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Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Done and on the layout.  I had to move it across the lake from the original site both for size, and because of its weight.

 

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I made it a Burma Shave factory.  I have no idea what one looks like, or even how they made Burma Shave, and in fact I've never used Burma Shave.  But I like their sign sets - I have two on the layout - and they had to make it somewhere.  So, on my layout, they make it here.

 

I hand-painted the roof galvanized steel, rather than sprayed it, then dusted it with maroon-red spray to dull and weather it and added some rust runoffs and all.  Also,  the siding on the elevator looked the texture of ribbed galvanized metal, not wood - and I've seen a lot of rural buildings like that: wood with a galvanized steel elevator or tower, so I painted it steel and rusted/weathered it a bit, too.   Then used dry pan pastel powders to dull, further dirty everything, including moss green along the foundation, which adds alot, surprisingly.  Graveled the drive, did the grass and plants, put Jack the dog and some people on.  I mounted the original truck's stakebed on an early-50s Chevy truck (no lights, I think they are distracting while its parked there) and saved the rest of the original truck.  A nice addition although my once-beautiful lake is fast becoming an industrial area.

 

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Looks good Lee. As to shaving cream, worked for Carter Wallace, we made Rise Shaving Cream, Arrid Deodorant, Liver pills, Milltown, etc. They got a contract for making Burma Shave, but sorry to say after 6 months, Burma went out of business.

Making Shaving Cream is a simple process.

Lee, the building looks really great on your layout.  I like the fact that you made it a Burma Shave factory.  When I was a youngster in the late 50s, our family took a road trip from upstate NY to Daytona Beach, FL and I vividly recall seeing several of those groups of signs along the road. 

Looks like the building light on/off switch protrusion was made to look like an electric meter in a panel, which if you notice, there are three "knobs" (insulators) above the panel which is where the service wires would connect, though I doubt electric code would allow service wires to come that close above ground level (yeah, yeah picky,picky).

Originally Posted by James in VA:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

A nice addition although my once-beautiful lake is fast becoming an industrial area.

 

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Goodness! I fear what is left of your lake and its waters will suffer from all the industrial run-off. Especially from all the Burma Shave by-products!  

But the fishermen will catch good-smelling fish!

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by Ron045:

Thanks for the detailed review Lee.  As far as your upside down sign...  Is that entire wall just mounted upside down?  Is it an easy disassemble / reassemble or is in all glued in place?

 

Ron

 

Actually, you may be right.  When I study it closely, it looks like the sign is painted correctly, but the panel installed upside down (note the sign is painted so that, right side up, it would be higher/more visible, which makes sense).  When I take the building off the base, I will try to just switch the wall around.

 

Thank you, great idea.

Lee, thank you for the review.  can you post a link to this item on Menards website/  I went there and could not find anything train related.

 

thank you

Originally Posted by daylight:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by Ron045:

Thanks for the detailed review Lee.  As far as your upside down sign...  Is that entire wall just mounted upside down?  Is it an easy disassemble / reassemble or is in all glued in place?

 

Ron

 

Actually, you may be right.  When I study it closely, it looks like the sign is painted correctly, but the panel installed upside down (note the sign is painted so that, right side up, it would be higher/more visible, which makes sense).  When I take the building off the base, I will try to just switch the wall around.

 

Thank you, great idea.

Lee, thank you for the review.  can you post a link to this item on Menards website/  I went there and could not find anything train related.

 

thank you


daylight,

 

Here is a direct link but you can also navigate to this page via the steps in my signature. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Last edited by Menards
Originally Posted by play trains:
Guys, I think my feelings are hurt! I haven't gotten any e-mails about this building or the flat cars with real wood loads. The first I knew about them was from this forum ! I have several Menards buildings and 9 of their box cars. Is it because I live in New York? Or is it something I said? Used to get e-mails all the time! None now in over a month! Should I be hurt? Or has Menards received a letter from my dear wife?

play trains,

 

I will make sure you get back on the email list. The easiest way is to sign up again here. If that doesn't work, I can pass along your email address.

 

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Last edited by Menards
Originally Posted by play trains:
Wow! Got a very nice reply from Menards about being returned to the e-mail list! About an hour later, poof, an e-mail offering! Waiting for one about Seed and Feed and real wood load flatcars! But I'm on the list! Life is good! Thank you Menards man! Now, about getting a Menards in New York?

play trains,

Here are links to the two emails you missed. Unfortunately, the Alaska flatcars are back to regular price. Let us know if you miss anymore emails.

 

Alaska Flatcar with Lumber Load

Menard's Seed & Feed

 

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Originally Posted by Wigville RR:

I got my in the mail today everything was fine, but the truck it was screw down to tight it was bow down it came back up when I unscrew it they should look at that problem before shipping them .

 

Guy

Not to speak for Menard's.........but like our products....they arrive in a shipping container in ready to ship cartons. Opening 2000+ of them to inspect would be tough. Needs to be done at manufacture.....I am sure this will be a check point in future production.

Originally Posted by Wigville RR:

I got my in the mail today everything was fine, but the truck it was screw down to tight it was bowed down it came back up when I unscrew it they should look at that problem before shipping them from the manufacture .

 

Guy

They must be using the same gorilla to put on these trucks, as puts on those impossible to open "welded on" screw jar lids.

Picked up ours today after ship-to-store.  Everything looks great best I can tell.  Very substantial and some neat details.  I was thinking of changing it into a whiskey distillery but looking at it now reminds me of trips to the grain mill with my Grandfather in VA when I was growing up.  Think we'll leave it as is.  Also ordered an Army boxcar and the Army flatbed with pickup.  Both are nice cars and much improved with the metal couplers.

Kudos to Menards on all 3 items.

