Hi All,

Does ne1 know of effective solutions for the storage of Marklin (locos, cars, tracks and other accessories) in the tropics where the average temperature is around 34° C, and the humidity is around 95 %?

Cheers and warm regards from Kuala Lumpur,
Ranjit

I think the best solution would be to put them in airtight containers with one or more bags of a dessicant in them. The dessicant would remove the moisture from the air trapped in the container when you closed it, and the air would remain dry until you opened the container again. If there was some way to remove some of the air when sealing, that wuold be a bonus.

Even up Northern Canada an attic can get very warm. I choose to have my layout in the basement and use a dehumidifire to regulate the humidity. I also made sure that the wals were insulated, the floor sealed and the room closed off the to rest of the house in order to better regulate the humidity. So far no bad experiences.

Maxi

Not hair dryer, but air dryer.

It is a device that takes in air, cools it so that the moisture condenses, and then heats the air up to the original temperature. The water is collected in a tank or led down to a sink through a tube.

In the house where I live we have a big such device to dry our laundry.

Hi Per,

Sorry for the misunderstanding. A air dryer is a dehumidifier, right? What brand of air dryer would you recommend for long term storage, and what specs should I be looking for? Also, is air-conditioning alone sufficient to control the humidity?

Noel --> In Malaysia, the average climate is very hot and wet. We are just 3° above the equator!

Cheers and warm regards,
Ranjit

Ranjit: Ron's solution is definitely the least expensive one - noiseless, too ...
That stuff is called SILICA GEL - small, granulated balls in little paper bags. You put one or two of 'em in the loco's box - they'll store any humidity inside them. Every 2 or 3 months you should dry (regenerate) the bags in the oven. We use SILICA GEL very successfully [^][^][^] for each kind of equipment in humid regions.

Best Regards,
John

Since the room I am using for my layout is 12 feet by 13 feet, I chose to have the room closed off to the rest of the house (this includes a drop ceiling, insulated walls and painting the concrete floor since my layout is in the basement and the door remains closed at all times even when I am in the room). This greatly controls the humidity level in the room. I also have a dehumidifire in the room to help maintain the moisture level in the room to about 50%

A dehumidifire just recirculates the air in the room and passes the air across a set of coils which are much cooler than the air. The moisture in the air condensates and falls as water droplets into a bucket. If you want the humidity level to be less than 50% then an air conditioner must be used instead of the dehumidifire. An air conditioner will cool the air therefore reducing the humidity and temperature of the room.

I just use a dehumidifire and only have to empty the container once or twice a month during the summer months. In the fall, winter and spring the dehumidifire does not run at all. The dehumidifire I am using is just a simple floor model which is about the size of a small 2 drawer filing cabinet and costs about $150 Canadian.

If all you are interested in is just storing your railroad equipment and it is not setup then definetly storing the items in plastic containers with gel packs are the best solution.

Maxi

Make sure sundirect away from any marklin layout room.

Hi all,

Please excuse me for being slightly off topic,but this might be interesting to know.

In the past SBB decided to introduce the famous croc Be 6/8 on the Simplon line.This was only a shortlived experiment.The locs didn't behave well in the humid conditions of the Simplon tunnel [:0].

Ranjit,I hope you don't mind me asking ,but has your question to do with your forthcoming stay in Germany?
Are you planning to take some railroad stuff with you,or to leave all behind at home?

Best regards
Guus

Hi Steventrain, Richard, Guus and Bruce,

Thank you for your inputs.

My stuff is stored in my bedroom and the room is cool most of the time. We have to deal with high heat and high humidity 365 days in the year. Rust corrosion is a big problem.

Guus --> Yes, I am taking a small portion of my collection with me to Germany. The rest stays. I am taking some of my very old locos (over 40 years old!) to be serviced and the rest is for fun! I am sure I am going add on as I move forward.

Cheers and warm regards fro Kuala Lumpur,
Ranjit

Hi Bruce,

I guess you will need these containers if you have thrown away the original boxes. I suppose they are also good for to shield the locos against high temperatures and humidity.

Cheers and have a nice weekend,
Ranjit