Menards Newest Army Flatcar redue

Bob, nice work. Like the way you add more to the detail by changing something around to make it  better......Paul

I should state ,the ammo is .17HMR which cannot be bought at Menards on the short flarcar.

Bob, you should get a job at Menards and design their stuff.  Very nice work.  And, very ingenious also.  I was going to say .223 for the ammo.

Rick

Guys, this is not that hard. I'm not knocking Cabinet Bob at all. Matter of fact, I like his approach: This is a hobby meant for creativity and fun. Loads on flat cars have to be one of the easiest modifications one can make.

I think there's still a deep attitude in the hobby that these trains are a collectibles and therefore not to be tinkered with or modified. At the same time, we all can see that for the most part - save for a few items here and there - that secondary market values are way down from where they once were. Yet that attitude still persists.

Years ago at my first YORK show, some guy was giving me "the facts" that these trains are all collectibles, worth a lot of money and therefore should not be altered or repainted. So I pulled a very common $5-10 gondola out of my purchase bag, and said "Okay then, I'll sell you this gondola for $200." He laughed and then shot his entire argument in the foot by saying "That's a $5-10 gondola! It'll never be worth $200." I put the gondola back in my bag, smiled and said that when I got back home I was still going to repaint it.

I wouldn't intentionally alter something I knew was truly worth money as a rarity and therefore a true collectible. But most of the trains don't fall into that category. Menards makes a very affordable product when compared to similar current production Lionel traditional cars. Who knows, maybe one day these too will be collectible, but probably not in our lifetime.

So Cabinet Bob has the right attitude: Have fun. The manufacturer's and train importers cannot possibly make everything that will please everyone. (Reading the posts relating to Menards products proves that point decisively.) So sometimes you have to do it yourself, which is what I also do. And I too enjoy Cabinet Bob's alterations. It's not rocket science - it's just imagination, creativity, time and a little elbow grease.

cabinet Bob posted:

I should state ,the ammo is .17HMR which cannot be bought at Menards on the short flarcar.

You hand out bullet proof vests when you run trains ?  

brianel_k-lineguy posted:

Guys, this is not that hard. I'm not knocking Cabinet Bob at all. Matter of fact, I like his approach: This is a hobby meant for creativity and fun. Loads on flat cars have to be one of the easiest modifications one can make.

I think there's still a deep attitude in the hobby that these trains are a collectibles and therefore not to be tinkered with or modified. At the same time, we all can see that for the most part - save for a few items here and there - that secondary market values are way down from where they once were. Yet that attitude still persists.

Years ago at my first YORK show, some guy was giving me "the facts" that these trains are all collectibles, worth a lot of money and therefore should not be altered or repainted. So I pulled a very common $5-10 gondola out of my purchase bag, and said "Okay then, I'll sell you this gondola for $200." He laughed and then shot his entire argument in the foot by saying "That's a $5-10 gondola! It'll never be worth $200." I put the gondola back in my bag, smiled and said that when I got back home I was still going to repaint it.

I wouldn't intentionally alter something I knew was truly worth money as a rarity and therefore a true collectible. But most of the trains don't fall into that category. Menards makes a very affordable product when compared to similar current production Lionel traditional cars. Who knows, maybe one day these too will be collectible, but probably not in our lifetime.

So Cabinet Bob has the right attitude: Have fun. The manufacturer's and train importers cannot possibly make everything that will please everyone. (Reading the posts relating to Menards products proves that point decisively.) So sometimes you have to do it yourself, which is what I also do. And I too enjoy Cabinet Bob's alterations. It's not rocket science - it's just imagination, creativity, time and a little elbow grease.

Thanks for the comment! I wish more people would think like this. This is a hobby that makes you forget about the days trouble, and to do what I'm doing , does just that..Its fun, rewarding, and when your done ,you can still run them on your layout.Sometimes I buy 2-3 just to make one , but nothing goes to waste as you can see. I also like to do the ARMY ones, due to the fact ,my son is a Captain in the Army and very proud of him .. Bob

So cool, Bob!  I love seeing folks customized flatcars and loads.

Along with all the others on the wall, it looks like you have a great military train.

Great looking work Bob, it will be interesting to see what you do with the next Menards release!~