Check out these beautiful new Pennsylvania cars. These will look great behind a Pennsylvania F-7
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Also a six-piece assorted tank car set.
Maybe we will be seeing a new Menards diesel soon!
Cabinet Bob just told us a Pennsylvania F-7. There is one picture on Menards website.
Here it is
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Also a dummy unit
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Hey Everyone,
Here is a link to our new Pennsylvania train cars. And YES, we now have a Pennsylvania diesel engine (and dummy) too!
Our O gauge email will be going out before lunch, so I would suggest ordering one before they sell out!
Don't forget our full selection of Pennsylvania train cars!
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Awesome!! Thank you Menards!
I will be in trouble when you get around to the New York Central.
I live next to a former rail line that was PRR for several decades.
Perhaps I should get some Pennsylvania Railroad freight cars.
Andrew
That's great looking set adding the engine and a bunch of matching cars would look great!
We bought the earlier Menards UP engine for the kids to run at the club garden railway layout. This has been running most weekends (except winter) on our Garden Railway club layout where we have the control mounted on the fence for the kids to run the engine. It has run a lot of miles now, several weekends since last summer running all day on 6 hour days hot or cool days and is still running well! So far the engine is holding up well just the battery's in the remote need replacing more frequently then the Lionel remotes!
Good job Menards!
Open question for @gunrunnerjohn,
There’s a question going around the office about how you added command control to an old BEEP chassis. We’re curious if you (or anyone else) has ever done it to one of our engines?
My knowledge of electronics is limited, but if anyone could do it, I’m guessing you could!
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
I know this is nitpicking , but would it not make more sense to put a correct paint scheme on the engine and freight cars? I know I would be more likely to buy one of these if the paint scheme matched or was at least closer to the prototype. Just my opinion.
I asked for a Menards PRR F-7. Menards delivered! Thanks Mark!!
@Christopher2035 posted:I know this is nitpicking , but would it not make more sense to put a correct paint scheme on the engine and freight cars? I know I would be more likely to buy one of these if the paint scheme matched or was at least closer to the prototype. Just my opinion.
Can you give us an exact definition of what you would prefer for Pennsylvania Railroad schemes.
The real PRR ACF CENTER FLOW covered hopper scheme of the 1960's was as bland as a railroad could get. This is more exciting.
Andrew
@RamblerDon posted:I will be in trouble when you get around to the New York Central.
Pre merger York Central Jade Green is on my wish list, with Penn Central post merger Jade Green close behind.
The Pennsylvania F7 A-unit diesel engine-electric motor locomotive scheme that was common was rather drab.
Andrew
Falcon Service
@Menards posted:Open question for @gunrunnerjohn,
We’re curious if you (or anyone else) has ever done it to one of our engines?
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
I have 2 Santa Fe and one UP engine that I plan to command control. The Lionchief electronics from Lionel would be the easiest to swap in I believe, but I'm thinking of going with Bluenami from Soundtrax which is also very easy to install since the sounds are better and they can then be controlled from any smart phone or tablet via bluetooth. The right board from Lionel would also have bluetooth as well. Of course any command upgrade doubles the price of the loco, LOL!
@Menards posted:Open question for @gunrunnerjohn,
There’s a question going around the office about how you added command control to an old BEEP chassis. We’re curious if you (or anyone else) has ever done it to one of our engines?
My knowledge of electronics is limited, but if anyone could do it, I’m guessing you could!
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
Mark: You might look at OGR run # 332 page 46-7 Wireless Loco Control Alternative. This is a pretty simple description that could apply to one of your locos or any other, would just replace your engine board. I have also used the Lionel LionChief basic boards to drop into conventional engines to offer command control from the LionChief App or with their wireless LionChief controller similar to yours. Just wire in the center and ground rail inputs and plug in the motor connection to the board and headlight and speaker connections. But your command board works very well as is I would not mess with it, I like the volume control on the Menards remote.
I think for Menards engines it would be nice to link up a couple of engines for more pulling power but can you not do that with 2 of the same engines? Thanks
Is the Pennsylvania FP-7 stripe straight on your engines? looks a little wobbly in the pictures above?
