PLAY TRAINS,
Don't worry, Menard's is not going to cut you off. They have a good thing going and they know it.
TRAINS PLACE, new releases never go any further then CABINET BOB......Paul
I know Jim, but I can't resist poking a little fun! Just sitting looking out the window at it snowing and wondering how long l'll be able to look out the window! LOL
Jim, Your right they wont cut them off, They need Play Trains & Paul, they are the only ones who make sure Bob makes it to there meetings for those who need special help!
Shhhhhhhh. I'm in a meeting....
BOB,
Since you are in a meeting right now with some of Menard's Research and Development people, please tell them to build the following.
1 Switches for their tubular track.
2. Rubber roadbed for their tubular track.
3. Single dome tank cars.
4. Several new buildings.
5. Girder and truss bridges.
6. Scale cylindrical and center flow hoppers.
jim sutter posted:BOB,
Since you are in a meeting right now with some of Menard's Research and Development people, please tell them to build the following.
1 Switches for their tubular track.
Gargraves Ross here but I can see others buying them
2. Rubber roadbed for their tubular track.
Just a simple bevel edge 1/2" recycled rubber would work. I just bought a bed pad for my F150 made of this.....nice stuff.
3. Single dome tank cars.
You know I want UTLX and GATX black 8K single domes!
4. Several new buildings.
More mid century like Red Owl.....YES
5. Girder and truss bridges.
Truss bridges for sure!!!
6. Scale cylindrical and center flow hoppers.
Those, Reefers, scale gondola and maybe a log car??? I'd buy them all!
Jim, not a corporate meeting, he's at a Menards addiction meeting! No new release today = withdrawal! LOL
play trains posted:Jim, not a corporate meeting, he's at a Menards addiction meeting! No new release today = withdrawal! LOL
no.no.no... look at the new flatcar !!
Thanks Bob...I mean Mark....whoever you are
Swafford,
You, sure have provided Menard's with enough wonderful suggestions of items to build. It would nice if they would make a few. Please keep them coming. I like them.
Hope we hear from Mark today, Menards has their 11% rebate going this week.
franktrain
Hope.. Hope.. Hope.......
Nice !!!!!!
I would like to hear from him everyday Monday Thru Friday. He could provide us with updates, as to want we will see later this year. He could be asking us as what we would like to see built. I could be wrong, but I believe a lot of the new product we will see this year is already here.
jim sutter posted:I would like to hear from him everyday Monday Thru Friday. He could provide us with updates, as to want we will see later this year. He could be asking us as what we would like to see built. I could be wrong, but I believe a lot of the new product we will see this year is already here.
Jim,
To be honest, I'm stretched pretty thin and I don't think daily updates are feasible. I'm involved in all product development (in some fashion or another), advertising, graphics and more.
I can assure you, we are listening to what people are requesting. And, one of the things I love about this community are the ideas. It just takes time.
As far as new products coming, I'm sure we can't keep up this blistering pace all year long but we've got some great stuff coming!
-Mark the Menards Train Guy
I certainly appreciate the communication from Mark about their products and new releases. I would feel that an announcement of new product or other news when appropriate is more than adequate. I would like to feel that I am as interested as anyone about upcoming and new items but daily updates seem a bit over the top.
jim sutter posted:I would like to hear from him everyday Monday Thru Friday. He could provide us with updates, as to want we will see later this year. He could be asking us as what we would like to see built. I could be wrong, but I believe a lot of the new product we will see this year is already here.
Keep some perspective here. Menards is not a model railroad manufacturer. This is a sideline for a multimillion dollar home improvement chain whose owner just so happens to be a train guy.
I'm amazed Mark contributes to the forum as much as he does.
jim sutter posted:I would like to hear from him everyday Monday Thru Friday. He could provide us with updates, as to want we will see later this year. He could be asking us as what we would like to see built. I could be wrong, but I believe a lot of the new product we will see this year is already here.
Jim: are really serious ???? Mark is doing a bang up job. Like he said,,,please read his response...Do the other manufacturers give daily update ?? NO..
To Bob's point, the other manufacturers not only don't do daily updates but promise product arrivals within our lifetime ---hopefully! When Menards offers something, order it, it's here NOW!! Love that!
So your gonna release this anytime soon or Friday? I'm dying to see this product
I think they forgot to release it and hoped that the Milwaukee Road release would be something to make us forget about it.
There may have been an issue discovered when the item was being inspected prior to sale. I give Mark and the Menard's team credit for all of their efforts to release new items. I'm grateful for 2 new introductions this week and something still to look forward to.
