(06/08/23) New! Flatcars with 1956 Tractor & Trailers from Menards!

These are nice! Any way to order the Pepsi Truck & Trailer flatcars on their own?

I second the question about the Pepsi truck. Are more on their way? Can we buy the trucks without the flat cars?

@H1000 and @Keith Crook 020419,

Unfortunately, the Pepsi sets won't be available online, other than in the assorted packs.

I wouldn't be opposed to making the Pepsi tractor/trailer without flatcars down the road, but right now we are focused on our new stuff coming down the pipeline.

Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy

@Menards posted:

@H1000 and @Keith Crook 020419,

Unfortunately, the Pepsi sets won't be available online, other than in the assorted packs.

I wouldn't be opposed to making the Pepsi tractor/trailer without flatcars down the road, but right now we are focused on our new stuff coming down the pipeline.

Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy

Any chance of bringing back the $6 Classic Pepsi boxtruck (275-9007)?  I missed it at Christmas.

https://contentz.mkt1946.com/r...1/34640604/pic21.jpg

More Pepsi please !

@Grampstrains posted:

A 1956 REA trailer with a Menard's ad won't work.

You might have to put green tape over that for your interests.

Andrew

Stop it Menards you’re crashing my budget! Love these trucks, I take them off and put them in the yard and put logs on the flatcars

Saw this last night and just ordered the REA set before it sells out. It looks great, and the price is amazingly low. At first, I didn't want the Menards ad on the truck, but these are toy trains, and the ad cleverly appropriates the historical Lionel look while interjecting the ubiquitous Jack the German Shepherd. At this price I'll let Menards advertise their business as this equipment rolls around my tiny layout. They must be having a little fun with this train thing, because I can't imagine how they'd make much money on a set of two flatcars, truck, and trailer at this price.

I wish I had a Menards nearby. To distribute the shipping/handling costs among items I added on another '57 Dodge Sweptside pickup and '48 Ford panel truck. Somehow I know that the moment this arrives on my doorstep they'll roll out another set that I "need." I'll won't post any suggestions of road names I'd like to see because I don't want to give them ideas that will end up further challenging my budget.

Fun stuff, as always.

I was able to get in on the first Pepsi run a few weeks ago.  They are in house.  I ordered and received the above  4 pack run + a couple single ?? units.  I didn't want the Pepsi units to get away.  Question?  Now, what do I do with a hundred??? flat cars?  I want to break down the tractor trailers and put rubber on the road.        Tommy

@thebeeman posted:

I was able to get in on the first Pepsi run a few weeks ago.  They are in house.  I ordered and received the above  4 pack run + a couple single ?? units.  I didn't want the Pepsi units to get away.  Question?  Now, what do I do with a hundred??? flat cars?  I want to break down the tractor trailers and put rubber on the road.        Tommy

Make your own custom loads for the empty flat cars - see below for ideas. I'll have a post next week about three Menards flat cars I customized - on one, I just ordered the 1:48 Military Truck on sale at Menards for just $4.44 at the same time to save on shipping, etc. and mounted that on one of the empty flat cars. 

Let’s see your Custom or rare flatbed loads! | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

I gave my flats to club members with young children who had their own layouts,

Good move Don Masso.

I just bit on the assortment pack to get the Pepsi truck lol. Will see how quickly it comes in lol.

Was thinking of paint schemes that would sell immediately…. 1950’s beer logos such as Hamms, Schlitz, Pabst, etc. not current logos, but like the advertizing art from the 50’s they each would have used. And most of those were based up in WI so home turf for Menards. That said, I understand at least two hurdles would be lisencing and tge fact you’d effectively be advertising beer, but I’d bet anything you would sell five times as many as some of tgese other trucks. Could also do Roadway, Consolodated Freightways or PIE for example.

Thank you for tge cool ones you have done so far!

Received my Menards Railway Express Flatcars w/ R.E.A. Tractor & Trailer (2-Pack) a couple of days ago but just noticed something I didn't see mentioned yet. (Sorry if this was already covered in another thread.) Menards usually numbers each freight car uniquely. With my set, each flatcar is road number 3183. I assume that this may be the norm that both flatcars in the clamshell get the same number, because each flatcar on the Menards webpage for this set is 5419. The webpage has a bullet point "Each set of flatcars is uniquely numbered - No two sets are alike!" (my emphasis.) Didn't run it yet, but it's beautiful. Tractor is a very nice representation of a 1956 Ford somewhere in the C-500 to C-900 range that Ford marketed as a "Cab Forward" according to a period brochure I found online. (Now referred to as Cabover or COE Cab over engine) Assuming it is a Ford as it certainly appears to be, I wonder why Menards doesn't credit it as such, as they do with other vehicles that they licensed with Chrysler or Ford. As I think another forum member noted elsewhere, these trailers are not 1/48 at least as to their height. Trailer body is only about 1-5/8" overall outside height, so inside would I guess be under 6 foot. Trailer body is about 22' scale length so that's I guess that's in the range for a pup trailer. I measured the tractor to have a wheelbase of about 105". The shortest prototype on the old Ford brochure had a wheelbase of 110" for the C-500 and C-600, so that's pretty close. My mention of the scale height of trailer and same numbers on the flatcars isn't meant as a criticism, Mark from Menards. I love this set, and I especially love the price. I'm not spending $80 for a freight car, and Menards is giving us two, plus a truck for $30!

@Dennis Holler posted:

.... Could also do Roadway, Consolodated Freightways or PIE for example...

I would love to see those trucking companies, and railroads as well.

John

Mine have arrived!

Has anyone tried to remove the Menards signs off the Railway Express Semi trailer? And if so, what kind of success did you have? Did it damage the paint on the trailer or were you able to remove the signs cleanly? Thought I'd ask before I screwed up the paint job on the trailer.

It's always the 50's, what happened to the 60's? Cant someone make 60's vehicles? At least Athearn offered some FORD C items for the later times.

Never could understand the abundance of 50's stuff, they all look ugly and with the same style.