Here are a few suggestions to give my two cents...
I would love to see a good, modern gas station. We have Sheetz and WaWa in Virginia here, but there are any number that can be made. Even a good Exxon or BP.
As for freight cars, I would love to see them move into some scale cars with correct proportions. I can appreciate the o-gauge they make, but I often think about what they could do with scale dimensions.
Some of my ideas match other mentioned prior.
Modern Gas Station with Convenience Store
Modern Strip Retail with stucco finish (I would be happy with 3 store bays)
CVS/Walgreens Drug Store
Modern Bank with Drive-Thru
Amtrak Station 1970’s model (refer to this thread) https://ogrforum.com/...76#86043178693488976
A more modern looking church like this one from Atlas that I've had in both HO and N scale (this is the HO Scale version) not the small country church that’s been overdone.
Modern Light Rail Vehicle or Streetcar. There are enough 1940-50's design Streetcars around.
And just for kicks, an Amtrak Viewliner (seeing as the other manufacturers won’t build one). I don't care about tooling costs. Doesn't seem to bother Kato, who brings out new N Scale models every year, not just rebadging UP, Penn, ATSF on everything.
railbear601 posted:I would like to see Menard's copy Lionel Fastrack. And, if they do so, I would like Menard's "new" track to have "STEEL" in it to support Lionel Magnetraction . Sincerely yours railbear601
Magnets stick to my FasTrack.
I'd like to see re-designed, stamped steel truck mounting plates for the current crop of covered and open hoppers. The plastic mounting plates are kinda' wishy-washy. And of course, more mid-westerny road names (i.e., "Rock Island" for one 
, etc. etc.). Prototypical hopper-type paint colors only preferred please (black, gray, red oxide, etc.), don't need no hoppers painted up in fantastical, passenger engine foo-foo heritage paint schemes 
, thank you very much. 
How about a hopper painted in the brand of dog food Jack eats!
Free shipping...
How about the atomic power plant for Springfield with the 3 eye fish.
Bill T posted:Black single dome 50's era oil tankers with oil company logos.
Ditto!
JD2035RR posted:A separate sale plastic or diecast 2426w style tender with handrails, steps, and 3 axle trucks.
I like this idea too @Menards ! It would be great to have cheap and high quality spare tender(s)to swap behind my Postwar or MPC steamers for different road names. Pennsylvania with gold stripes, New York Central, Chesapeake & Ohio, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe style 2055 printed tenders would make a big splash of a product launch I think.
DWBaseball posted:JD2035RR posted:A separate sale plastic or diecast 2426w style tender with handrails, steps, and 3 axle trucks.
I like this idea too @Menards ! It would be great to have cheap and high quality spare tender(s)to swap behind my Postwar or MPC steamers for different road names. Pennsylvania with gold stripes, New York Central, Chesapeake & Ohio, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe style 2055 printed tenders would make a big splash of a product launch I think.
That would seem to be more Lionel’s purvey, since they have the tooling. I doubt Menards would be interested in creating new tooling for such a specialized interest.
Jim R. posted:DWBaseball posted:JD2035RR posted:A separate sale plastic or diecast 2426w style tender with handrails, steps, and 3 axle trucks.
I like this idea too @Menards ! It would be great to have cheap and high quality spare tender(s)to swap behind my Postwar or MPC steamers for different road names. Pennsylvania with gold stripes, New York Central, Chesapeake & Ohio, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe style 2055 printed tenders would make a big splash of a product launch I think.
That would seem to be more Lionel’s purvey, since they have the tooling. I doubt Menards would be interested in creating new tooling for such a specialized interest.
You bring up a good point of why doesn’t Lionel do this? They know the market better than us, but sometimes there are blind spots.
Obviously, I am not privy to the details of Menards tooling agreement, but I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to think it’s a possibility. They got the boxcar, flatcar, caboose, hopper, tank car, etc molds from somewhere. Its not like they are creating new tooling for any of those.
