(05/11/17) Bi-Level Auto Carrier from Menards!

paul 2 posted:

I second what CABINET BOB SAYS. Awesome job. Great looking car. Mark and crew are riding high with another runaway hit. I am going to go for at least one for sure. Maybe even the four pack but I have dump the cars. Too modern for me. I will just have to figure out how to get beer kegs in there......LOL......Paul

 

Hey Paul, sorry to hear you have to dump the cars, but let me know what you want to do with them!

I like the look of these cars.  My first reaction was with the modern cars I'd pass. Then I thought if it was loaded with 1949 Fords, or 48 Fords (both are made by low cost die cast companies) They might look even better.....being shorter than modern Racks. NOT a complaint......just an idea Guys!!! 

mike g. posted:

paul 2 posted:

I second what CABINET BOB SAYS. Awesome job. Great looking car. Mark and crew are riding high with another runaway hit. I am going to go for at least one for sure. Maybe even the four pack but I have dump the cars. Too modern for me. I will just have to figure out how to get beer kegs in there......LOL......Paul

 

Hey Paul, sorry to hear you have to dump the cars, but let me know what you want to do with them!

Ditto !   My  Grandpa's house needs a Buick !!!

Action Jaxon posted:

Thanks Mark - Looks great!

I went to order it and the free panel truck promotion didn't work with this car so I'm not sure if it's excluded from the promotion?

 Thanks again 

Chris 

On the website ,just a select few have the promotion for the free panel  truck. Bob

Hi Mark, very cool.

What holds the cars down on the platform? Are they screwed in from the bottom?

cabinet Bob posted:

Action Jaxon posted:

Thanks Mark - Looks great!

I went to order it and the free panel truck promotion didn't work with this car so I'm not sure if it's excluded from the promotion?

 Thanks again 

Chris 

On the website ,just a select few have the promotion for the free panel  truck. Bob

Thanks Bob - Still a great deal without the freebie!

Chris

As usual, another grand slam for Menards! They are a great presence for the hobby! In a relatively short time they have developed great customer excitement and loyalty, at least speaking for myself! LOL Ah, I forgot to mention that addiction thing!

Very nice auto carrier. Your products are exemplary. 

Wow! These are fantastic.

Mark, Can you tell me the height on these cars? I have a restriction and need to make sure they fit.

Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Wow! These are fantastic.

 

Mark, Can you tell me the height on these cars? I have a restriction and need to make sure they fit.

they are 14 3/4 long.. 2 5/8 wide and 4 3/8 tall... Bob

Menards posted:

We had some spot on guesses, great job!

Introducing our newest innovation – the 14-3/4” Bi-Level Auto Carrier! And, to make this deal even better, it comes with 6 die-cast Buicks and 18 interchangeable road names!

 

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Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy

 

Now that is some very fantastic product thinking, outstanding! And like the real thing too! My friend Sue just bought a new Buick and she says it was built in China.

This will bother the 3Rscale guys, they have been begging for an open auto rack for years!!!!!

cabinet Bob posted:

Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Wow! These are fantastic.

 

Mark, Can you tell me the height on these cars? I have a restriction and need to make sure they fit.

they are 14 3/4 long.. 2 5/8 wide and 4 3/8 tall... Bob

Thanks Bob!

It looks like Bob grabbed those from the website. Or maybe he's got one already!

However, if he does have one already, even I would be flabbergasted!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

Agreed......empty auto racks fit many more eras of layouts....and they are empty 50% of the time!!!  Good idea on a way around the modern vehicle era issue.....I'll buy them! 

paul 2 posted:

I second what CABINET BOB SAYS. Awesome job. Great looking car. Mark and crew are riding high with another runaway hit. I am going to go for at least one for sure. Maybe even the four pack but I have dump the cars. Too modern for me. I will just have to figure out how to get beer kegs in there......LOL......Paul

 

Paul, since I am such a good friend I will help you out and ALLOW you to give me the cars at no charge to you.  They will fit nicely into my layout.  

My dear friend ???? Bryan, after the wringer you have put me through these past couple of weeks I have placed you at the bottom of the totem pole of requests LOL...........Paul

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

Give the vehicles away! Donate them to a local Children's Hospital or some group

Empty auto carriers is a great idea. Several of the railroads that are provided with the auto carrier were long gone when these modern automobiles were built.

