Menards Boxcar Trucks

Micromark  sells a item called a truck tuner. It enlarges the hole where the axle goes in. Just don't make the hole too big. It works great and every single one of my Menards cars rolls as smooth as silk and I have 75 of them.

If you just want to replace them with diecast trucks then please ignore my advice.

Dave

I will look into it! I didn't know this option existed @david1

Dave may be onto something there. I had a CNW gondola that I got last year as part of a mystery box. One truck was fine, the other didn’t roll at all. After trying a bunch of things, a couple weeks ago I was getting ready to take a truck off a flatcar and replace the gondola truck. I decided to just swap the wheel/axles. The gondola truck still didn’t roll. Looking closely, it looked like the hole on the truck was too small.  I used a drill to enlarge the holes slightly and it now rolls fine.

I hope an easily solution can be found to remedy the problem since it is so common. I just thought you could swap on trucks and move on. You mostly can. You just need to have the right hardware on hand.

How about just buying better (Lionel, MTH, and so on) cars instead?

@D500 I mostly got these Menards boxcars because of the available roadnames. I plan on getting the materials to paint rolling stock myself in the future and that will make it possible to buy whatever I want.

D500, not that simple. For Christmas 2019 my wife gave me a Lionel Camera caboose. It didn’t  work, returned to Lionel for repair. Still waiting.  I had a little extra work on one Menards car, but was able to handle at home. No problems with any of my other Menards cars.

Yeah @Ross @D500, I gotta admit that some of my purchase is based on what I can field at home. I thought a simple truck swap would be no big deal. And it wasn't a huge deal but I would have been out of luck if I didn't have the extra hardware laying around.

I don't mind buying a cheap item that I can fix up. That's the only way I was able to buy my house.

David1

Is the MicroMark truck turner you use O gauge. I only found a HO gauge listed on their web site

Thanks

Chuck

@McShab posted:

David1

Is the MicroMark truck turner you use O gauge. I only found a HO gauge listed on their web site

Thanks

Chuck

Yes it is listed as ho but it will work with O. If you have a set of small drill bits those will work also.

D500,

If you have unlimited money than go ahead and buy what you want but some of us don't and for me and apparently Billy Menards fits the bill. I have been buying Menards cars from day 1, almost and I learned how to fix the issues they have had.

If you have coupler issues there are many videos on how to fix them.

Dave

I have purchased  many Menards cars in the last 4 or five years .   I have been lucky .   Maybe 5 bad cars.  Usually it is the trucks are broken or the wheels have popped out of the trucks .    I go back to Menards & buy a box car or hopper to strip it of parts .  I fix the car & store the rest of the parts . 

You can buy 3 Menards instead of one traditional boxcar by Lionel .   

I just bought 4 cars in Jan with a 15% off Menards Paper bag sale plus some power units for Their buildings .   I have not checked them yet.   

I might buy 4 Boxcars just to repaint & decal for Nickel Plate RR