(12/15/16) Menards Hobby Shop is Back!

Open to suggestions???  The Tavern would be good for a reissue......IMHO Only!

Awesome News!! I placed my order today! Thanks MENARDS!

Menard's,

Thank you for reissuing your Hobby Shop. I believe, several people that missed it the first time will be glad to read about the reissue. Hope to see more buildings in the near future.

I remember three or four years ago Menards offered their version of the Robinson door factory, the Comraderie! Bar and Grill and the corner dept store! I bought all three and have been hooked on Menards' buildings ever since! Bonus is I never would have known who Cabinet Bob was! LOL

Mark,

Glad this store is back and, best of all, I love the footprint because I can actually find a space for it.

I will still have to add wire to the adapter cable in order to run it to a newly installed power strip.  I added it under a table so I could run two other Menard's buildings with the flip of a switch.  That Red Owl store is just awesome. 

Will you please comment on the amount of difficulty and expense it would require for Menard's to adopt a plug and play lighting system for future buildings so that I can simply wire the LED lighting to one of my accessory bus bars?  The adapters are big, clumsy, and have to be plugged in somewhere.  This is far from a major issue, but since competitors are doing it...

Jerry

No use for a building since no accessorize-able space yet, but I did say I was waiting for the next 'bonus flatcar with any train item' offer to place my next rolling stock order, I did just that this morning--eight freight cars and the 'mega' crane, and the flatcars were automatically added as I placed each item in my cart, for a total of 18 pieces

Suggestion: modern military equipment maybe riding on flatcars with DODX reporting marks? Every photo I can find of flatcars with USAX marks is in museums now.

Nice to see that, although my previous orders were done as a guest, when I finally decided to make an account this time, my order history was right there, so now I have proper order dates for my inventory when I get back to building it

---PCJ 

JerryG I'm no electrictronic guy but I would think if you set up a DC transformer at xx amount of volts to a separate buz-bar ( whatever the volts it is to operate the lights.) It would do the same thing. say it's 4.5 volts well get your meter out and take the transformer up to 4.5 give or take a points and it should solve your problem. It's what I was thinking of doing once I finally get a layout done. 

As for what to bring back there are a lot of building they have done in the past this being one I want but I could go for any of the ones mentioned. I would like to see the gas station again also as I wouldn't mind having a second one. 

Nice to see this back in stock.

The flatcar has a special meaning for me as my dad was a CPT in the Army Reserves. His Annual Training was at Fort McCoy.

Ken

JerryG posted:

Mark,

Will you please comment on the amount of difficulty and expense it would require for Menard's to adopt a plug and play lighting system for future buildings so that I can simply wire the LED lighting to one of my accessory bus bars?  The adapters are big, clumsy, and have to be plugged in somewhere.  This is far from a major issue, but since competitors are doing it...

Jerry

Jerry,

We can discuss alternate power sources. I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks.

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

I have the building VERY NICE.

Menards posted:

JerryG posted:

Mark,

Will you please comment on the amount of difficulty and expense it would require for Menard's to adopt a plug and play lighting system for future buildings so that I can simply wire the LED lighting to one of my accessory bus bars?  The adapters are big, clumsy, and have to be plugged in somewhere.  This is far from a major issue, but since competitors are doing it...

Jerry

Jerry,

We can discuss alternate power sources. I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks.

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

 

It might aid sales by encouraging a Menards village, of sorts, on more layouts.

Originally, I envisioned having only one or two Menards buildings. Now I'm up to four, and that's not counting the ceramic Menard Cashway Lumber and Menards modern supercenter and garden center buildings that were initially marketed more in the Christmas village realm.

That's a lot of adapters, even with the multiple-wire adapter option.

One on the way to Rockwall TX

Brent

It seems like a plug and play for Lionel is easier since their stuff can plug into track voltage and they sell track with multiple sockets so you can plug a number of accessories in. In the case of Menards, they would have to come up with a capable transformer and maybe a buss strip with compatible sockets to plug into...and wire cords of various lengths to get to the accessory. The coaxial connector is pretty universal, I think 5.5/2.1, and would be the connector of choice I would assume.