Chris
Does anyone think we sound spoiled??????? Whiny????? Mark, it is all your fault for doing your job too well!!!!!!! If only we could get you a raise.
Rick
Yes very much so Rick
The 7-post. plug-door 50' box cars built for the SOO LINE and GREAT NORTHERN must be made in O scale. Fox Valley Models made them in HO and N scale already. There are many paint scheme variations to produce.
Mark - if we had ideas is it better to post them here or contact via email?
I have a couple different Morton's salt Lionel items, so I am looking forward to seeing what this is.
JZ
nkp4me posted:Mark - if we had ideas is it better to post them here or contact via email?
Hi Scott,
If you start a new thread, it would give others a chance to add their opinions also. I will make sure to follow the thread once you post.
-Mark the Menards Train Guy
I'm excited to announce that we will be officially releasing this O gauge item on Tuesday, March 21. The suspense is growing!
-Mark the Menards Train Guy
I have to admit that I know what this Morton Salt product is (though not what it looks like exactly). I have been waiting for weeks for Menards to set the release date so I could see for myself.
All I can say is that I think you Morton Salt guys will be ecstatic.
Otherwise, mum's the word. Like Cabinet Bob says.
Now two more people know! I feel left out and alone, angry enough to use some "salty" language! Think I'll sit here and sulk! LOL
Careful Play you don't want to get others upset, they could just add salt to your wounds! Heck they might even pepper you for rocking the boat. I think they are just trying to stir the pot to see who boils over. Just take a deep breath and think of nice cold BEER from Menards future BREWERY!
falconservice posted:The 7-post. plug-door 50' box cars built for the SOO LINE and GREAT NORTHERN must be made in O scale. Fox Valley Models made them in HO and N scale already. There are many paint scheme variations to produce.
This point that something is available in HO and/or N scales as a justification why it should be available in O is foolhardy. HO and N scale are both far bigger markets that O. And when you're talking O, the traditional O GAUGE market is far bigger than the recent O scale market. Though the O scale market gets all the talk (ironically on the traditional forum), because it is the NEW thing, not the biggest thing.... not by a long shot!!
Just because someone has an idea, doesn't mean it is a practically produced item. Dies and tooling for an accurately scale detailed/proportioned piece of rolling stock can be $100,000.00. Ten years ago, Athearn said a newly tooled locomotive cost was $200,000.00. You can bet that cost has gone up and is MUCH MORE for O since the molds are far bigger. When the train companies are looking at over $300,000.00 for a new locomotive to be brought to a weak O gauge market... well that might explain the supposed lack of new tooling.
Andrew, maybe you NEED to start your own company and immediately spend 100 million dollars in tooling to bring out immediately all these products you say the O gauge market needs because they've NEVER been done (Mike Wolf spent $60 million and that was 25 years ago).
Or better yet, send all these companies the money to make these products... a generous gift with no time limit on return and no interest required. Who do you want to make this 7 post box car? Send them $100,000.00 to tool it up (and they'll let you know if there's a cost overrun, because you'll gladly send MORE money).
See how ridiculous that sounds??? And yet the entitlement attitude of many in this hobby demands the train importers do the same. News flash: The train companies are not welfare organizations for the entitlement generation of hobbyists.
They're companies... businesses: They NEED to make a profit. They have to have a positive cash flow, which means successful sales of existing products, since everything that comes out of China has to be paid for upfront in advance of shipment.
Anyone remember K-Line? They weren't satisfied being successful in the traditional 0/027 market. So they poured too much money, too quickly into new tooling of new scale products which then didn't sell sufficiently, causing a massive cash flow problem. Many raved about those scale products when they became blowouts, but blowouts are bad for the company. K-Line was then $3.8 million in debt to Sanda Kan, and another $1.5 million in debt to the banks to finance the other debt.
Moral of that story: Too much new tooling, too soon, with too much unsold inventory from new tooling that has not accrued its' investment dollars, thus bringing poor cash flow spells "going out of business soon."
Like it or not, Menards is already doing one heck of a great job and a great service to the O gauge community. And they're doing it the right way. Outside of the buildings (which don't require injection molding dies), they're pretty much using the same models (which are clones of previously made products, which lowers R&D cost) with a multitude of road names. Which by the way, even paint masks are not cheap.
Thanks again Mark for everything Menards HAS ALREADY offered. And again, I admire your patience. There are many in this hobby who know everything about trains, but know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about how much it costs to have them made and running a successful business which allows that to happen.
Okay Thursday's item got substituted With the Milwaukee Road items. I'm guessing as was stated they didn't get time enough to ensure the product is ready for sale. Another great thing that some of the others don't seem to do.
