Introducing our first ever tubular track switches!
This production run was very limited so we can gather feedback. Let us know what you think!
Check out our website for more details >
Original Post
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If the switch comes out it O-31 i will probably buy it. Very interested.
Very cool.
Steam locomotives and passengers cars next?
How does a tubular switch not need fiber pins and still get track power? I'm confused
Menards keeps upping their game. Good for them. I'm not a tubular track guy but the bumpers are good looking.
Thank you Menards for making these switches. Hope 0-31,0-42 and 0-54 aren't far behind. Any other switches you want to build go right ahead.
mixed. I think as a hobby a lot of us have gone beyond 042 style switches.
Ross and DZ have taken us to a much better place when it comes to scale turnouts.
This switch-style seems needlessly regressive to me and to those who seek better scaled turnouts.
For others, these switches are just fine!
Very interested. I also would have jumped right away at an O-31 switch. I was just about to start re-working the Christmas layout.
I didn't see a reference, are these track-powered only?
Will the bumpers work on other brands (Fastrak)?
@UnclePeteRR posted:Will the bumpers work on other brands (Fastrak)?
well the bumpers come with a piece of track connected to them so as long as you can join that with whatever track you crrently have you should be good
@Bossman284 posted:well the bumpers come with a piece of track connected to them so as long as you can join that with whatever
@Bossman284 posted:well the bumpers come with a piece of track connected to them so as long as you can join that with whatever track you crrently have you should be good
Yes, with the adapter track Menards sells, they will.
@AtoZ Lewis posted:Very interested. I also would have jumped right away at an O-31 switch. I was just about to start re-working the Christmas layout.
I didn't see a reference, are these track-powered only?
Yes
Glad to see these come out, even though I have no need right now. But about this time next year! Especially if you build a store in Pueblo or Colorado Springs!
@AlanRail posted:mixed. I think as a hobby a lot of us have gone beyond 042 style switches.
Ross and DZ have taken us to a much better place when it comes to scale turnouts.
This switch-style seems needlessly regressive to me and to those who seek better scaled turnouts.
For others, these switches are just fine!
Um, except that, based on the endless posts here from forum members in previous Menards track threads, lots of people were asking for these switches. Plenty of people still favor such track.
Ross stuff is great, of course, but at a substantially higher price point, and not everyone likes to tinker with DZ installs.
Good show Menards. True not everyone uses tubular track but there sure are plenty who do. Keep going, you're doing just fine and many need affordable train items.
@AlanRail posted:mixed. I think as a hobby a lot of us have gone beyond 042 style switches.
Ross and DZ have taken us to a much better place when it comes to scale turnouts.
This switch-style seems needlessly regressive to me and to those who seek better scaled turnouts.
Alan,
I here ya. What sort of track or switches should they have introduced instead?
Mike
Long Overdue!!
Although I have about 100 Lionel 072 and 022 switches, this is great for the Tubular guys!!!
As for Feedback for Menards, Not only try to make the switches in different radiuses, (096 would be great) try to make it so you can reverse the switch motor from opposite sides like on the Lionel ones to get different track alignments etc.
I might order a set just to compare.
I haven"t owned a train in the last (14) years. When I had trains they ran on tubular track. I loved it and it worked perfectly. If I had trains today I would buying tubular switches.
The little locomotive shaped remote control is a little childish. I really wish the remote control had a red and green light on it to indicate track alignment that would be great. Sometimes the switches are further away and us old folks can't tell which way it's aligned plus we love lights on everything! However you do get an A+ for effort!
If they cannot be independently powered, then that is a serious limitation.
Good pricing on both the switches and the bumpers.
What I like about the switches: the rotating red and green lantern that can also be used to operate the switch; what appears to be a metal frog (is that right?); no need for fiber pins.
I don't care for the remote - too "cute" and not control panel friendly. Is there only one button and when it is pushed, the switch changes positions? I think having a control with separate red and green buttons would help ensure that operators are throwing the switch in the direction they want. Also, if people want to integrate these switches into an existing layout and control panel, it would help to see how they can be wired to do that.
It appears the switches operate off of track power. Are they designed only for layouts that have constant power to the track? If they are meant to be used on layouts with transformer contolled power (conventional), what is the minimum voltage that will operate the switches? Could conventional operators provide a separate source of power to the switches? It appears the wires are colored green, red, black and white. If the red and green are the directional control wires, can power be fed to the switch motor and lantern through the black and white wires?
I think these are a welcome addition for people who like the traditional O gauge tubular track. The "proof of the pudding" will be in how well they work with a variety of rolling stock.
I like it that Menard's is running tests of their products by the users... and they are getting responses. Seems like smart marketing.
Bravo Menards! I’m in for a pair if you expand the line to include O-42.
Makes sense to be track powered since so far all Menard's locos work on fixed voltage and have command control. Nice addition to the hobby, especially since Lionel doesn't make tubular track any more.
Love this. Just need to have the switch machine removeable. This will allow it to be moved to the left or right. To allow for putting switches in various configurations. Plus try to make the switch controller smaller and with lights. Think old school lionel here menards.
Love the way it connects up though. Great to see this added to the line. More wider radious switches above 072 are desperately needed in tubular track. No one makes #6 or #5 switches. Most people have large locos like the big boy and steamers that require large turnouts.
For a first attempt these are great though and I applaud menards for adding these to thier track line. Btw are the lights led?
