They've got cars, track, buildings, scenery, and now an engine. All that's missing that I've been desperately waiting for is switches!
Maybe?
@BNSF-Matt posted:Quick screenshots and video of the engine idling. Unfortunately, I can't show you folks anything else because the remote is not functioning. I may have to open the remote as I'm not getting a power light to come on and yes I put batteries in it
.
Sounds decent. Hope the remote is an easy fix. If you have a LC universal it might be worth giving it a try. You never know.
@MartyE posted:Sounds decent. Hope the remote is an easy fix. If you have a LC universal it might be worth giving it a try. You never know.
Yes! I am really curious if the LionChief Universal Remote works with this locomotive. The Menards remote looks like a twin of the LC remote.
Does the locomotive beep when the power is turned on but the remote isn't activated yet? That's what LionChief locos do .
@Landsteiner posted:Does the locomotive beep when the power is turned on but the remote isn't activated yet? That's what LionChief locos do
No beeps, once power is applied to the track the engine sounds turn on and the front marker lights turn on as well. I'm guessing I should see the remote light turn on when remote switch is flipped, but nothing happens. I tried 3 different sets of batteries as well. I even tried turning on the remote first and then track power, but end in the same result. I think I just have a bad remote, but I will keep doing some troubleshooting.
Either it's not LionChief or has slightly modified circuitry is my guess. If it's not LionChief, that would be disappointing for those, like me, who hoped it would work with the universal remote from Lionel. Probably would have bought one or more eventually if compatible with LionChief or the app, but probably won't if it's some incompatible third system and won't work in conventional, as it apparently won't.
Matt, maybe you could remove the shell and show us what they have for motors and what the board looks like. That might answer the question if the electronics are Lionchief.
Pete
@Csxcellent posted:I’ll sit out for now. I wonder what tooling they got? Wbb, weaver, k-line? Let’s see how they run, but if all is well, I’ll likely buy one, especially if it’s in one of my favored road names.
It appears that the tooling is actually new, as it has a couple of obvious (at least to me) flaws, bases on the video. There may be others.
- the contour of the nose is incorrect, obvious from the top; there is a "sharpness" to it.
- the loco is too long for an F3, and/or the trucks are mounted too far toward the ends of the frame, an issue that afflicts the Williams Alco PA. Related: note the extra length of the fuel tank.
(Others may have seen this, but I did not read all the thread reply pages.)
As for tooling, does anyone know about the Railking F3 tooling? Could this be MTH tooling and their former infrared control system?
@BNSF-Matt posted:Quick screenshots and video of the engine idling. Unfortunately, I can't show you folks anything else because the remote is not functioning. I may have to open the remote as I'm not getting a power light to come on and yes I put batteries in it
How did you get it so fast?
@D500 posted:It appears that the tooling is actually new, as it has a couple of obvious (at least to me) flaws, bases on the video. There may be others.
- the contour of the nose is incorrect, obvious from the top; there is a "sharpness" to it.
- the loco is too long for an F3, and/or the trucks are mounted too far toward the ends of the frame, an issue that afflicts the Williams Alco PA. Related: note the extra length of the fuel tank.
(Others may have seen this, but I did not read all the thread reply pages.)
I think for the price point the phrase "Close enough" comes to mind. While it's always good feedback for Mark the Menard's Guy, I think to keep costs in check they probably are taking some liberties which is what I would expect. I doubt the target audience for this unit would care. I think it looks good for what it is.
Regardless of the details, it is good news for the hobby that Menard's is making this step towards a full line of toy trains.
A few quick notes:
- The unit is indeed longer than a scale Lionel legacy F3 (see photo)
- I live in Chicagoland so I'm quite close to the Menards distribution center - most Menards items for me come next day with standard delivery
- I took a quick photo of the inside of the remote if folks want to see that
- I don't own a universal remote, but I do have a few LC remotes. I doubt that will work, but can try
- I think the engine looks fine for the cost point - I wasn't expecting prototypical accuracy and nobody else should either
- If I do open the engine up it won't be until later on tonight
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Matt, are there any more components on the back of the PC board or a second board in the handle section?
