(12/29/21) SOLD OUT! Beta 3.0 Engines from Menards!

@yamawho posted:

Mine just came in ... the front roller assy was loose but thankfully the screw was also in the bag.
When I turn the power to the track no sound.
When I turn on the remote, no sound ... checked volume is all the way up.
Crew talk, horn and bell are working.
The pilot barely clears the center rail.
The big issue I have is a death wobble on the front trucks so bad  that it derails.

Check the on/off switch located on the bottom of the engine. Mine had a wobble on the rear truck…but haven’t experienced a derailment.

OK ... changed the switch and now have engine sound.
What can be done to straighten the axle ?

Beta 3.5 just went live to order. Fyi

@Dave S. posted:

Beta 3.5 just went live to order. Fyi

Have not seen their announcement.

Steve

Link to purchase a Menards Beta 3.5 Engine:

https://www.menards.com/main/g...843611316&ipos=1

And they're sold out!

@H1000 posted:

And they're sold out!

Uh, not really.

Just until next week when we see 4.0.

@johnstrains posted:

Uh, not really.

Just until next week when we see 4.0.

It sure seems that way.  I didn't jump on the 3.5 because I haven't spent enough time with my 3.0.  Went to the Menards site in time, put it in my cart, but decided to pass for now.  I'll look forward to the next phase of reviews from others here.

I turn my back for 35minutes and Menards makes an announcement about Beta 3.5 and they are sold out!   That must be a world record for selling out 200 engines in less than an hour!!!!!!!!

I took the front truck off the engine and used pointed nose vice grips to grab the wheel and work it true ... took many attempts. Then I noticed the wheel set was too far apart. The wheels with traction tires were 1.630" and the others were almost 1.700". I made them the same at 1.630" and with the wheels true it's fixed. I noticed the rear trucks also have a wheel set with wobble ... interesting the it's the same set (without traction tire) might be a pattern there.

@Allegheny posted:

Having read all of the comments to date concerning the 3.0 version, what I've come away with is that approx 30% of the respondents are experiencing coupler and engine wobble issues.   

Versions 1.0 and 2.0 did have coupler issues but they didn't have any wobble related issues.

Thus something changed at the factory while producing Version 3.0 - either there may be a bad assembler or quality control of the gauging of the wheels has slipped.

Additionally what I found concerning - one individual who was experiencing wobble also didn't have enough power to pull an average consist.  It maybe that there was to much friction at the contact point of the wheels to the track which then reduced the remaining available power to pull cars.

The engine now starts smoothly but may coast a bit to much, especially in reverse, when trying to conduct coupling maneuvers causing minor crashing.

Also the horn sounds need to be addressed as they are anemic along with upgrading the Nylon gears to being metal.

Overall many of the respondents found the engines' ability to pull excellent and were quite pleased about its ability to pull consists on a grade without any issues.

Nearly all of the respondents seem to agree that some form of conventional control would make this product a homerun.

Overall Menards has done an excellent job considering this is their first attempt at releasing an engine with remote control capabilities.   

I and I imagine many of you have found these Beta releases very intriguing.

The excitement that it has created on this site is amazing and fact that 200 units sell out within a couple hours also goes to show how broad ranged and powerful this site truly is.

Let's hope that the shortcomings will be fully addressed and the improvements implemented prior to a full blown production release.

Great summary and analysis of the feedback to date!  Fully agree with your assessment and commentary!

OK ... got the 2nd wheel set to about 1.660", all I could get with 6" clamp but it did the trick.
This wheel set was not out like the other just too wide.
Couplers hard to open like others have noted.
Horn and bell sounds could be improved.
Does not run at low speed very well, I'm at 17 volts on DCS layout.
Really like that the truck side plates can be removed from the bottom.
Love the look with the chrome trucks.

I hope they do well also but seems to me since 3.5 is now out so fast vs 3.0 how many did they bring into stock. Is this just terrific marketing of product with no warranty to worry about.

@romiller49 posted:

I hope they do well also but seems to me since 3.5 is now out so fast vs 3.0 how many did they bring into stock. Is this just terrific marketing of product with no warranty to worry about.

I agree with you Rod. Plus, it’s getting to be humorous and borderline questionable.

Steve

Didn't someone figure it was 20-ish days between release of 2.0 to 3.0? Is it about 20 days again from beta 3.0 to 3.5? Are any of the problems being addressed and/or “feedback” being listened to with releases coming out this fast?

@Sam Jumper posted:

Didn't someone figure it was 20-ish days between release of 2.0 to 3.0? Is it about 20 days again from beta 3.0 to 3.5? Are any of the problems being addressed and/or “feedback” being listened to with releases coming out this fast?

Assuming the factory isn't working weekends, (maybe they are, who knows...) it's more like 14 days...  Personally, I find it hard to believe that such a concerted effort is being put into something that has so little effect on the bottom line of a 10 Billion dollar company.

Rusty

But does it fit in the bag?..........

I have been reading these threads of the Menards locos and it dawned on me that Menards is doing there own testing and modifications to a new product. They have a minimum of units that the factory will run. They take a few for their test team to look at and offer the rest for sale. They have a good thing going on as they are being sold out immediately upon being offered, paying for the next order for their team to test. I don't believe the 2-1/2 weeks between offering these is adequate time to receive feedback and implement any changes to production of design changes. My opinion.

Out of curiosity, what happened to the new thread on 3.5?

This has got to be one of the stranger episodes in the history of model railroading. Not necessarily bad, but strange.  Who knows, maybe this is the new model for a vendor offering a complex product.  Short runs with constant tweaking.  Should be an interesting story when we know the whole thing.