If John or someone else is willing to do a detailed article (with step-by-step photos) for adding command control to the Menards F-units, I would be happy to publish it in the magazine. When published, you would earn almost enough $ to buy another powered locomotive plus the unpowered unit. Just get in touch with me at editor@ogaugerr.com.
@Menards posted:Open question for @gunrunnerjohn,
There’s a question going around the office about how you added command control to an old BEEP chassis. We’re curious if you (or anyone else) has ever done it to one of our engines?
My knowledge of electronics is limited, but if anyone could do it, I’m guessing you could!
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
Mark, there's nothing about your engines that would prevent a pretty standard full TMCC command upgrade. Of course, you already have something similar to Lionchief with the remote, so the Lionchief "upgrade" would be redundant.
I have upgraded a number of motorized units from as small as the K-Line Speeder and K-Line Plymouth switcher to full sized diesels to full TMCC command with sound. As others have said, it would certainly have a major impact on the selling price I suspect.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Mark, there's nothing about your engines that would prevent a pretty standard full TMCC command upgrade. Of course, you already have something similar to Lionchief with the remote, so the Lionchief "upgrade" would be redundant.
I have upgraded a number of motorized units from as small as the K-Line Speeder and K-Line Plymouth switcher to full sized diesels to full TMCC command with sound. As others have said, it would certainly have a major impact on the selling price I suspect.
But a LionChief Plus or 2.0 upgrade would be an improvement. It would be great to run the Menards locomotive conventionally with just a transformer, no remote.
@Menards posted:Hey Everyone,
Here is a link to our new Pennsylvania train cars. And YES, we now have a Pennsylvania diesel engine (and dummy) too!
Our O gauge email will be going out before lunch, so I would suggest ordering one before they sell out!
Very nice - but any chance of a Bluebonnet dummy to go with my powered Bluebonnet ?
@Christopher2035 posted:I know this is nitpicking , but would it not make more sense to put a correct paint scheme on the engine and freight cars? I know I would be more likely to buy one of these if the paint scheme matched or was at least closer to the prototype. Just my opinion.
The PRR did have 4 FP7 A and 2 FB units painted in the 5-stripe Tuscan scheme. Information and photos can be found on page 64 in Robert J. Yanosey's Pennsy Diesel Years Volume 1.
@falconservice posted:Can you give us an definition of what you would prefer for Pennsylvania Railroad schemes. The real PRR ACF center flow covered hopper scheme of the 1960's was as bland as a railroad could get. This is more exciting. Andrew
All these Menards PRR offerings have absurdly garish PRR logos & overly large road name lettering. It looks absurd.
@Christopher2035 posted:I know this is nitpicking , but would it not make more sense to put a correct paint scheme on the engine and freight cars? I'd be more likely to buy these if the paint scheme matched or was at least closer to the prototype. Just my opinion.
BRAVO! Christopher, you are not wrong in pointing to Menards' use of overly garish graphics & lettering on its new PRR offerings. To me, its absurd! I ask, can anyone with genuine knowledge of prototype PRR logos & lettering speak to the level of (in)accuracy with this current wave of Menards PRR items?
You are correct that most of Menard's PRR offerings are not highly prototypically painted and lettered. BUT, let's remember to whom Menard's is primarily selling the product.
They are not selling to railroad "foamers" (like most of us), but to customers passing through, or catalog shopping at, a lumber / hardware store looking for DIY products of some type. Now, what's going to catch their eye? Will it be a prototypically accurate (paint, details, etc.) PRR set or might it be a slightly garish PRR set? If you've ever noticed their car, truck and other toy displays / bins, those products are mostly packaged in bright colored boxes (red, orange, yellow, etc.) in order to draw the customer's attention. With some luck, their model railroad products will end up under Christmas trees or at other gift-giving celebrations this year and on into the future, hopefully securing the hobby we all enjoy well into that future.
Could they do better? Of course they could, but if they did, could they sell at the same price point? I don't think so, but all of this is just my opinion.
Chuck
In my experience, rivet counters never stop counting rivets. Some of us don't count rivets at all and I think some forget we don't all count rivets. These are just fine for what they cost. Thank you to Menards for offering these.
"All these Menards PRR offerings have absurdly garish PRR logos & overly large road name lettering. It looks absurd."
It's marketing and eye candy, not intended for folks, as noted, who care about prototypical accuracy.