Pete
You can't walk without crawling first. Menards, this is a good start, I would say it won't take you guys long to be running with all this new engine, which I'm sure there will be more.
Thank you, Matt, for the initial photographs and description of the problem with the remote.
I am with everyone else who said at that price point, I don't expect authenticity. Actually, I think it looks quite good! Now all of you 200 testers, it's up to you to beat it up, show Menards the weak spots and I'm sure Menards will work them out. I take it that is the intent of the first 200.
OK, those few chips are where the action is. Thanks again for posting these.
Pete
@BNSF-Matt posted:
- The unit is indeed longer than a scale Lionel legacy F3 (see photo)
@D500 posted:
- the loco is too long for an F3, and/or the trucks are mounted too far toward the ends of the frame, an issue that afflicts the Williams Alco PA. Related: note the extra length of the fuel tank.
The roof hatch arrangement (notice the short hatch between the hatch where the dynamic brake fan would go and the cooling fans ) suggest the locomotive is more FP7 than F3, which would account for the longer length. And yes, no dynamic brake was on option on the FP7's.
Rusty
@MartyE posted:I think for the price point the phrase "Close enough" comes to mind. While it's always good feedback for Mark the Menard's Guy, I think to keep costs in check they probably are taking some liberties which is what I would expect. I doubt the target audience for this unit would care. I think it looks good for what it is.
But, with all the good to great renditions of the EMD F-units over the years, readily available in various forms and vintages, why would we need a poor one? And yet another "Warbonnet", to boot. There is a photo above that shows the length of the new piece - it is even longer than I thought - somewhere between an F and an E, maybe. (An "FE"?)
They asked for feedback, so there is mine. I would not buy one, but I'm not that F-unit guy, anyway.
BNSF-Matt, Just wondering, is this on a track with all command bases unplugged? Thst might be causing interference, just a thought. Thank you very much for the great pictures, it’s a very nicely painted diesel. Also, will it run in conventional? It’s very interesting. Happy Railroading Everyone
@BNSF-Matt posted:Nope, it's just the battery compartment and hot and common leads to the main board. Below is the reverse side of the main board.
With a sample size of only one loco and one remote, it's impossible to tell if the problem is in the remote or in the loco.
Everyone is ASSUMING that the problem is in the remote, but it could just as easily be in the loco.
@D500 posted:But, with all the good to great renditions of the EMD F-units over the years, readily available in various forms and vintages, why would we need a poor one? And yet another "Warbonnet", to boot. There is a photo above that shows the length of the new piece - it is even longer than I thought - somewhere between an F and an E, maybe. (An "FE"?)
They asked for feedback, so there is mine. I would not buy one, but I'm not that F-unit guy, anyway.
As I mentioned above, the loco is more or less an FP7 and not an F3. FP7's were 4 feet longer than F3/7/9's. It would be interesting if one of the 200 has a GDD FP7 to compare length only to.
While the next photo is of S Scale models, it illustrates the difference in length between an F3 and FP7.
Otherwise, the devil is in the details, but given the price point for this product I'm not going to drill down into them. I'm taking it for what it is: a reasonably priced, attractive, entry level O gauge locomotive.
Rusty
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@leapinlarry posted:BNSF-Matt, Just wondering, is this on a track with all command bases unplugged? Thst might be causing interference, just a thought. Thank you very much for the great pictures, it’s a very nicely painted diesel. Also, will it run in conventional? It’s very interesting. Happy Railroading Everyone
Great question Larry, I tried this on my command layout and my workbench which lets me run conventionally if needed. When power is applied to the track in both places the unit turns on, but does not move. So it's safe to say the unit will only function with the remote connected to it.
I also think it looks great, and I own quite a good number of SF warbonnet diesels. Hopefully I can get this resolved so I can pull some passenger cars.
