"A $159 Menards engine today would have retailed for about $125 in 2009. I have a hard time believing that Track, Transformer, and few cars adds another $240 to overall price."
Probably true H100, but consider what I paid for the engine alone in today's dollars at which I bought it, compared to the current price of the Menards engine today. The Menard's engine, in its current Proto II version, is in my opinion inferior to the El Capitan, and if Menards does the upgrades required to iron out the bugs, then the price of the Menard's is going to be pushed upward closer to $199.
As I have said, I am routing for the Menard's to upgrade the engine so it works great, but there are definitely similar alternatives already out there in the price range.
Others may disagree, and feel that due to the remote, the Proto II is a better locomotive. That's fine by me. Go forth and buy and be happy! :-)
Mannyrock
