Menards track has arrived

HERE is a link to Menards track, guys...

 

Ted

cabinet Bob,

Thank you for your update on Menard's "O" Gauge track. That price makes it somewhere around $1.59 a section when you buy (24). It will sell very well.

Jim,

 

Yep, you can also buy individually. Ted posted a link that includes both options. Track will also be arriving in stores shortly and will be sold by the piece.

 

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

That's a good price!

Mark, 

I see in the ad that it states it is taller than Lionel 0-27... How much taller are we talking about here?

 

Ted

Ted,

 

This is O gauge height (.75" tall). I wanted to make the distinction between O and O-27.

 

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Ted:

 

Thanks for the link.  Interesting that the curved track costs more than the straight track.  Curved track probably costs more to make but straight track is more valuable to builders of large layouts.

 

Bill

 

 

Good for Menards! Hope they sell a ton of it. Perhaps this will silence the perennial posts regarding the demise of tinplate track.

I hope they make rubber roadbed for it.

Now if someone would make Super-O.

Will this track mate to Atlas?  I'll be rebuilding my layout and want to use it where the track is hidden to keep costs down.

-Greg

I'm glad to see Menards is building three rail tubular track!

Perhaps in the future they may offer two rail American Flyer track?

 

Thanks,  Phil

Greg,

 

 Yes.   You will need to shim up the Atlas track. Then Atlas does have track pin adapters to go from the Atlas connector to the Lionel pin. 

Atlas track is the height of Lionel O-27.

Darn..........Menards, please send me a PM when you start marketing 027 track.

Shorrrrre would like to get my hands on some of that.

Ron, my bet would be that they will stick with the O-gauge track and not produce both. I keep reminding myself that this company is a home improvement store which has gotten into trains as a side line and a very good one too. They are actually making an entry level product at a tremendously nice price. Both Lionel and MTH ought to encourage this competition since it may just lead to more customers for them in the long run. With the bargains that Menards is producing in O gauge, everyone would like them to make what they need and use. But, with that said, why can't you use O-gauge with your O-27 that you already have. I know in the 50's, I had a layout that I used both. Just like the Atlas track, you had to shim the O-27 and crimp the O-gauge track since you had to use O-27 pins, but it worked. Anybody see any down side with that suggestion?

 

Rick

Menard's price for track is excellent. Where else can you find such a deal on new track?

If you buy online and have it delivered to your store for pick up do you avoid the shipping and handling charges?

Well, Rick, I always wondered about something like that. I guess I'm concerned about that gap in the height of the ties.

And I didn't know that the actual rails were different dimensions.

Also, I think I read that the actual distance between the rails is different. (But that couldn't be,  O gauge locos will ride on 027 straightaways)

But what I have to get through my thick skull is, it's only one piece of track that needs the extra work!

(Oh, I guess two pieces, thinking about it)

 

Noob question: is the radius the same? I'm seeing 027 vs. O, and thinking there has to be a difference.

Even if there was, it could still be worked out. Just be more symmetrical in the curves.

(Amazing how I'm answering my own questions here)

 

You got me. You are a great guy!   Saving me money, getting me as great deal and wising up this old brain all at the same time.

Guess I should get some ordered. When my layout finally come to reality

https://ogrforum.com/t...of-a-railroad-nation

 

 I want to be well-prepared:

 

 

Ron:

 

 

Thank-you David!!

-Greg

O-gauge is O-31.

Ahhh..........statistics! And a chart. Things I can comprehend.

 

I see there is a difference in radius between 027 and O. That will have to be taken into consideration when planning.

Also, the difference in the height of the ties is noticible, but that is the smallest of the problems.

 

It looks like the big issue is the difference in the actual rail sizes, O being larger. I now see about using 027 pins and crimping the rails around them. I also see where you will need a track lock for those sections to keep from wriggling apart.

I also see the straight sections are longer. Just another logistics problem.

 

Thanks for this, EscapeRocks! The chart has just been enlarged and printed. 

That will be posted on the wall right by my desk.

 

(Boneless chicken farming??)

 

RonthePirate

They priced it perfectly

I'm going to wait for the O-36. Hopefully soon.

We need a Menard's in Tampa! Right next to Bass Pro Shops lol

Ron,

 

There's plenty of used O27 track out there in the secondary market so you really don't need to mix the two and have to make adjustments for the differences in height and curve diameters. 

 

 

Bill

 

 

y'all got to get back to the basics. That chart that Dave put out there is straight up starter set paper work and Lionel catalog front pages. Track problems to long, measure twice cut once,(custom made to fit by you). Really these folks are giving you something good; don't ask can they do this or that. Just be thankful their doing it at all and making it affordable. Maybe once they get Chugging along they will do more.  

Is it tinplate? I:E Will it play nice with magnatraction?

Was the photo taken of an old piece? Looks tarnished. But I am definitely interested and will probably purchase a few cases..can never have enough O Gauge Tubular!

Lionelzwl2012,

 

You will indeed avoid the shipping charges but there is a very nominal handing fee per sku ordered.

 

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Mark, is the track template? Will it work well with magnatraction?

E-UNIT-79,

 

I will double check. I don't want to provide the wrong information.

 

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Sorry, I ment tinplate. Thank you.

Super O, Yes. I've come late to this party and just stumbled onto this thread. Am curious what kind of demand is there for traditional O gauge track like this?  Especially in 031 curves?  Aren't there literally tons of it around everywhere?

For those who want the nostalgic look of tight-radius tubular track it would seem that there is an almost unlimited supply already in existence. Think of all the folks who moved to Fastrack and to a lesser degree, Gargraves, MTH, Atlas, Ross , etc. Many of them had/have a lot of tubular track around.

 

No disrespect intended, what percentage of modelers starting a new layout will need tinplate these days?  

The way I see it, any layout with the emphasis on toy trains needs tinplate tubular track to complete the picture..

IMO,  there's nothing more relaxing then a PW style layout  complete with tubular track and bright red/green lanterns on every switch.

To me, nothing looks worse, then a layout packed with large Lionel PW accessories around modern scale track.

Menards needs to bring back the Pulmors next......

Joe

I am taking up all my Fastrack and replacing it with good old tubular track.

 

I set up a small loop of tubular the other day and I had forgotten how nice and smooth and quiet (but let's not devolve into that debate now)  it is.

 

I have a lot of magnetraction locos, and I just like the traditional look of the track.

 

 

I'll give it a look as I'm all conventional/PW and use good old Lionel tubular extensively.

 

Plenty of us still out there.

Count me in for Super-O redux.  Will be using Lionel O (and as much of the older

American-made product as I can find).  But a new Super-O with at least the classic

four curve radii with switches to match would be great.

 

     Hoppy

Menards, I also would love to switch over to a new Super-O.   I have a loop now, but would like  more than one diameter, plus reliable switches.