@Menards posted:
Thank you so much for your response! I appreciate it.
As others have commented, for future switches it would be great to be able to move the motor to either side of the track. It would also be fantastic if it could be independently powered. But thank you for coming out with these at all!
@Micro posted:Thank you so much for your response! I appreciate it.
As others have commented, for future switches it would be great to be able to move the motor to either side of the track. It would also be fantastic if it could be independently powered. But thank you for coming out with these at all!
Respectfully, you gotta remember who they are marketing these to. Keep it simple so first time users can get a layout set up quickly. W/r/t O-31 switches - will Menards current diesel offering run through an O-31 switch w/o issues? Independently powered - I’m sure once these switches get into the hands of our “top men” ( or women) , they’ll figure out how to power them independently.
Steve
PS: after reading a couple of posts, it would make more sense for O-36 switches vs O-31 as Menards offers O-36 curves.
Bought (placed an order?) a left and right yesterday.
I am also happy that they are offering a 2 pack of 5 inch straights now. I would have loved that when I was still using tubular. Honestly, I might have stuck with tubular had Menards offered some of these a few years back. Honestly the more I've been thinking about... I might switch back to tubular.
This is huge. Hoping they have 0-36. My trains run better on 0-36. (Of course I’ll have to by all new tubular 0-36). Went back to tubular a few years ago and I’m not going back. Thank you Menards.
As of this morning 158 people have ordered some. Wish these were available 6 months ago. Once someone gets one and looks it over, could we get the answers to some of the following?
Will it "drop in" to replace the Lionel 072.
Is the motor reveseable.
How is the wiring to the switches. Any Idea if the Lionel type switch (ground activated) could work with it. Also constant voltage hookup possibilities.
How do various engines run through it from a 0-4-0 to a modern bigboy or similar.
Hoping switches are successful for Menards marketing and the users.
perhaps eric segall could do a review of them. he would be able to also write it up for the magazine. he definitely has the engines to give them the torture test lest just say.
I hope they work well as far as the main design is concerned. glad to see the metal frog also.
the advice given in this thread is all that is needed to get these switches to be even better.
once they prefect these then they can concentrate on making other radius. yes 036 would be nice but, larger radius would fill a need for the tube track users that currently is not being met.
there are lots of older in great condition lionel 031 on the second hand market. however there is no 042 or 054 or Lets say a #4,#5,#6.
with most operators chosing to buy scale engines these days and most are big steam that need at least 054 or greater. menards has a real chance at a market share for there track system if they do this right.
I know atlas and ross are king, but they are pricey when trying to build a large layout. so is fastrack.
I have seen layouts that have used tubular track and made it look good. so for me if they could keep the cost of the various switches around $50 each and the quality consistency there. they could once again perhaps revive the tubular track market for a vast majority of new people entering the hobby or older hobbyists who just like the old school look.
just my 2 cents here.
@Lionelzwl2012 posted:there are lots of older in great condition lionel 031 on the second hand market. however there is no 042 or 054 or Lets say a #4,#5,#6.with most operators chosing to buy scale engines these days and most are big steam that need at least 054 or greater. menards has a real chance at a market share for there track system if they do this right.
I know of very very few modelers outside of this forum who buy scale engines. I know you said earlier in this thread that "most have a big boy" and this is, imo, flat out wrong. I don't know any operators IRL who have a Big Boy or similar articulated steam engine.
That being said, there is a need for large curves. Just not for the vast majority of us. More for the permanent club displays.
Great job Menards!!!
Keep up the good work!
These switches look like a hit to me as they seem to be well designed for those who are expanding their Menards sets.
Price point is great as well.
I have a concern, how am I going to connect this to a TMCC (or DCS for that matter) switch controlling device. Like we need a connector to wires adapter, unless its a common one you can find pre-wired on say AliExpress.
Menards, do you have these switches ready to ship?
I believe it was Henry J Kaiser who offered this marketing advice: "Find a need and fill it." That's what Menards has done with their new tubular track switches at an attractive price. Surely more switches with other curvatures will follow.
I installed Lionel O-gauge tubular track (not FasTrack or other brands) on my 15x19-feet L-shaped layout because I wanted to emulate the track style of my boyhood layout of the 1950s. Nostalgia triggered that decision, and I have never regretted it. Kudos to Menards for producing tubular track for me -- and many others like me.
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394
lets not forget what menards is saying here. these are limited quantities so they can test the waters and get feedback.
I hope they are following this thread and taking what is being addressed here and applying it to the next test run.
k-line 072 supersnap switches were supposed to be the best for there time. lionel 072 switches the earlier ones were also good. later ones I guess had issues? not sure on this.
I did an ebay and trainz search for both the lionel and k-line and they are scarce right now. so menards maybe onto a winner here if done right and at the right price as I have stated.
When the first users receive their order, maybe one or two will be brave enough to take the switch apart, giving a report on things like if it is screwed together or riveted, and see what is needed to separate the solenoid power from the track voltage to wire it as a separate circuit. The online instructions are very vague, but the control line is 4 wire instead of the usual 3, so that 4th wire may be adaptable to double duty for external switch power with a little re-engineering. And as noted, it appears there is no way to swap the switch machine position. But, anybody making tubular track today is 100% in my book, so thanks Menards for another great item. Now, if Chevy would make a modern version of a 1953 Corvette like Menards makes tubular track, it would be a perfect world.