BReece posted:

One on the way to Rockwall TX

Brent

Received the "Hobby Shop"  the "4.5 power wart" and "military car" today.   The building looks great and the lights on the first floor and outside are bright, an asset to the layout.

The disappointment is the second level has ZERO lights.  Have I missed something here? The catalog doesn't mention the second floor light.

Brent

No regrets on the purchase, just disappointed that Menards did not light up the second floor.

I WILL !!!!!!!

bRENT

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

Love the Menard's buildings and hoping that the Camraderie Bar will be available again.

I'm sure I am in the minority but I PREFER the ease of plugging the buildings into a power strip so please don't remove that option.   All 6 of my Menards buildings are proudly lit and functioning on the layout while the rest of the "town" is dark, waiting for the electrical fairy to wire them and hook them up to track power.

Gas station?   Not sure I have seen this one....what did it look like?

GREENRAIL posted:

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

its sounds like you have a bad transformer, same thing happened to me, replaced it and it worked great. I have both, single and triple outlets. Bob

Santa Fe VA posted:

Love the Menard's buildings and hoping that the Camraderie Bar will be available again.

I'm sure I am in the minority but I PREFER the ease of plugging the buildings into a power strip so please don't remove that option.   All 6 of my Menards buildings are proudly lit and functioning on the layout while the rest of the "town" is dark, waiting for the electrical fairy to wire them and hook them up to track power.

Gas station?   Not sure I have seen this one....what did it look like?

 

 

 

"electrical fairy' made me laugh.  She keeps missing my house too.

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

its sounds like you have a bad transformer, same thing happened to me, replaced it and it worked great. I have both, single and triple outlets. Bob

Made a quick trip to Joliet Menards and swapped for a single outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Admittedly, this is now after trying the original three outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894006). The signs still do not light up or flash. This is very frustrating.

Guess I will have to return the Building for a Refund. Not sure what else to do.

One of my favorite buildings on the layout!  BigRail

GREENRAIL posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

its sounds like you have a bad transformer, same thing happened to me, replaced it and it worked great. I have both, single and triple outlets. Bob

Made a quick trip to Joliet Menards and swapped for a single outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Admittedly, this is now after trying the original three outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894006). The signs still do not light up or flash. This is very frustrating.

Guess I will have to return the Building for a Refund. Not sure what else to do.

Did you check the two slide switches on the back ?

AMCDave posted:

Open to suggestions???  The Tavern would be good for a reissue......IMHO Only!

Also more buildings that could be added to create a city block. These are perfect for my 40s-50s themed layout. Sign kits would be a plus also so you can make a hobby shop name that you visited as a child or your personal name on the hobby shop or other business.

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

its sounds like you have a bad transformer, same thing happened to me, replaced it and it worked great. I have both, single and triple outlets. Bob

Made a quick trip to Joliet Menards and swapped for a single outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Admittedly, this is now after trying the original three outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894006). The signs still do not light up or flash. This is very frustrating.

Guess I will have to return the Building for a Refund. Not sure what else to do.

Did you check the two slide switches on the back ?

Mine has one slide switch and a button for activating the signs. The slide switch powers on the lights fine but not the signs. Pressed the button several times, held it for various lengths of time etc. Nothing happens to the signs.

GREENRAIL posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

Question for Mark - The Menards Train Guy. Well, my Hobby Shop arrived at the Morris Store day before yesterday. When I got it home, I hooked it up to the Menards^® SKU: 2894006 - 3 Outlet Power adapter. The Signs flashed for about 10 minutes, then stopped working altogether. So thought perhaps something was wrong with the electronics in he building. I did an online search last night to see if any local stores had any more Shops in stock. The Bradley, Il. Store had two. So this morning I drove over to exchange product, which the folks at the store graciously accommodated.

