@laming...I don't know for sure...but @bearlead hasn't posted here since Feburary 2020. He may be surprised to be referred to as "late". He was / is a great member of the early forum culture. If I am incorrect about his current status I mean no disrespect. I wanted to acknowledge him as a wonderful participant and valued member in our online community. Hopefully Bearlead will start posting and commenting again if that's in the cards...
John
Hi John!
I think you're right: "bearlead".
It was so long ago since I've read a post by him, I "assumed" the worse! Glad it looks as if he's still kickin', at least as recently as February. I recall he had good things to say, and as you can see, I still remember his sig line!
Andre
@Menards posted:Thanks for your suggestion! While we have not made any passenger cars yet, it is a project we are looking at.
I'm curious of everyone's thoughts on passenger cars. Let me know if anyone has feedback.
1. What is a good length?
2. What body style has the widest appeal?
3. What price would you be willing to pay?Keep in mind, these won't necessarily be "scale" but we are in the business of having fun!
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
My personal thoughts:
1) 13” or 16.5” basically able to run O31 radius curves
2) Personally I prefer streamlined cars, but Madison heavyweights are also a big part of my collection
3) individual cars with empty but “detailed” interiors, ~$40; If they had actual people figures and detailed interiors, ~$60. if just frosted “glass” with or without silhouettes, ~$25.
i think either the Lionel baby Madison or rail king passenger cars are good ideas for size and such. Again, just my personal opinion on what I like.
For the fun operation of passenger coaches, the roof of the passenger coach needs to have a hinge that allows the top to open up, allowing children and adults to load and unload all of the passengers at each stop.
Andrew
The passenger cars would have thin, bright LED strips for lighting.
Andrew
@Keith Crook 020419 posted:My personal thoughts:
1) 13” or 16.5” basically able to run O31 radius curves
2) Personally I prefer streamlined cars, but Madison heavyweights are also a big part of my collection3) individual cars with empty but “detailed” interiors, ~$40; If they had actual people figures and detailed interiors, ~$60. if just frosted “glass” with or without silhouettes, ~$25.
i think either the Lionel baby Madison or rail king passenger cars are good ideas for size and such. Again, just my personal opinion on what I like.
I agree.
Stay with the low cost high quality market niche you have so beautifully established. I would much rather my grandson have Menards 13 or 16 in passenger cars than none at all..
Not everyone has a lot of storage space or budget.
I prefer the Pennsylvania R.R./Strasburg R.R. type passenger cars. I would not be all that picky on size so long as they are more affordable than some of the competitors. For price, I think $30 could be the sweet spot, or a bit more, depending on the level of detail on the cars.
There has to be a baggage car. Well, Jack wants to ride....
I'd like to add my two cents worth if I may? I was going to throw in my wooden nickel too, but it has been reduced to nothing more than a pile of sawdust thanks to an angry army of termites!
Passenger Cars: I'd like to see Menards produce the entire set of streamlined passenger cars based on the HO scale Mantua-Tyco streamlined car fleet. They were close to 72 ft. in scale length which enabled them to operate on HO scale 18 inch radius curve track that was the standard track supllied with most HO train sets during the 50s and 60s.
Mantua-Tyco proposed to manufacture a complete set of cars. Not all were produced though, e.i. baggage car, diner, dome. Information can be obtained on Tony Cook's Tyco train site which I located by going to Google. The cars were very attractive and were delivered in several road names. I believe they would prove popular in the event Menards were to choose the design of these cars to put on the market today.
Caboose: Again, I turn to Mantua-Tyco. A caboose very simular to a Pennsylvania Railroad cabin car was produced and included in many train sets, except of course for the little 4-wheel wood bobber caboose, which were included in some sets. Instead of the standard Penny center cupola, the M-T car had an offset cupola. One must wonder if New Jersey based M-T didn't work from plans provided by the PRR when designing this caboose? Who knows if the Pennsy had planned to build cabin cars based on this design?
Vintage wood style passenger cars, like those which operate today on the popular Starsburg Rail Road, would be most welcomed too of course!
I am well aware that Menards will be required to invest X number of $ to design and maufacture any passenger cars (and a cabin car too) before they become part of the ever expanding line of excellent top quality "Nice Price" O gauge equipment, however, I did want to obtain the reaction of fellow OGR model rails (and Menards too of course) just the same.
Thank you!
Joe Toth Jr.
I would love to see some Lionel 2500 series passenger cars. I have a small layout that I am developing and my needs are for the traditional "shorties".
Thanks to Wild Mary, there's a new post regarding the possibility of Menards introducing passenger cars to the O gauge market.
Check out "Menards Passenger Cars-Any Chance?"
@falconservice posted:For the fun operation of passenger coaches, the roof of the passenger coach needs to have a hinge that allows the top to open up, allowing children and adults to load and unload all of the passengers at each stop.
Andrew
This is something that Lionel, mth do not have. Even if the roofs just sat snugly or snapped on it would greatly increase the play value.
A fit as simple as the tops of the @Menards delivery vans would do the job.
Yes, I know this means some roofs would get lost by children but you can't win with everything. My kids love putting stuffed animals and little people or other toys inside freight cars to take a ride. Being able to add people or critters to a passenger without having to flip it upside down would be really nice. Kids and many adults I assume, would rather not glue figures to a seat to keep them in place while rolling the carbody back over to screw reinstall the screws that hold the roof in place. The drawback to this approach is that getting the lighting attached is much harder. If you went with an easy open top and lights at the same time another cross brace or something would be needed to hold the lights. It would also potentially mean switching from a two piece to three piece construction.
piece 1 - removable roof
Piece 2 - rectangular car body with cross bracing for the lights and wires, but most of the car top open. molded in steps and vestibules. No opening vestibule doors, prices need kept down. Window strips optional.
piece 3 - frame, either stamped metal or plastic. since an open top capable car would be meant for play value, any electric components for lights would be mounted under the frame.
additionally parts - passenger looking truck assemblies, both with roller pickups. Possible some type of box to house the electronics under the frame. Other than that as few detail parts as possible. Kids break stuff off. For that matter, so do I.
Lionel baby Madison style cars are okay with me, and make sense with lots of road names. I am not sure what length those. Longer cars requiring bigger curves limits the market. I the Madison style car was selected I would avoid rivets just to make paint easier.
Of course other options would be to skip lights on the inside all together, or have conventional bulbs mounted in the floor.
Frankly the idea is exciting to me, because anything that actually makes my kids want to truly play with the trains is an improvement. Also a passenger car I can get for a reasonable price point to custom paint myself is attractive as well. My middle child has a customized "Stephen Express". It used to a set of Lionel MLB themed cars that I got for a song. customizing those cars for him was something special.
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Not if they want to make them cost effective & appealing to "newbies." If Lionel made its starter set Polar Express & Harry Potter cars 18 inches, they wouldn't have sold. 
