Menards does it again!

Heck of a deal $16.34 each car.

$16.34 each.    For that price I can use my imagination.

Menards definely did it again .A lot of people model Fallen Flags

Personally I'm not in the market for modern pickup trucks or that many flatcars, but I will say for those who are, you can't beat that deal with a stick!!

 

My my hat is off to Menards!!

 

 

Must have an extremely elastic imagination. 

I do now that you mention it!

 

Hoping they do some older stuff.

Pop that truck off and you have Halloween flat car.

PRR markings on a modern Ford pick-up?  I'm no rivet counter, but that looks silly.  Lionel & MTH have certainly done such stuff too, so I'm not singling out Menards.   

I believe he has you there John. The car must ride on that "Back to the future train". Warning! some of Menard's cars are not for some of us rivet counters, they are more traditional post war type, but very creative.

I really appreciate what Menards is doing for the O-Gauge market. They are providing a very nice product that is affordable. We all know that bringing new folks into this hobby is hard to do. It is almost impossible to attract first timers with Lionel and MTH prices. They have marketed their products for us old timers with greater disposable incomes and to the demand of many of us to make items as realistic as possible. With that in mind we often gripe about color schemes, wheel sets, proper positioning of rails, etc.

The Menard's offerings make nice items for young families to actually afford and to enjoy. Heck, what am I talking about....the same goes for an old codger like me.

 

I probably should just keep my thoughts to myself, but I have found myself cringing every time Menards announces a new product. As a collective group, we always seem to find fault somewhere with what is offered. I kind of like the days when I was a kid and I had different sized autos on the layout, plastic trees, unrealistic telephone poles, people too big or too small (but you took what you could get), and rolling stock that may not have been prototypical. But, it was fun. You should know by now that Menards is not necessarily producing new products every week to make perfect replicas. As I see it, they are kind of a throwback to Joshua Lionel Cowen's original ideas and that is to just have fun. And I think that is what Menards is trying to do.... I am having fun just seeing what they may offer next. It may be something that I do not want, not what I model, not the era I model, but I just don't have to purchase it. I highly doubt that this company is trying to become Lionel, MTH, or any other TOY train company. They are doing this as a sideline and in a way, it brings back the fun I had as a kid in the 50's with just the simplicity. Just my two cents worth.  

Menards seems to be working their way east as far as road names.  Hopefully, some NS cars will soon be available.

Well it will probably fit in with about 80% of the layouts, since most layouts are not into scale and are more toy like.

 

   Bill T.

 

 

Hmmm.....   I thought this was a pre-requisite for the O3R segment of the hobby!?

 

Actually, once I left the 'rigors' of HO...and its faithful fellowship of fidelity fanatics frequently finding fault for foisting fraud!...I've found freedom!!  Hallelujah!! 

 

It is SOOOOO refreshing to be able to let the imagination run wild, fill in the blanks, accept compromise, enjoy the illogical.....why, it's like being that kid again I was back 65+ years ago!!

 

Contemporary trucks being hauled on fallen flag railroad cars at a 2015 price that even a 1950's kid could afford with his/her allowance and lemonade stand earnings????....

 

YOU BETCHA!!

 

 

 

Cheryl...

 

Baldwin...Lima...Lima...Baldwin...   Who cares?  So SOO me!

This is a car from Menards that just came yesterday. I now have 2 ARMY cars. I don't care if the truck has the incorrect lug nuts on the wheels or it's not the "Correct" tank on the flat car Bla,Bla,Bla!  These are just fun inexpensive and not bad looking cars at all for the money. A decent amount of detail for a piece of rolling stock that doesn't retail for $80 bucks plus with plenty of breakable detail under the car that know one is going to see anyway!

 

Chris, thanks for sharing the info on the new Menards offering. I agree with your observations, and many others, that these are fun, affordable items. I really like the ARMY flatcars that you showed.  As with any product, people can always choose to buy them or not, but it is hard to beat their combination of price point and enjoyment value.  Way to go, Menards, keep them coming - you have surely added some excitement to the hobby. I can only imagine what they will come out with next. And, based on past performance, it won't be long until they have another car or building to offer for the model train community.

 

It is great to see the overwhelming support for our O gauge offerings! Chris, thanks for posting! Here are a few more details.

 

Introducing the beautiful Pennsylvania Maintenance Truck on Flatcar! This O gauge resin flatcar features realistic details including a chassis with premium metal trucks and operating couplers. Loaded on the flatcar rides a die-cast F150 Pennsylvania Maintenance Department Truck. This F150 truck is painted Brown with White accents and has the PRR logo on the hood and both doors. This die-cast truck also has free-wheeling action and can be detached from the flatcar by removing 2 screws. SKU# 279-2641

 

Click here to see more!

 

 

In case you missed it, this week’s email is attached below. If you want to get these emails in your inbox, click here to sign up!

 

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Beautiful truck and the price is fantastic.  However, I will not purchase it because my layout models the '50's era.  I can certainly understand the purists that only place autos and trucks from a certain era on their layout.  As fussy as I am about displaying the '50's era I do have a Lionel cell tower on my layout.  Just think that it looks so cool with the blinking light next to my blinking '50's water tower.  So much for being a purist.

       
       



Well there's the elasticity of your average rubber band, which I would say is the default baseline for 3-rail O.

For blatantly anachronistic things like a PRR-themed contemporary pickup truck however, that's more like bungee-jumping elasticity. 

Great deal but I believe that a 40's or 50's era truck would look better on a PRR flat car. Its terrific for Menard's to be the undisputed price leader, but even better when the products are realistic. Realism plus price has the competitive potential to really seize a good market segment.

I might of gone with a different keystone.

Either way, this is another fantastic deal from the deal maker.

Please make a Norfolk Southern maintenance truck!

Well, you could call the trucks custom deliveries for 1/48 scale SPF's

 

---PCJ (is this the first time Menard's has managed to put road numbers on their 11" flatcars?)

Chris,

Thanks for the close up of the Army truck and trailer. You just got Menards another sale!

Menards Mark

 

I have a question for you- my email is in my profile.

Thanks

Roger

I agree a 50's era truck would look great no doubt. There are plenty to chose from out there who knows Menards may answer the call at some point.  Variety is a good thing! 

The pick-up truck on flat car must be produced in Wisconsin Central, Wisconsin & Southern, SOO, and BNSF.

 

Andrew

They already did the BNSF

 

   Bill T.

Then I missed the BNSF one.

 

There is the possibility of BNSF Heritage versions that are BNSF-Great Northern, BNSF-Burlington Route, BNSF-Northern Pacific.  

 

 

Andrew

There were many trucks and vans with the SOO graphics during the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. There has to be a SOO truck or van on a SOO LINE red and white flat car.

 

Andrew