BobbyD posted:

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

Give the vehicles away! Donate them to a local Children's Hospital or some group

Noble yes......but hoping for a less costly option too......

jim sutter posted:

Empty auto carriers is a great idea. Several of the railroads that are provided with the auto carrier were long gone when these modern automobiles were built.

Not to mention that open racks were gone by mid 1970's...or started to go away .....

BobbyD posted:

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

Give the vehicles away! Donate them to a local Children's Hospital or some group

Need not like button.

Trust me I give enough away to what I feel is needed. But why spend $50 on a train car to give half of it's value away. Gets expensive real quick if you want more than one. 

Do we know what scale the Buick cars are and how they're kept in place ?

Rich

rtraincollector posted:

BobbyD posted:

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

Give the vehicles away! Donate them to a local Children's Hospital or some group

Need not like button.

Trust me I give enough away to what I feel is needed. But why spend $50 on a train car to give half of it's value away. Gets expensive real quick if you want more than one. 

I too prefer to choose my charity donations in  a different way other than giving away things I take off a model train.  But those that do...good for you. 

I must be missing something.  Where do the stickers go?

Great car! I also like that you can "brand it" with any number of logos. I also can use the excess logos elsewhere on the layout!

BwanaBob posted:

I must be missing something.  Where do the stickers go?

Bob,

I think it goes on the red and black label.  On the Web site when I enlarged it, it looked blurry, but I am thinking it says to place the sticker there.

It is a very nice looking car.  I remember seeing the open automobile carriers growing up near the B&O in the '60s.  I wouldn't mind giving away the modern cars.  I already gave away the modern rescue vehicle I got when I purchased the Watkins Block.  That action proved to be a jesture of good will to someone who appreciated it.  

Now the panel truck; that was the cat's meow!  If it was built before I was born, 1956, it is too modern for me!    No, I let it slide a little, but not past 1960.  LOL

BwanaBob posted:

I must be missing something.  Where do the stickers go?

There is a spot on the upper right were it say 'place sticker here' kinda small in photos. 

Aha, I see it. You all have sharp eyes.

Good! We're halfway there .... AMCDave has established the end of their era...what was the beginning? When were open auto cars introduced? That impacts me and the other period modelers, assuming these railcars will accept the 1/43rd.  I talked to a guy who once had a contract to deliver, by driven convoy, new Chrysler products from Detroit down to southern Ohio in late 1930's.  As a kid l saw 18 wheelers delivering cars, but...from tail yard, or factory?

I would think that the car being 14 3/4 " long would put it in the ball park of a 50' to 56' length flat car.  Looking at the pic the cars may be may be 1/48 or not far from that. Of course I could be wrong.......................Paul

Richie C. posted:

Do we know what scale the Buick cars are and how they're kept in place ?

Rich

 

Hi Rich,

The Buicks are pretty spot on to 1:48 scale and perfect for O gauge. They are held in place by small screws.

Thanks for asking!
-Mark the Menards Train Guy

rtraincollector posted:

Mark any chance of these being offered without vehicles, seeing you all love modern cars and there are ones like me want no part of modern cars. If you all could knock off say $15, $20 would be better LOL, These cars would be nice. 

I was curious about this myself.  I'm drowning in 1/43 die cast but just the carrier would be great.   I'm assuming that this car isn't going anywere. I'll probably wait around and see if it is offered in an empty configuration.

Regardless, it's a very cool item and an awesome addition to the Menards train line.

very cool I'll pick one up

Here's a video of the auto carriers in action!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Mark,

Very Nice!!! Great to see a current production car in a rack.

Maybe Buick will let you offer the next gen 2018  Buick Regal sportback and the Regal Tour X sport wagen for future consists.

Ken

WOW !!! going to save up my nickels now after seeing that video ....

Mark Great video! Sure makes one want to run out and get a couple dealer packs right now!

But there is a big question I know many people want to know! WHO'S layout is that?

Very nice Mark.  That's some layout  those auto-racks were cruising on.  Moving traffic on the highway is great.

One question about removing the cars.  I know you said they're held in place by screws so I assume the bottom tier are easy to remove by turning the auto-rack over to access those screws but how is the access to the screws holding the cars to the top level?

Is it water slide decals or peel and stick stickers?