I think almost every postwar loco would look better with one of these tenders behind it. I’ve got a 726RR from ‘52 that has the streamlined Pennsy tender. It’s great, but it would look better with the longer more detailed 2426w behind it. Think of all of the 736s, Hudsons, turbines, out there that could all use a nice looking tender as an option, with the ability to easily switch back to its stock appearance.
JD2035RR posted:Jim R. posted:DWBaseball posted:JD2035RR posted:A separate sale plastic or diecast 2426w style tender with handrails, steps, and 3 axle trucks.
I like this idea too @Menards ! It would be great to have cheap and high quality spare tender(s)to swap behind my Postwar or MPC steamers for different road names. Pennsylvania with gold stripes, New York Central, Chesapeake & Ohio, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe style 2055 printed tenders would make a big splash of a product launch I think.
That would seem to be more Lionel’s purvey, since they have the tooling. I doubt Menards would be interested in creating new tooling for such a specialized interest.
You bring up a good point of why doesn’t Lionel do this? They know the market better than us, but sometimes there are blind spots.
Obviously, I am not privy to the details of Menards tooling agreement, but I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to think it’s a possibility. They got the boxcar, flatcar, caboose, hopper, tank car, etc molds from somewhere. Its not like they are creating new tooling for any of those.
I think almost every postwar loco would look better with one of these tenders behind it. I’ve got a 726RR from ‘52 that has the streamlined Pennsy tender. It’s great, but it would look better with the longer more detailed 2426w behind it. Think of all of the 736s, Hudsons, turbines, out there that could all use a nice looking tender as an option, with the ability to easily switch back to its stock appearance.
Menards won’t confirm it, and Bachmann supposedly has denied it, but it’s fairly obvious Menards has access to the old Williams tooling now owned by Kader, which got it via Bachmann’s acquisition of Williams. Kader is Bachmann’s parent company.
Also, Menards’ caboose seems an exact match for a classic K-Line model. Kader ended up with a lot of K-Line tooling with its acquisition of the Sanda Kan factory a decade ago.
Menards has zero access to Lionel tooling.
Culver's (butter burgers & frozen custard chain)
Arcade. (hi-energy excitement; lit like a Christmas tree)
Phone store? (New or old)
Urgent care clinic? (call um after installing the above 
)
No chance of a tender? 😢 🥜🥜🥜Nuts.... 'cept Gramps was a Bas**** of Bastonge 🤔...And if I recall right, Menard's would never /could never, release an affordable line of O gauge either😂.... ah man, "i" can't stand it some days 🤣 😒 🙈🙉🙊
🙈🙉🙊 😲 You know, Bachmann doesn't just have access to old car tooling by K-line. There is unused postwar too I believe😈
So about that low buck upgradable conventional loco to go with the tender. 😨😰😱 😬⏱️
Now back to your regularly scheduled programing 🤖
Dominic Mazoch posted:Two you will not see:
Brewery
Dog Pound!
There's a dog kennel too. Are you trollin' dem Dom ? 🤔
I like Jim Sutters rubber roadbed idea. Might even manage to fit under another brand too.
If they do a turnout that had early Marx type swivel points for fat wheel ability, I'd be in for a few at least. (Smooth and no Lionel stalls; no rail gaps to speak of; no guide rails.... I think there was a post of a photo of a real prototype years ago (along with a cog railway rack centered between two regular rails. That looked very familiar for some reason 😁... might have been a British RR, or yard switch )
And something for curves too! A flexible platform? With an overlapping, solid deck, and straight edged side for butting up against things.
A triangle building for corners (done in real life) If not a nice one, a cheese wedge replica Americana-Deco cheese stand 🧀
And pizza joint, but not a big chain.
Something more cheesy sounding 🤣
G. Reasy's Pizza ? (grease means a better cheese actually)
Health food trend grub? Call it Veggie-Tables? 🙃
wild mary posted:I wish they would sell their people.
Now THAT will never happen. That's illegal 😝
Internet company building... Duck Duck Go? Dogpile? (an underdog company might go for it. )
Lawson's corner store, Big O orange juice, chrome tank car on rails and semi-trailer copy of prototype too. I want the tankers kinda bad and the store might fit if small.
