of the night it was still over 100. There were only about 5 of left to see the end of the game, but i got a foul ball! My son now lives there. It sure beats Phoenix and its "high" humidity!


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

Haha! My answer won't surprise Gary, we're both from Hell's Acres.
My train room was at 107 inside.
Now don't forget: it's a free standing room, attached to the house with a wall.
And there was two windows, both 30" x 45". (Tinted of course)

I had forgotten to turn on the A/C before we went to our volunteer work. That was from sunup till about 1PM.
The A/C took about 2 hours to bring it down to 85. That felt good, in comparison.

Yep, you're right, Gary. I run my swamper till maybe 10 AM. Then the heat just gets too much and the A/C gets flipped on.
The best I've seen here was 2%, but Las Vegas had one last year of .8%
Yes, I typed that correctly, .8%
Eight-tenths of one percent.
That when you go around, zap, zap, zap, zap.............



> From BigEd:
> That is what I was going to say 101 but it is a dry heat?
> I don't care what you say to me 101 IS HOT. dry or wet!


Nope, this one you're wrong on. (And you seldom are)
When it's 101 with 90% humidity, you feel like a drowned rat. And that heat index will be up around 110-112.
But when it's 101 with 2% humidity, the heat index actually goes DOWN!
That's right. It will feel like maybe 92, around there.
Plus, with dry air, you go in the shade, you're 20 degrees cooler.
With juicy air, you still are a drowned rat.


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## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

My train room is my living room so between 60 - 80 degrees depending on the time of year, if windows are open, A/C or heat is on, etc.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

RonthePirate said:


> Nope, this one you're wrong on. (And you seldom are)
> When it's 101 with 90% humidity, you feel like a drowned rat. And that heat index will be up around 110-112.
> But when it's 101 with 2% humidity, the heat index actually goes DOWN!
> That's right. It will feel like maybe 92, around there.
> ...


Air that feels that hot is too hot, no matter what the actual temperature.

Mid-80's and sunny today, humidity about 25%... That's weather.


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Lucky Us...even in Hot Wisconsin!!*

Layout is in the Garage and the Locos & Rolling Stock are in the kids former Playroom which is now my Trainroom. Unearthed an ancient Wood burner that's still functional in the Garage and have to check for leaks but she looks ready to go for the fall...sooo...I can run trains as long as the wood holds out...and I can boost with a lump of coal and not worry about anything melting as this Wood burner is actually an old Cast Iron Furnace,,,everything has been fireproofed and I have two extinguishers...cover my ***:thumbsup: We have a huge Willow Tree over the garage and it acts like an air conditioner....couldn't be happier!!


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Mine's in a shed outside where it is currently 83. The picture is blury but that's what it says. The little AC gets it down to 70 with no problem and that's pretty comfortable.

6x12 shed.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

My guess is that the pre and post war folks that had trains back in those periods didn't worry much about the temperature or the humidity. They were just happy to have a place to run their trains. 
I admit they didn't have all the electronics that are around today.Probably worried more about zinc pest.


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## OceanRailroader (Jul 26, 2016)

I'm planning on building a steel building garage with a upper level for a train room. 

The biggest thing I worry about though is the humidity in that as of now anything that is cold and outside is covered in water. And I think humidity is the worst thing you can put a train into.


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## mjrfd99 (Jan 5, 2016)

Deep basement here with central heat and AC Last week it was pushing 100 by afternoon I was toasted from the beach, Came home and went straight to the trainroom for a few laps to cool off.
I always suggest to do the full room prep before any layout work, it will pay off in the long run.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Ocean your right about the humidity. It hastens corrosion of the tracks and can mess up tiny electrical switches and motors. Heat too is not good but not as bad as humidity. You don't say how big the building will be or the layout but I think I would build the loft for the layout and enclose the area you need for the trains. You'll want to insulate the roof,walls and floor of that area and stick an AC in the room with a drain to the outside. Having said that, my layout is in a 6x12 aluminum shed outside my trailer. It only has half inch insulation on the roof and walls but when it's 95 outside the shed will be about 80. It's also in the shade which helps some too. My trains have been there for three years with lots of heat and humidity and they still all run ok. My steamers don't seem to run too well but all the diesels run fine. The big problem is the track. It has to be cleaned all the time and that's from the humidity. Once I get the tracks cleaned everything runs ok. I do have a small AC in there and a fan that works very well while I'm in there messing around but I don't let it run all the time because of the electric bill and I don't work in there very often in the summer. All in all it's usable but i can't wait to get a park model home in here and have the trains in the house. Good luck with your layout and post some pics of it as you go along.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

My train room is my spare bedroom in my apartment. Unlike my last apartment, this one has a furnace and central air. I also have thick curtains on the window behind the layout which I never open. The two lights I have near the layout (and my desk) due make it a little warm, but it's bearable. In the colder months, it's actually really nice. 

-J.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Got mine in the basement, 8' high ceiling and the temp varies little through the year. I have seen some minimal "seasonal contraction" in the winter but it did not effect the running too much. It was all "temp" track anyways. When I "redo" this fall it may be different, all the track was nailed before, some of the "new" track will be glued, I have not tried gluing any track before. I expect it to react differently than the nailed track to temp variations and where they meet will probably have to be done very carefully to allow for it, we'll see.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

It's not the track that changes with temp, but the supporting benchwork and possibly subroadbed, and humidity is much more important than temperature. If you're using the same construction method, nailing or gluing won't make a difference.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> It's not the track that changes with temp, but the supporting benchwork and possibly subroadbed, and humidity is much more important than temperature. If you're using the same construction method, nailing or gluing won't make a difference.


Ya, and it does not help that the layout is anchored to all four walls of a 30x30 foot basement room. Sure is sturdy no matter what else it is. Construction method? The entire bench work is consistent throughout, just a big table, 16 4x8 sheets were used to cover it. Track was all nailed to the MDF, no foam or roadbed. This next "go round" will be a mix of the nailed to MDF, nailed to traditional cork roadbed and glued onto roadbed that will be glued onto foam and wood or MDF depending on need and availability, Im wondering if there will be problems where the different types meet, the nailed to the MDF part and the foam and wood sets Im going to put my inclines on for example, the sets will be made "of a piece" and placed on the table, roadbed and track on that.


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

I need to get a picture of where the coil of wire sank into my layout due the temps in the room.


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## Tucgary (Sep 21, 2015)

Please post the picture. You may have the Hottest train room!
Tucgary


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

I will go in there after work and take a picture of the bottom of wire and the foam.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

It all depends. If my wife wants to run some trains, in the buff, it get's pretty hot...:smilie_daumenpos:


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)




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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

redman88 said:


> I need to get a picture of where the coil of wire sank into my layout due the temps in the room.


The only thing I've ever had sink into my layout was my soldering iron, when it fell out of the stand onto the extruded foam insulation.

You win the "Sahara Train Room" award!


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## thedoc (Oct 15, 2015)

My train room (in my attic) is about 83 degrees right now and about 83 outside, I have a fan pulling cooler air up from the basement, so it's bearable. I'm hoping that when I get my more efficient system running it will be better.


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## redman88 (Nov 25, 2015)

CTValleyRR said:


> The only thing I've ever had sink into my layout was my soldering iron, when it fell out of the stand onto the extruded foam insulation.
> 
> 
> 
> You win the "Sahara Train Room" award!




Yeah and its my excuse for not working on my room or my train table.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I suspect there was also some sort of chemical reaction between the wire insulation and the foam as the temperature went up. Temperature alone wound not do much, that what foam insulation for-- high temp on one side and cool of the other. Had to be some interaction between the wire insulation and the foam.


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