Before I took one off the shelf, I hooked it up to one of the display Outlets and the signs worked fine. When I got it home, and hooked it up  to the above noted adapter, the Signs did not light up. which begs a question on my part. Is the higher 2000 Ma rating of the three outlet adapter too much power for the model? The single outlet adapter is rated at 1000 Ma (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Is this causing the Signs not to function or light up?

its sounds like you have a bad transformer, same thing happened to me, replaced it and it worked great. I have both, single and triple outlets. Bob

Made a quick trip to Joliet Menards and swapped for a single outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894005). Admittedly, this is now after trying the original three outlet transformer (Menards^® SKU: 2894006). The signs still do not light up or flash. This is very frustrating.

Guess I will have to return the Building for a Refund. Not sure what else to do.

Did you check the two slide switches on the back ?

Mine has one slide switch and a button for activating the signs. The slide switch powers on the lights fine but not the signs. Pressed the button several times, held it for various lengths of time etc. Nothing happens to the signs.

Bob

a load will only draw what it needs.  just like a engine will only draw what it need even though your transformer has capacity to run mulpt engines.  the out put voltage on the Menards transformers are fixed.  that's not to say you may have a bad transformer (voltage regulator not regulating properly ) which is a totally different issue than having to much power available which is not possible.  good luck 

Well, I guess I have surrendered. Last night, I took the Hobby Shop and power supply to our local Menards in Morris. Armed with a volt meter, I was determined to make this work somehow. With the permission of the Guest  Services folks, I went over to the store Buildings display to try and determine what was going on with the Model. First I connected it to one of the display Power Supplies. Hooked it up to what was obviously an older model and it worked. I took the Voltmeter and measured the voltage out put of the Power supply. It registered 7.5 Volts. I then connected the building to another display power supply and nothing happened. The interior lights lit up fine, the signs did not. I measured the Voltage of this power supply and it registered 10 Volts.

I then obtained two other power supplies from the shelf. One Single Outlet and one triple outlet. I hooked the building up to both of those and the signs still would not work. I then measured the voltage output of those units. Each registered 10 volts.

I then went over to the electrical department and found another power supply in a different package. Single out let unit. Powered it up, connected it to the building and the interior LEDs lit up fine. The signs did not work. The voltage registered 10 volts.

So the upshot of this whole exercise, ended up in this observation. Anything producing over the recommended Voltage, caused the Building to not work properly. Three of the in store, new, power supplies I tested registered 10 volts each. One of the display power supplies, registered 10 volts and an older display power supply registered 7.5 volts.

I ended up returning the building and power supply for refunds. Quite frankly, I was very disappointed and frustrated. I loved the Look of the Model Hobby Shop. Just do not want to deal with inconsistent product. The power supplies sold, seem to have a very high voltage out put which just doesn't work with this model Building. They seemed to work fine with other product (Red Owl Store in particular.) Guess I am just not meant to have this Building on my Layout.

Gave up and went home! This is a really sad end. I really liked the look and detail of these models. I so wanted this to work, as I was ready to go after a couple of other models for  my Layout. (House, Station, Red Owl and Engine Shed).

Same problem with my Hobby Shop.  Out of the box , plugged in everything worked great. Put it on the layout and the lights work but the signs do not. I will live with it, Menards is a long way from Rockwall TX.

Brent

I'm not sure what you were doing, but you weren't measuring voltage. The output of those power supplies is 4.5 volts.

Another poster tried to explain that the amperage rating is immaterial. He wasn't talking about voltage. A unit will only draw as much amperage as it needs, so you can't have excessive amperage. (Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to plug in a lamp in your house, which can deliver between 60 and 200 amps to cover your electrical needs, depending on your electrical service. The lamp uses less than an amp of power.)

The problem with your buildings was the buildings, not the power supply. Since you returned them, the point is moot.

Jim R. posted:

I'm not sure what you were doing, but you weren't measuring voltage. The output of those power supplies is 4.5 volts.

Another poster tried to explain that the amperage rating is immaterial. He wasn't talking about voltage. A unit will only draw as much amperage as it needs, so you can't have excessive amperage. (Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to plug in a lamp in your house, which can deliver between 60 and 200 amps to cover your electrical needs, depending on your electrical service. The lamp uses less than an amp of power.)