Burger Chef (a reefer to start? A billboard? Throw a bone)
An old TB isn't likely after the new version. TB isn't going to want vintage thoughts with big purple joy joy boxes going up everywhere. Companies like to make old branding a "Demolition, Man". (the purple is a subliminal suggestion of luxury; poshness; etc.. suggesting a fine dining experience basically. Rat burger anyone? It's real meat! 😁)
Outdoor trailer food court:Peco's BBQ Frog Legs, Tom's Fried Chicken, Gerry's Kabobs
"🎵 Froggy went a courtin' and he did ride...
cRAM-bone" 🤠🎸
How about "Propane tank filling plant" or for the bags of ice and large cubes a "Ice house".
Also a "Menards store" The early one was huge and a later gas station 1960-70's.
The O flat car with the auto rack or auto carrier should be painted in brown with 1960's era graphics in white and yellow.
Andrew
A box car advertising St. Croix fishing rods.
A box car advertising Quantum fishing reels.
A box car advertising Rapala fishing lures.
I second the idea of larger church.
I also would like to see them take over the K-Line Shadow Rail Track. Let Lionel have their fast track. Its noisy! Make the K-Line track that is more realistic and expand the line. But also make it affordable. I think RMT shot themselves in the foot by making the shadow rail as expensive as Atlas Track.
Re issue their thru truss bridges.
Just my two cents
I would like a Wonder Bread, Hostess Cake Bakery.
A generic law enforcement vehicle with red/blue flashers.
Nothing, I'm into scale modeling. This stuff reminds me of the "Toy Like" offerings everyone complained Lionel was making back in the day.
15" passenger cars, long enough to look good (IMHO) and short enough to run on tight curves.
Expand on the Alien theme.
Sunrise
Barry835 posted:Gene H posted:I would like a Wonder Bread, Hostess Cake Bakery.
Looks like the old Natick Wonder Bread plant.
Hi Everyone!
We've gotten several questions from folks coming to the International Toy Train Expo this weekend about where to stay in the Eau Claire (WI) area. Here are some options!
1. Free primitive camping at the ITT Expo.
Chippewa Valley Expo Center
5150 Old Mill Plaza
Eau Claire, WI 54703
2. There are several hotels in the area, here are a few!
AmericInn
6200 Texaco Dr
Eau Claire, WI 54703
6319 Truax Ln
Eau Claire, WI 54703
Sleep Inn & Suites
5872 33rd Ave
Eau Claire, WI 54703
Lismore Hotel
333 Gibson St
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Metropolis Resort*
5150 Fairview Dr
Eau Claire, WI 54701
*The Metropolis Resort may be most appealing for those who are traveling with kids (or kids at heart). It has an indoor water park, go-carts, mini golf, arcade and more!
I hope this helps!
-Mark the Menards Train Guy
S & H Green Stamp Store in a smaller footprint.
I love your single dome tank cars, but hope that they are offered in more realistic decorations in the future.
Thank you for your consideration.
My only O scale modeling is On30. With new Bachmann releases few and far between, I would like to see Menards produce some On30 rolling stock including steel cars, rather than just 75-year-old wooden prototypes. On30 diesels would also be welcome. In the 1975-80 era narrow gauge had been updated on the WP&Y, CN Newfoundland lines, and NdeM in Yucatan.
Gil in Oregon
Wow, the booth and layout is in progress as we speak. Saturday will bring some major surprises... keep tuned !!!!
Swafford posted:Gunderson 3-Unit Sets.............. and Containers
Regards, Swafford
I would love to see these in a scale version as I don’t do the O-gauge stuff.
Dad, thanks for starting the suspense for Saturday. I have a feeling something good is coming. There has been so much silence lately. Mark, crew and you have kept things so quiet. Not even a teaser or two. Maybe I better rent a U-Haul for the trip back home...........Paul 2
Swafford,
How about two bay PS2 hoppers. Your other hoppers and gundersons look great
Dave
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