Daryl

A lot of supplies put out a higher voltage under no load.  The Menards supply works at 4.5 volts against even a tiny load (single LED).  

 

You can put three batteries (either AAA or AA, I forget which) in the battery holder in the bottom of the building and the LEDs will run for hours - probably days.  Or you can hook it up to a small adjustable DC power supply like these in the photo below and adjust it until the buildings lights work.  The Menards building lights start to glow at around 2.8 volts, and look nice and muted at 3.0-3.2, by the way, but get much brighter at 4.5V.  The three shown power various lights in buildings.  I bought them at swap meets for $2 - $4 each.  they put only only 7 watts from 1.5 to 16 volts DC, so the can run Menards, Woodland Scenics, or standard 12 volt LEDs, and a full voltage they will make 24 volt LEDs glow, but only lightly.

 

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Last edited by Lee Willis
Originally Posted by Ken M:

where do you hook the leads on the battery supply wires & is there a way to put more lights inside the building. I am going to pick min up today or tomorrow.

 

Thank You

Ken M

There is a plastic battery pack holder fitted into the bottom of the base (see my pictures on the first posting ofthis thread, the eighth picture shows the black battery holder cover)  You just put three batteries in there.  There is a jack for the Menards 4.5 volt supply on the back (side opposite the truck, right had corner foundation, or you could wire it permanently by just attaching wires into the battery compartment.

 

I could not get the building off the foundation.  I remove all the screws, but it would not budge.  I imagine one could drill a hole and then use a saber saw to cut a circle out of the base, inside the building, but I didn't take that route.

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by Menards:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Mine arrived yesterday but it was this morning before I opened it up to look.  

 

I have photos below to show my points, but quickly summarizing, this is a very mixed review, and perhaps the least positive I get about something - but overall it has a simplar number of good and bad points as I see it . . . 

Lee,

 

We are very sorry that you received a building with an upside down sign. I believe that this was an assembly issue and we apologize.

 

If you wouldn't mind sending your full name, address and telephone number to Ray customerservice@menardsoc.com, we will gladly send you a new building, free of charge. This new building has been taken out of its box, tested and inspected for upside down signs, etc. and everything looks good. We will see how the gods of transportation see fit to treat it on its journey to you.

 

The wiring inside the building is a bit of a science project but you are welcome to take the old building apart and kit bash it in anyway you like. Please send us your critique and enjoy!

 

The light switch you are looking for is on the truck side of the building. It is colored an "inscrutable" white to make sure that nobody sees it.  Push the button and the building should light up. Let us know, please, if it does not.

 

All the best,

Mark

Hey thanks.  You are good people.   I did find the switch (your are right, very cleverly hidden and nearly impossible to see (picture below, guys), but it is there, just looking very much like a brick in the foundation, and the lights come on now, on battery of with the power supply).  I searched all over . . . 

 

I appreciate your offer, but I don't need another building. This one will be fine after some minor operations, and it will actually be a nice building once I paint and weather

 

Thanks,

 

Lee

 

---------------- I SPENT SOME MORE TIME WITH IT JUST NOW AND . . . ---------------

 

1) The windows are NOT painted on . . . they are frosty/dirty "glass" (clear plastic) painted with the frames and you can barely see through them.  In the last of  three window pictures below, you are looking through one window to light coming in the other wide of the building for another window.

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2) The signs are printed paper and pasted on spaecial flat areas made for just them.  Folks were right, the wall is not upside down, the sign was applied upside down.  I got half of the sign off undamaged before I realized "why take care?" I was going to replace it with a non-Menards sign anyway, and I could print up another copy of that sign if I wanted . . .  Note that the space for the sign is flat, not shaped like the wood siding, so if you remove the sign, you have to replace it with another sign, not remove it and leave the wall bare.

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The wall is bowed.  I imagine this was not intentional - resin not cured long enough before assembly with screws tighten too much (like that "droopy" NEO '59 Oldsmobile I posted about three weeks ago.  Same thing).  BUT, who hasn't seen this is the real world.  Acceptable, whether intended or not . . . 

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3) And as said above, the lights work.  The light switch is here . . . I looked right past it many times.  In my defense, the truck was parked in front of it at the time: that is my excuse and I am sticking with it!!!!! 

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The lights are fairly cool. Particularly the one over the door looks good.

 

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The blinking red light is inside the elevator.  After a couple of shots I got a photo at the moment it was on . . . 

 

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4) I was unable to get the building off its base.  I removed all the screws, but it seems to be glued down firmly.  The wing-wall (on which was the upside down advertisement) has no screws into if from the base and yet it doesn't give even a hint of budging.  Neither, with all screws removed, does the building.  It's resin, so I am not about to take a chisel or try to pry it up.  I'll work with it on the base.

 

5) My plan is to repaint it, etc.  I'm not sure where and how - yet.  I may leave the wooden siding painted as it except for some serious weathering.  The roof I will paint aluminum/silver as galvinized metal, then seriously rust and weather.  I can print weathered/worn signs and will replace the one, maybe another.  I will remove the flocking and plant grass and bushes.  I will scribe lines on the base as for poured concrete and paint it concrete and weather than, add some barrels and feed bags and an older truck cab (my layout is 1950s), transfering the headlights .  

 

It will go here.  I am worried that development is gradually ruining the once pristine splendor of my tranquil, clean mountain lake area, but hasn't that been a problem for decades, everywhere?  Why should it be different on my layout?

 

feed and seed site

Hi Lee, Have to say that owner of the door and window factory should make a fortune having the only store in Alaska that has windows and doors for sale now his only competition would be the guy selling seed and feed that picture really looks like Alaska just like the show "Alaska the last frontier". 

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