A few are of interest to me such as the Rail Box. I assume these are the same Kusan boxcars that Bachmann sells...made by Kader. Menards says resin but its just same plastic as the others I hope. Heck of a deal!
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They are clones of the Williams models. It has been stated by representatives of Bachmann/WBB that Kader* is not the builder.
---PCJ
(*correct spelling, btw)
Mike W,
I especially like the Military Ammo Box Car, bought several of them for my US Army Special Forces Train.
PCRR/Dave
I looked at some of the box cars Menards has here. They're not to bad. If I hadn't spent so much money at York and buying a GP7 LionChef Plus from a club member, I could buy one without my wife killing me. Maybe next year.
Mike they are nice boxcars. I have the B&O it is heavy and scale but not detailed like the others don't matter to me less to break LOL.
For operators, they're hard to beat. They seem pretty bulletproof. Other than some coupler issues that I was able to resolve, my fleet of Menards boxcars is a winner, and for less than $20/ea, the deal was hard to beat!
I bought one and like John mentions for the price they are hard to beat. Don't know how well it works on the track as yet, don't have my layout set up right now, just an around the room upper level of 027 track with a KW transformer.
Lee Fritz
I have 35 of their boxcars and a dozen of the new flatcars. The paintwork is pretty nice on the boxcars, and when rolling down the track, it's pretty hard to see they lack the fine detail of the expensive models. I can't justify $60-80 for a boxcar, especially for stuff I'm going to put in a box to carry to a modular layout a number of times. Those delicate details on the cars get crunched pretty quickly with a lot of handling.
Originally Posted by RailRide:
They are clones of the Williams models. It has been stated by representatives of Bachmann/WBB that Kader* is not the builder.
---PCJ
(*correct spelling, btw)
Maybe they bought some old tooling like from AMT or KMT?
As far as budget goes I would buy more if I had the room for them.
Lee Fritz
In the past it was mentioned that Golden Wheel I believe is the manufacturer.
What do others think of the flatcars, esp. the $7.99 ($4.99 with rebate) ones?
I do like the flatcars that are on sale right now. I do think they work better when you put a load on them.
Cabinet Bob,
Just ordered another Military Flat Car with Copter, got to say for the cost you really can not beat the Menard's rolling stock. Good quality at a reasonable price.
PCRR/Dave
They must be made by Kader using the Kusan tools. The mold lines match the Kusan boxcar that has made its way around the block multiple times over. It would be very costly for them to create all new tools and paint masks etc. .... when trains aren't their main business. I bet Kader is mum about who they make what for.
Originally Posted by Mike W.:
They must be made by Kader using the Kusan tools...
They are not: this from Bachmann Trains Marketing Manager.
I got the two I ordered last week. I can totally see that these do not have the same closeup look as the items made from the real Kusan tooling. Some vendor just copied Kader's (Kusan) boxcar.
Mike W.
The Military Ammo Box cars I received from Menard's are definitely to Kader's tooling, however they are darn nice for the money I expended now that the trucks have been upgraded. Real nice US Army Box cars no doubt about it.
PCRR/Dave
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Adding a pair of $20 trucks kinda cuts the deal a little, but still nice cars.
What's with the trucks? I thought they fixed a previous problem. They look like Bettendorfs, vs. Roller Bearings that show up incorrectly on some makers'. FINDING economical replacement trucks is a hassle now with Weaver up the flue.
John H,
Menard's has upgraded the Trucks on their Box Cars, no longer any need to replace them, like I had to due on the 1st generation Tank Loaded Flat cars. The upgraded Trucks work perfectly, on the Menard's US Army Box Cars, I believe all of their other Box Cars have been made the same way.
You can see above the Menard's Tank Flat Car that the MTH Primer Trucks had to be installed on, to make the Flat Car a serious full time runner. The new Trucks on the Menard's Box Cars are decent and work well, however still not up to the MTH Premier Truck quality, and they are not going to be, for the money expended to purchase the Box Cars.
PCRR/Dave
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Sorry, I misunderstood. That makes them all the better. You have a great lookin' layout, by the way. Happy Holidays.
Speaking of Menards, does ayone know if the ambulance has lights besides the light bar and headlights? It looks like the back should light, but not on the two I have anyway. Have 36 cars from them and really like them especially for the price!