@BNSF-Matt posted:A few quick notes:
- The unit is indeed longer than a scale Lionel legacy F3 (see photo)
- I live in Chicagoland so I'm quite close to the Menards distribution center - most Menards items for me come next day with standard delivery
- I took a quick photo of the inside of the remote if folks want to see that
- I don't own a universal remote, but I do have a few LC remotes. I doubt that will work, but can try
- I think the engine looks fine for the cost point - I wasn't expecting prototypical accuracy and nobody else should either
- If I do open the engine up it won't be until later on tonight
I wonder if the length is the same as an FP7?
@Rusty Traque posted:As I mentioned above, the loco is more or less an FP7 and not an F3. FP7's were 4 feet longer than F3/7/9's. It would be interesting if one of the 200 has a GDD FP7 to compare length only to.
Otherwise, the devil is in the details, but given the price point for this product I'm not going to drill down into them. I'm taking it for what it is: a reasonably priced, attractive, entry level O gauge locomotive.
Rusty
I wish I could say I own an FP7, however I do have SF scale F3s, F7s, E8s. Alco PAs, and E6s
Gotta love when the scale/prototype guys come into the Menard's threads and crap all over them. Especially when they have no intention of buying an item anyway.
As far as this particular new offering: looks like a F3 (or F7) and the paint looks good. All the other stuff are things that I, and a lot of Menard's customers simply don't care about.
@BNSF-Matt posted:I wish I could say I own an FP7, however I do have SF scale F3s, F7s, E8s. Alco PAs, and E6s
Well, Santa Fe never owned any FP7's, so your collection is complete.
Given all the big buck fantasy locomotives Big L churns out, can we really complain about a low priced fantasy FP7?
Hopefully for future releases, Menards will call it what it better represents, an FP7.
Rusty
@EscapeRocks posted:Gotta love when the scale/prototype guys come into the Menard's threads and crap all over them. Especially when they have no intention of buying an item anyway.
As far as this particular new offering: looks like a F3 (or F7) and the paint looks good. All the other stuff are things that I, and a lot of Menard's customers simply don't care about.
**AHEM**
Read what I said, particularly as folks are commenting about the length:
"As I mentioned above, the loco is more or less an FP7 and not an F3. FP7's were 4 feet longer than F3/7/9's. "
"Otherwise, the devil is in the details, but given the price point for this product I'm not going to drill down into them. I'm taking it for what it is: a reasonably priced, attractive, entry level O gauge locomotive."
Otherwise, I suppose a little education about a prototype is a bad thing????
Rusty
@Menards posted:Feedback Wanted
These engines have been in development for several years and delayed further by COVID-19.
This limited edition is our first locomotive, and we want to know your opinion of the model's appearance, functionality, reliability, performance, value, and most of all, did you have fun running it? This will help guide us in the future.
Please email your thoughts and feedback to Ray at Guest@menard-inc.com
Remember, the purpose of this test run is to gather feedback. The more people who get one, the better. With this in mind, and because the supply is so limited, we ask that you limit your purchase to one engine per customer.Features
- Very limited - Only 200 produced
- Two powerful motors - Great for pulling!
- Easy-to-use remote control with forward/reverse, horn, bells, and crew commentary
- Adjust volume with a dial on the side of the controller
- Call and response audio between engineer, fireman, and dispatcher (25 phrases)
- Directional lighting illuminates going forward and backwards and lighted number boards
- Rugged stamped-steel frame
- Metal trucks with die-cast frames
- Realistic train sounds with on/off switch (located on underside of engine)
- Locomotive Weight: 2lb. 12 oz.
- Locomotive Dimensions: 13"L x 2-1/2"W x 3-1/2"H (not including horns)
Get on board with the test run of this brand new locomotive from Menards!Shop Now >
The Iconic F3 Locomotive
The classic F3 locomotive hails design from the Golden Age of American railroading and offers mighty O gauge action with two-motor power for hauling long trains.
