Menards new UP boxcar

Lee, from looking closely at your photos, the road numbers do not appear to be stickers: I can't see any hint of an edge that you would see from a sticker.

 

And since I've noticed the last couple Menard's cars have the same exact typeface for the road numbers, I wonder if they are using some sort of sequential numbering printer for just the road numbers? That's the only way I could imagine them doing the individual numbers on the cars cost effectively. Again, the same typeface numbers on differing cars seems to point in this direction.

 

Others have noted in past posts, whether the other train companies are taking notice of what Menard's is doing? Even if Menard's is doing runs of let's say one thousand, that's one thousand few sales for Lionel, MTH and the others. And I see some of the cars on their website are sold out.

 

Even with some of the quibbles about the Menard's cars, the price seems to be a motivating factor for them. And that they've made improvements to the trucks without raising prices... well, that is to be commended.

 

Oh, and while they may not look out of place with other scale proportioned rolling stock, the same works in the other direction: They also look at home with traditionally sized cars. And the suggested detail levels do not make them stand out like a sore thumb with other traditional sorts of cars and engines.

Lee, they look good. Enjoy your new purchases.

Very nice unit train Lee. Menards certainly is making a name for themselves with freight cars that are not busting the checkbook.

 

Really like having the orders shipped to my local Menards and not paying shipping.

 

   Bill

I can see the uniformity being an issue if you are pulling lots!

They look nice on your layout.

 

They look real nice.  Enjoy.

 

 

Good, if not anachronistic unless I'm mistaken.  I believe the "Map" paint scheme came about in the early 1960s, several years after the 9000 series UP-class locomotives were retired for good.

 

Those cars have such a striking resemblance to the Kusan-derived boxcars Williams/WBB offers down to the stamped steel underframe detail it's uncanny.  I know Jack Lynch (BucksCo on the forum) from Bachmann says WBB has had no role or association with the Menards car, but there's no mistake that it does look like a "cloned"  WBB car.

 

Go to the Golden Wheel Die Casting  website and you will find pictures of some of the Menards freight cars that they have manufactured along with other die cast products.

 

  Bill T

I wondered about the "Kusan connection" myself, but I no longer have any of them so i canot compare the side by side.  These metal boxcars are pretty generic so I figure this could be a case of re-invented/melding of other models features as much as outright copying.  Regardless they are nice cars, and a bargain at the price.  

 

And I realize they 1960s cars, and thus are a bit late for my 1950s themed layout, but really, they look good, and fit well enough, that is what matters.

Lee, 

Are these metal cars?

 

Another locomotive these will look awesome behind is your MTH Turbines.  I'm picturing a Veranada...

 

Thanks!

The trucks, wheels, and bit of chassis (what little there is) are metal.  The body is plastic or resin of some sort, not ABS I think but something else.

I think Menards lists the bodies as resin.

They feel more like that than the do like plastic, but I have not cut or sanded or done anything to them.  They are certain strong and robust enough.  

Yes, using uniformly spaced vertical stripes encircling the car for "weathering" is odd; it's like the car is in the shade of a row of vertical bars. It would be great to have a look at your airbrush modifications when you're finished.

the cars are a great deal pricewise but the uniformity in the weathering is questionable to my eyes. hopefully your adjustment to the weathering will take the uniformity out of that train................

Thank you.

Not sure about those stripes...

they look good on one or two cars.  The problem to my eye is that a dozen cars, all so evenly weathered, just would not happen in the real world.  I plan to experiment with them tomorrow a bit to fade and weather some, and see what happens.

LOL, but as I alluded to earlier and to paraphrase you above, a 9000 series UP-class steam locomotive pulling cars with the UP map scheme "just would not happen in the real world either."

 

Boy, are you inconsistent Lee!