My train room and indoor layout is in my basement. I haven’t figured out an easy way to get my rolling stock out to the outdoor layout (until I get my outdoor train shed done).
So, I just ordered a bunch of various Bachmann cars and I’m going to leave them out on the layout day and night. That way when I want a quick train fix, I’ll just grab a loco and run for a while. They should get some natural weathering.
Dose anyone else do this? I think TOC does, but I could be wrong.
And yes, Skweek and Wolf, if they come up missing, I know where you live. And I have a mean, nasty, stinky old billy goat guarding them at night. 
jb
I have 6 Bachmann black gondolas that have been left out 100 percent of the time for 2 years , weathered well naturally , yes .
I also have some other cars that are also left outside , on the yard tracks , the mfr shall remain nameless .
It does save time sometimes to have them right there in place ready .
John Bouck said:I can only assume that you live on the top of Mount Hood, or somewhere equally devoid of the general scumbags who womble around looking for 'stuff' to relocate.
My train room and indoor layout is in my basement. I haven't figured out an easy way to get my rolling stock out to the outdoor layout (until I get my outdoor train shed done). So, I just ordered a bunch of various Bachmann cars and I'm going to leave them out on the layout day and night. That way when I want a quick train fix, I'll just grab a loco and run for a while. They should get some natural weathering. Dose anyone else do this? I think TOC does, but I could be wrong. And yes, Skweek and Wolf, if they come up missing, I know where you live. And I have a mean, nasty, stinky old billy goat guarding them at night. :) :) :) jb
Here in Merrie England last night, within 100m of our house in a very quiet village, three cars were vandalised by having large rocks heaved through the windowns and windshields. I shudder to think what would have happened to any trains left out.
I have a CCTV camera looking over my cars outside my house, as do many of us here - just in case, y’unnerstan’.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
PS - when we lived in Famagusta, Cyprus, our next door neighbour, proud owner of an old Rolls-Royce, had it vandalised three nights in a row. He sat up the fourth night, waiting until the low-life came back and smashed his headlights, then he shot him through both legs with a gas-powered harpoon gun, and smoked a cheroot while the police came. That took about forty minutes. The police took another forty-five minutes to get around to calling the ambulance, after they found a large knife in the perp’s belt. An obvious case of self-protection…
Terry A de C Foley said:These days, I fear, in some places they would have promptly arrested the car's owner for violating the rights of the low-life scum. Owner would go to jail; scum would walk (after taxpayer-paid medical care) free while all sorts of social services rained comfort upon him. Oh Lord, I'm cynical.
[PS - when we lived in Famagusta, Cyprus, our next door neighbour, proud owner of an old Rolls-Royce, had it vandalised three nights in a row. He sat up the fourth night, waiting until the low-life came back and smashed his headlights, then he shot him through both legs with a gas-powered harpoon gun, and smoked a cheroot while the police came. That took about forty minutes. The police took another forty-five minutes to get around to calling the ambulance, after they found a large knife in the perp's belt. An obvious case of self-protection...
Tac,
We keep our cars in garages in our neighborhood.
The layout is well hidden from the street.
But…you never can tell…
jb
Missing rollingstock?? Me? 
Would I do such a thing.??? Now, Madwolf…
Chris, sounds like you use to live in Spokane. A number of years ago they were wanting to arrest me for pulling a crossbow on a trespasser that refused to leave. And I’d do it again!
Well, Chris and I live in the West end of Ottawa, and yes we do have to be aware of lowlife, but…I just left four cars and a loco out overnight, and I don’t think anything will happen to them…I guess I’m a trusting soul.
Here in Canada; we seem to have a different life to what one finds in some of the lower 48......thank goodness. It seems for some reason I can still feel safe without a fire arm of any type in my home. Thank goodness.
I really wonder what the answer is in the long run. What a wonderfull world it will be if everyone has to pack a hand gun.Warren Mumpower said:Now wait a minute! I wasn't anywhere near that place. I got witnesses! I gots an alibi!
Missing rollingstock?? Me? :D Would I do such a thing.??? Now, Madwolf......:/
:lol:
madwolf
Steve Featherkile said:Warren Mumpower said:Now wait a minute! I wasn't anywhere near that place. I got witnesses! I gots an alibi!
Missing rollingstock?? Me? :D Would I do such a thing.??? Now, Madwolf......:/:lol:
madwolf
Ah yes, the classic outpouring of a guilty conscience: I di’nt do it and you can’t prove it, copper!
The answer I found, for rolling stock storage, are “Bread Trays”
I managed to get a few food store, bakery managers to give me a quantity of bred trays. These are the plastic stackable trays that bread arrives on, at the supermarkets.
I chose the type that doesn’t sag in the middle after time.
We lined the bottom with sheet foam, and seperate the cars with pieces of corigated cardboard cut to size.
These trays are stored on racks in a metal shed. In our case; two metal sheds. One for SG rolling stock, and the other for the NG equipment.
With over 200 pieces of NG stock, and around 100 of the SG; it would be almost impossible to store the stuff on rail, or even try to find the time to set the equipment in place for an operation without the trays.