The F3 is an iconic locomotive, often dubbed "the diesel that did it," in the transition from steam to diesel locomotives. The Menards F3 features America's most recognized railway graphics - the classic Santa Fe War-Bonnet livery that set a new visual standard for railway graphic design.
Not Just a Pretty Face
This precision crafted model has two powered motors, a rugged die-cast metal frame, metal truck side-frames, and power pickup rollers on each wheel set.
The F3 comes equipped with crew figures in the illuminated cab. Safety is assured along the line with a bright LED headlight, backup light, and classification lighting. The model has working front and rear couplers.
Cast-in detailing includes portholes, rivet and seam detail, and exhaust and radiator fans.
The model showcases premium painting and decoration of the complex Santa Fe silver, black, red, and yellow livery.
The F3 measures 13 inches long and easily operates on O-31 diameter curves, and all contemporary track brands.
Radio-Equipped
The F3 comes with an easy-to-use hand-held wireless controller. Easy for youngsters or adults to hold and use.
- Easy rotating forward-reverse directional control
- Select horn or bell sounds
- Trigger crew communications
- Adjustable volume control
- Quick battery replacement
In case you missed it, I've attached today's Menards Train email. If you'd like to sign up for these, click here.
Do this in a Christmas Livery and you’ll sell 5,000.
@RixTrack posted:Do this in a Christmas Livery and you’ll sell 5,000.
Absolutely. If it came close to matching the reindeer o27 Lionel passenger cars, I’d get one and I don’t need another Christmas engine.
I like it! A great entry-level loco. I would buy a Pennsy verson someday, perhaps. I am not a rivet counter, but the red-ish LEDs behind the number boards seem kinda weird, unless it is just photographing wrong?
@BNSF-Matt posted:Quick screenshots and video of the engine idling. Unfortunately, I can't show you folks anything else because the remote is not functioning. I may have to open the remote as I'm not getting a power light to come on and yes I put batteries in it
What VOLTAGE are U using to the Track???
@Fredstrains posted:What VOLTAGE are U using to the Track???
18 volts from my Z4000. It's the remote that's the problem, the power indicator on the remote doesn't even light up. I opened the remote, solder joints look fine, no bad wires that I could see. Main board looks fine, no burn spots or damage. I think I just have a bad remote.
@BNSF-Matt posted:18 volts from my Z4000. It's the remote that's the problem, the power indicator on the remote doesn't even light up. I opened the remote, solder joints look fine, no bad wires that I could see. Main board looks fine, no burn spots or damage. I think I just have a bad remote.
Do you have a fast track power supply you can try it with ?
The layout looks fantastic. Very nice way to show a new model.
Interesting that all these years there has been an interest in menards offering motive power and the naysayers emerge. Something affordable, something with a remote, technology that doesn't require excessive wiring or add ons, something easily converted to battery power, geeze this is a home run or at least a triple. I hope they continue down this path.
@BNSF-Matt posted:18 volts from my Z4000. It's the remote that's the problem, the power indicator on the remote doesn't even light up. I opened the remote, solder joints look fine, no bad wires that I could see. Main board looks fine, no burn spots or damage. I think I just have a bad remote.
I don't suppose there is a frequency/channel switch or jumper on remote or engine underside?
If the remote is open, I would measure the voltage right where it enters the board to rule out broken wire inside insulation. Ditto the RF board inside engine if separate from main. Look that antenna is not broke loose in engine or remote.
What power supply are you using? Chopped wave may be giving RF board fits, try a sinewave supply (old Lionel ZW, KW, 1033 etc)
Or gilding the cake, have ham with radio sweep through on chance remote is transmitting, but you would need to know approximate frequency range (FCC sticker should point to FCC file with the frequency) Of course if you had a spectrum analyzer (right GRJ? 
)......
Otherwise you may have the first qualified OBF (Out of Box Failure) to return to Menards Mr. Mark. 