The problem with your buildings was the buildings, not the power supply. Since you returned them, the point is moot.

Jim - The out put was definitely not 4.5 Volts. I am not trying to be difficult, but, I know how to use a multi-meter. I know how to adjust the settings. I know the difference between Red for Positive (+) and Black for Ground or Negative (-). I used to teach electronics many years ago when I was an Industrial Ed Teacher. So I do know the difference. Been using this same Multi-Meter for Years without failure. The problem is that out of the Six different Power Supplies I checked. All but one measured 10 Volts D.C. The older display model, with which the Building worked, Measured 7.5 Volts D.C. I checked this out with the building I had in hand, which was new, and worked properly when I left the store yesterday morning.

You will also note another person posted in this thread that he had the same problem, but decided to accept it as it is. When I pop close to $90 for a Model Building and Power Supply, I expect them to work together. I brought this up to bring it to the attention of Menards. Not to bash anyone or the Company.

GREENRAIL posted:

Jim R. posted:

I'm not sure what you were doing, but you weren't measuring voltage. The output of those power supplies is 4.5 volts.

Another poster tried to explain that the amperage rating is immaterial. He wasn't talking about voltage. A unit will only draw as much amperage as it needs, so you can't have excessive amperage. (Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to plug in a lamp in your house, which can deliver between 60 and 200 amps to cover your electrical needs, depending on your electrical service. The lamp uses less than an amp of power.)

The problem with your buildings was the buildings, not the power supply. Since you returned them, the point is moot.

Jim - The out put was definitely not 4.5 Volts. I am not trying to be difficult, but, I know how to use a multi-meter. I know how to adjust the settings. I know the difference between Red for Positive (+) and Black for Ground or Negative (-). I used to teach electronics many years ago when I was an Industrial Ed Teacher. So I do know the difference. Been using this same Multi-Meter for Years without failure. The problem is that out of the Six different Power Supplies I checked. All but one measured 10 Volts D.C. The older display model, with which the Building worked, Measured 7.5 Volts D.C. I checked this out with the building I had in hand, which was new, and worked properly when I left the store yesterday morning.

You will also note another person posted in this thread that he had the same problem, but decided to accept it as it is. When I pop close to $90 for a Model Building and Power Supply, I expect them to work together. I brought this up to bring it to the attention of Menards. Not to bash anyone or the Company.

I accept your experience, but sometimes simple things can be overlooked. I was wondering if you measured these power supplies with a load connected. I would assume that a building would be adequate. The most inexpensive supplies are not regulated and are a somewhat high impedance source. They put out stated voltage when they are under the specified current load on the transformer. There would usually be a regulating inside the building on the circuit board if the design is sensitive to a maximum voltage which is usually exceeded when first plugging in an unregulated supply.

That seems logical. However, absent dismantling the Building, I was not able to accomplish that. The problem to me seems to be the initial voltage applied is way too high, rendering the sign function inoperable. As noted in earlier posts, he one power supply measured that had an output (without a load) was at 7.5 volts. That one worked. the others didn't, which is why I ended up returning the whole shooting match to the store. I would have loved to have kept the Model had everything worked properly. Alas, it didn't. Such is life. I really like these models. They look wonderful.

Just had enough frustration with the two I tried, which were brand new.

Well, folks - especially Mark the Menards Guy - I for one don't give up easily. I so wanted this Hobby Shop model to work properly. After the rigmarole, I went through, Testing out several of the Menards Power Adapters in the Store the Day before Christmas Eve, and Two different New Models, I was very frustrated, as anyone could see from my prior posts. My initial (and might I add, CORRECT, assumption was that the Power Adapters sold on the shelf at our local Menards Stores, were putting out too high a Voltage. (Read prior running commentary for more info.)