For an an operation; the equipment has to be positioned before the start, and using carrying trays, which hold 5 cars each, to the locations; makes set up a less lengthly chore. We seem to be able to manage it in a little more than a half hour.
Putting the equipment away for security is wise, and leaving it out only subjects it to more UV rays that won’t do any plastic a heck of a lot of good, over a year, or two.
Supposedly, most plastics are “UV Protected”, but even the fabled LGB stuff gets brittle if left out continuously.
I have on occasion, left pieces of rolling stock out on purpose, to see the long term effects. True it does do a lot to naturally weather the equipment, but at the price we pay for our cars; I’m inclined to want to make them last as long as possible, and letting UV rays, thieves, animules (Human and otherwise), threaten my stuff is not my idea of showing great use of the small amount of “Grey matter” any of us are blessed with.
Fr.Fred
John Bouck said:Sadly, we don't have a garage as such. In fact it was converted into another room before we bought the house, else we would have done it anyway.
Tac, We keep our cars in garages in our neighborhood. :) :) The layout is well hidden from the street. but....you never can tell.......:( :( jb
Here in Merrie England very few garages are anywhere near big enough to hold a real family car. We have had a series of about eight Voyagers both in UK and Canada. No problem in Ontario, but here in UK the likes of us could never afford a house that has a garage big enough for a Voyager, let alone our other car, a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL.
Our other Mercedes-Benz, an ML350, is just WAAAAAAAAAY to big for any garage around here…
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
John, This is old hat to some of the guys here…my apologies for reposting but…
All the cars you see here except for one caboose came from inside the loooong warehouse in the background. Removeable front door panel and two tracks allows for up to 16 Bachmann cars to be stored safe and secure from the weather inside. Plenty for a promptu solo operation.
Terry A de C Foley said:John Bouck said:Sadly, we don't have a garage as such. In fact it was converted into another room before we bought the house, else we would have done it anyway.
Tac, We keep our cars in garages in our neighborhood. :) :) The layout is well hidden from the street. but....you never can tell.......:( :( jbHere in Merrie England very few garages are anywhere near big enough to hold a real family car. We have had a series of about eight Voyagers both in UK and Canada. No problem in Ontario, but here in UK the likes of us could never afford a house that has a garage big enough for a Voyager, let alone our other car, a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL.
Our other Mercedes-Benz, an ML350, is just WAAAAAAAAAY to big for any garage around here…
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
I hear yuh, Terry!
If we don’t keep ours in the garage, we would lose our gas, not to mention the vandalism.
My Chevy C-2500 gas guzzling crew cab pickup barely fits in one stall. The wife’s ML320 gives me just enough room for a work bench on her side in front of the car.
jb
Richard,
I’d forgotten about your fabulous shed!
I may re-think and try something like that.
I haven’t a tunnel on the layout–that also would make a good storage area.
jb
John Bouck said:As long as you find someway to keep the critters out.
I haven't a tunnel on the layout--that also would make a good storage area. jb
Now wait a minute Steve. You are spoiling all the fun…
The shed storage of some equipment has brought about a new strategy of trying to keep the crawly creatures at bay. A pest strip, used to be sold as a “Shell No Pest Strip” has been placed in the storage shed at KV Water. Results have not been checked for about a month. Hopefully the long term impact will be positive.
John Bouck said:JB
My train room and indoor layout is in my basement. I haven't figured out an easy way to get my rolling stock out to the outdoor layout (until I get my outdoor train shed done). So, I just ordered a bunch of various Bachmann cars and I'm going to leave them out on the layout day and night. That way when I want a quick train fix, I'll just grab a loco and run for a while. They should get some natural weathering. Dose anyone else do this? I think TOC does, but I could be wrong. And yes, Skweek and Wolf, if they come up missing, I know where you live. And I have a mean, nasty, stinky old billy goat guarding them at night. :) :) :) jb
Is there any way you could run a connecting track from inside to outside?
BTW who plays the billy goat? :lol: :lol:
I used to leave a sting of loaded gons out.
The axles rusted (even when oiled), the coupler knuckle pins and springs rusted.
Wasn’t worth it.
Ferd-
Paul Harvey once said an armed society is a polit society.
I pack a .45ACP, and a loaded 12GA side-by-side is kept handy.
And everyone knows it.
Around these parts you can’t cap a perp who is stealing ypur property, BUT, if you confront him (with shell in the chanber and safety off) and he does something to make you “fear for you life”, and you drop the hammer, you’re home free.
'bout 10 years ago had some moron with a PA in his truck going up and down the street at dusk shouting incomprehensible things (but they sounded bad).
I confronted him at the door of his truck, and his passenger started frantically digging in the console lift-up.
I informed him that if he move one inch more, the .45 slug would A) go through the door, B) go through the driver, and C) end up in him.
Suddenly he was quite still.
Driver wanted to get a tad physical.
I told him to look out the back window at the person beside the hedge with a scoped rifle, then over his shoulder across the street to the fella with a 9mm.
I encouraged him to depart the street and never, ever come back, as we had pictures, license number, and armed citizenry ready to put his lights out permanently.
Never came back.
Dave, I’d say you are my kind of guy, but I use a model 19 .357 with hollow points…
Oh well, I guess we can agree to disagree!
Greg