Menards O Track...

I also noticed the track pin problem at my local Menards. Hopefully they can fix the problem before the wider radius are made.

franktrain

Ditto Frank. If they can get the track sorted out it will be on my layout.

Ted

I'm so sorry to hear this. I was really hoping for something really great. This should of been caught and corrected before any of it hit the street. I'm afraid the track department is lacking quality control. What ever happened to doing a job correct?

Exactly Jim. The track is actually heavy and nice looking but no one is minding what some machine is spitting out. 

The pins are not at all well set in regard to depth or tightness. I was very disappointed in seeing pins flopping around.

Ahhh Chinese quality control....

I realize it's the weekend, but I'm very surprised that Mark "The Menard's Man" hasn't responded to this post. I myself am very concerned as to how bad this track thing is.

On really surprised on this post.I bought enough for my new siding to go with the Menard's buildings and my track fit perfect ?

Well what ever issues there are, I hope they get fixed ASAP. Menards has a real winner on their hands with O gauge Tubular!!

Glad to hear that cabinet Bob. That's good news. Hope to hear more good reports on their track.

Sorry to hear this Ted.

 I just received my order of track. Straights and curves.   They all went together as I expected and regularly experience tubular track to go.  I always have to tap the end of a section to get a snug fit with the piece I'm attaching it to.  Been doing that since the beginning of time

My Menard's track is the same, and once together all sits nice and level with no issues.

I have not seen the track...no stores here.....and I am a Gargraves only layout.

BUT....in defense of Menard's somewhat.......

Getting a manufacture up to speed on a new item can be frustrating at best. No inside info here.....but I bet the manufacture making this track has never made something like this before. So there is a long learning curve....and sometimes stuff slips through. Menard's is thousands of miles from the factory.....you get a box or two of final samples....they look good and the OK for a production run is given. Then QC slips some....maybe not even on the entire run.....but if you get a 'bad' box that's all that matters. I'll bet it's a 'learning' thing with the manufacture so let's not pile on too hard and see if Menard's can sort it out. 

I'm sure Menard's will get it right and produce a good quality product.

Agreed, but can they do so in time for this holiday season?  Seems doubtful to me.  Also, what affect will it have on newcomers for whom this track is their first experience?

I doubt there are that many people planning a holiday layout solely dependent on Menards track. It's not like tubular track is a new invention. Enough new and used Lionel, K Line and Williams tubular track is out there to likely circle a globe at least once. I'm not relieving Menards of their responsibility to make it right for the buyers with defective track, but this isn't exactly a case of the sky falling. 

I can't come up with a scenario where this would be the case in 2015.

Not everyone has our experience with trains.  A LOT of people (I hope!) are going to get their first train at Menards.

Which locomotive?

I don't think it would effect newcomers much unless they inherited a bunch of tubular and were consciously looking for it..

The Lionel sets that Menard's stocks all have FastTrack.  The only real downer would be if a newbie bought a set there and picked up some of the tubular to try to expand the set.

Rusty

We have had some reports were the track wasn't good. We have had some reports were the track was ok. Hopefully, most of the track will be fine. If I only had a Menard's here in Pennsylvania close to me, I could go to the store and give their new track a fine tooth inspection.

Someone send Jim some of that track. Get a pros prospective.

I do hope Menards gets the bugs if any worked out. I asked Lionel on their FB page about tubular and this is the reply:

Not sure how reliable it is given that in the past "spokespeople" for Lionel didn't get things right when asked about it in the past, one day it was on it's way out , the next it wasn't going anywhere. Heard from a couple dealers at York that as far as they knew it was still going to be made, from others it was going the way of the Woolly Mammoth. I know there's tons of it out there on the secondary market but that's not as easy as just going to the LHS and picking a bunch up when ever you need it.

Jerry

Jerry

I happened to be at the local Menards last night, and saw the track. Here are a few observations:

The track was packaged in an open box on the display shelf. One box of straights, and one box of curves.

Some of the track had been put together. I'm guessing by customers walking by. The track is dispayed on a shelf about waist high. Children can easily reach it.

I messed with some of the track that had been put together, and none of the joints had gaps, they fit together well, except the track pins were a little loose, probably from a lot of handling.

I then got some track out of the boxes, and they fit very well and the track pins were tight. 

Conclusion: I think if I were to buy it in the store, I would go through the boxes and find pieces that haven't been played with by the public or employees. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase on-line, where the chance of someone previously playing with the track would be less.