So, with that knowledge in Hand, I decided on a different tactic. I went online to Fry's (the Electronics Superstore) since Radio Shack No Longer exists, and looked up information about power supplies that produced 4.5 Volts DC. They had several models listed online., which could be set at various Voltage Levels from 3 VDC to 12 VDC. I went to our local Fry's in Downers Grove this morning and picked up one of their power adapters rated at 1800 ma. Stopped at the Menards in Bolingbrook, which I knew had the Hobby Store model, and picked up one of those, also on the way home.

This power adapter comes with Six different connectors to fit various devices. When I got home, I opened up  the package and found the adapter that fit the Menards Hobby shop. Checked to make sure the polarity and voltage were correct (4.5 VDC) and connected it to the Building. signs worked, everything lit up, cycled through all the sign functions, which all worked properly, Everything works correctly.

So, here's the deal here, from my analysis and testing. Make sure the power adapter you are using is putting out the correct voltage for this (or any other Menards Model Building)!  Of the six Menards adapters I tested, all put out significantly higher voltage ( 10 VDC) than what the model can take. One tested put out 7.5 VDC, and worked sporadically. The adapter I bought at Frys, is set at 4.5 VDC, measured for correct voltage, and rated at 1800 ma.

So, if your signs stop flashing or lighting up as they should, it may well be your power adapter. Hopefully this is of some help to others who have had similar problems with their building models!

Oh, by the way, I still think the Menards Buildings are Beautiful, models.

BReece posted:

Same problem with my Hobby Shop.  Out of the box , plugged in everything worked great. Put it on the layout and the lights work but the signs do not. I will live with it, Menards is a long way from Rockwall TX.

Brent

Brent;

See what I did above to remedy the issue with the Signs not working. Too much voltage from the Adapters I was getting from Menards. Switched to one from Fry's Electronics and it works fine now. Been connected and flashing for two hours now.

Mark, Greenrail seems to have made a pretty good case concerning the power supplies. Given Menards' track record on customer service, it might be wise to retrieve those returned power supplies and spot-check some other new units elsewhere for testing. And then tell us what you find out.

GREENRAIL posted:

BReece posted:

Same problem with my Hobby Shop.  Out of the box , plugged in everything worked great. Put it on the layout and the lights work but the signs do not. I will live with it, Menards is a long way from Rockwall TX.

Brent

Brent;

See what I did above to remedy the issue with the Signs not working. Too much voltage from the Adapters I was getting from Menards. Switched to one from Fry's Electronics and it works fine now. Been connected and flashing for two hours now.

Thanks,

 Decided to contact Menards customer service, they sent me a RGA and shipping information, no cost to me. Sent the building to Menards this AM.

Will probably receive a new Hobby Shop in a 2-3 weeks.

After reading all the posts and checking my power supply (best I know how)  The FRY's Power Supply you have pictured  seems like a good purchase. There is a Fry's in Dallas area.

Thanks

Brent

I really hope my bringing this up is helpful to all. I know I, for one, really like these models. I am hoping for more opportunities to expand my Building collection further as a result.

Likewise, I am concerned that putting too high a voltage to the building could result in damage to it's electronics. Kind of like running a 12 volt motor with 18 volts, which would eventually burn it out.

I have 2 Menards buildings and the adapter with the 3 pig-tails.

With 2 buildings using up two of the pig-tails in the ON position - I measured the 3 rd pig-tail.

It's reading was 6.93 volts dc.

Is it possible that the LEDs can work fine with varied voltage above 4.5 v DC but the animated signs cannot?

Dave

I can say this. The LED's (Absent the signs) lit up as they should with any of the adapters I tested with. The sign on the Hobby Shop, did not work at all with the adapters I tested, that showed 10 vdc on my multi-meter. I did one test on an older display model adapter that measured 7.5 vdc, and the signs worked sporadically. With the Adapter I bought at Fry's, which tested out correct voltage of 4.5 vdc, when set as such, the signs worked (and are still working) as they should.

Basically, I couldn't bear the thought of spending $90 for the building and not having it work properly. That's why I went as far as I could testing, and using another brand of adapter.