Mr. Menards did not become a multi Billionaire for being stupid.

I'm glad I was able to get one shipped to me in Canada and that I was able to fix the issues.
I'm not planning to buy another beta.

@yamawho posted:

I'm glad I was able to get one shipped to me in Canada and that I was able to fix the issues.
I'm not planning to buy another beta.

When the new announcement was made yesterday, I immediately thought of our Canadian friends like you because you all were just receiving the beta 3.0 version because of long shipping times. 

I would think version 3.0 feedback is still wanted by Menards -- so I am going to pass my thoughts to them whether they want it or not.  I can't imagine 3.5 is that radically different based on the time between versions.

@Allegheny posted:

Out of curiosity, what happened to the new thread on 3.5?

Deleted, probably because of skepticism.

Rusty

@Dan Kenny posted:

I have been reading these threads of the Menards locos and it dawned on me that Menards is doing there own testing and modifications to a new product. They have a minimum of units that the factory will run. They take a few for their test team to look at and offer the rest for sale. They have a good thing going on as they are being sold out immediately upon being offered, paying for the next order for their team to test. I don't believe the 2-1/2 weeks between offering these is adequate time to receive feedback and implement any changes to production of design changes. My opinion.

Dan,

You're generally correct, but software can be changed relatively quickly.  2-1/2 weeks isn't a problem.

Mike

3.5 will be the first one I didn't order.  I always seem to be on the forum when they become available, but I passed on 3.5.

I know there were forum members who thought it was a good idea for Menards NOT to say what was improved or changed and to leave us guessing when we order the beta samples, but there was no difference between 2.0 and 3.0 so I fail to understand the point.  If we are beta testing trust us to have the intelligence to beta test the changes unless there actually weren't any.

John

@Dan Kenny posted:

Mr. Menards did not become a multi Billionaire for being stupid.

Dan,

At this rate you could probably become a multi Billionaire selling Santa Fe B Units and passenger sets on the side.

John

@Craftech posted:

3.5 will be the first one I didn't order.  I always seem to be on the forum when they become available, but I passed on 3.5.

I know there were forum members who thought it was a good idea for Menards NOT to say what was improved or changed and to leave us guessing when we order the beta samples, but there was no difference between 2.0 and 3.0 so I fail to understand the point.  If we are beta testing trust us to have the intelligence to beta test the changes unless there actually weren't any.

John

You get better feedback when you don't prime the pump.  I don't think Menards expected the same 200 people to get all the betas.

Brendan

@Dan Kenny posted:

Mr. Menards did not become a multi Billionaire for being stupid.

Well, at least not stupid about selling lumber and hardware.

@Brendan posted:

You get better feedback when you don't prime the pump.  I don't think Menards expected the same 200 people to get all the betas.

Brendan

Oh,

Like a placebo.

John

@Dan Kenny posted:

I have been reading these threads of the Menards locos and it dawned on me that Menards is doing there own testing and modifications to a new product. They have a minimum of units that the factory will run. They take a few for their test team to look at and offer the rest for sale. They have a good thing going on as they are being sold out immediately upon being offered, paying for the next order for their team to test. I don't believe the 2-1/2 weeks between offering these is adequate time to receive feedback and implement any changes to production of design changes. My opinion.

I think they are shooting for more of a cumulative updates as they go, the production engine will have all the improvements.  I have seen this before, a dozen fast releases each one with its own quirks and then all the info is gleaned for what they require.

Finally got a chance to put some real runtime on my 3.0’s. Ran for an hour with no issues.
My earlier initial look over revealed some wobble in the wheels but it had no affect on operation. Also, one of the two had remote issues I had to fix. FYI, I bought the second one from a buddy. In a few weeks I will do some more long running with a load.

Steve

I took delivery of my 3.5 lsst night. So far it looks great!

Unless 3rd rail reissues the FP7, I will eventually upgrade this unit.

prrhorseshoecurve,

If you leave it in the box it will always look great.

So, I only operate a seasonal layout from November to January.   I got the Beta 3.0 Santa Fe from Menards last year and it worked great.   Packed it up in the box and kept it in my house for climate control.   Took it out today and and when I put it on the track and then applied power, it started with engine sounds before I turned on the remote.  When I turned on the remote, the engine sounds stopped and I had no whistle or bell.   When I put it in forward or reverse, the headlights come on and it moves just fine, but I have no sounds at all.  I tried the switch on the bottom in both positions but no change.   Could the sound board go bad that quickly?   It has been handled gently with no drops, but I have not pulled it apart yet to look for loose wires.   Thoughts?

@BobHoward posted:

So, I only operate a seasonal layout from November to January.   I got the Beta 3.0 Santa Fe from Menards last year and it worked great.   Packed it up in the box and kept it in my house for climate control.   Took it out today and and when I put it on the track and then applied power, it started with engine sounds before I turned on the remote.  When I turned on the remote, the engine sounds stopped and I had no whistle or bell.   When I put it in forward or reverse, the headlights come on and it moves just fine, but I have no sounds at all.  I tried the switch on the bottom in both positions but no change.   Could the sound board go bad that quickly?   It has been handled gently with no drops, but I have not pulled it apart yet to look for loose wires.   Thoughts?

Is the volume on the remote set to the lowest level?

Well, it's a beta...

Yes, gee, duh.  There's a volume control on the remote, unlike Lionchief,   Turned that up and I've got all the sound you could want.  Thanks. 

@BobHoward posted:

There's a volume control on the remote, unlike Lionchief,   

? There's volume control on LionChief remotes.

No there actually isn’t.

You can use your phone to change the volume but the remote cannot.