The Menards Hobby Shop is Here! Plus our Newest Flatcar Release! (03/25/15)

I really like the hobby shop but wish you could run the lights off of track or accessory power instead of the adapter.

Now I like that, that could find a home on a bunch of layouts...including mine.

I just got this email today about the hobby shop and flatcar.  

Probably have no choice but to order these too.

Seriously Mark and all you fine people at Menards.... I'm going to need a bigger basement if you keep producing these great products.  

Mark,

Thanks for your order! We hope to hear from you about how you like it. Personally, I was very excited to release this building!

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

It's very nice but we already have 2 Lionel hobby shops and one MTH hobby shop. What we need is a Liquor store!  

...as well as a law office for our wives to go to for divorce papers after buying trains at those 2 Lionel, 1 MTH and 1 Menards hobby shops!

Great looking building. I'm sure it will sell well. Keep them coming. Ever think about doing a survey on this forum as to what type of buildings the forum members may want?

Just ordered mine but how do we claim the rebate if we buy online?

Thanks

It will be automatically applied.

Ken M

On mine it didn't come out automatically????

Mark  - Bravo !

You have turned many a heads in this hobby. Now I just wish there was a Menard's near me 

gotta ask, Is there a story behind the german shepard? its on the billboard and a figurine.

Would someone explain to me what Menards is?

Eddie……. a home depot type store

"Mark the train guy at Menards" posted last week that rebates are for in-store use only.  But, added that Menards has no objection to folks selling/giving the rebate coupon to a third party for their use.

Menards is similar to and competes with Lowes and Home Depot, except that Menards

has a broader selection of household products, including food items I have never seen

in the other two.  It is here in the midwest...dunno about Pa., but if there, maybe

Eddie can get in a quick tour.

They sell O gauge buildings?

It looks beautiful....I was wondering about the significance of the German Shepard as well? Store mascot?

Another great building and a smart, inexpensive way for Menards to get another building released with the same mold as the bar.  I wonder what other of their buildings could be re-released as something else with small modifications. 

Keep it up.

Nice!...what's his name?

For:  Mark the Menard's train guy

I am a huge fan of the Menards buildings and have purchased most of them via mail order.   

I went on line as prompted by the email I received from Menards to purchase this building.  Although, I think the pricing is OK on this building, I take offense that the add shows an "on Line" price of $62.29 as that is not he price you pay "on line".  You must pay $69.99 plus shipping and then get a rebate of the 11% but living in North Carolina, such a rebate is of NO VALUE!  While I appreciate the rebate process to bring in more business, I would prefer that the web site not be so deceptive as to use the term "on line price".

Any way, a nice looking building.

Happy railroading,

Don

I keep being more impressed with Menard's commitment to our hobby.  I understand that if you do not have a local store, the discount or rebate is hard or impossible to use.  I would think you could use it online if you purchase again?  Maybe Mark can answer this?

Keep up the good work Menards. 

Art

please go to their web site and look around

click below

menards

I have the lionel Collins hobby shop, but for $60 after the 11% percent rebate it's a hard on to past up.  I might dedicate a board to Menards!!!! Plus we are there every other day.

Just bought the hobby shop. This will be my 4th Menard's building.

Jim,

That is a great idea! We will definitely take advantage of the forum to inquire as to which types of buildings should be produced. Thanks!

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Could always just pass it on to a member here. I'm sure there are those who could use it.

Chad,

For online purchases, you can either pick up a rebate redemption certificate or print one at the menards.com rebate center. You mail in the certificate along with the rebate receipt which is a PDF attached to your order confirmation email. Let me know if you have any troubles.

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Just checked the receipt for the Alaskan flatcar, just shows the price of the flatcar plus tax. No handling charge for shipping to the store.

When I ordered mine it showed the price as 62.99 which included the rebate, but after reexamining my receipt I see it is not on there they charged me 69.99.  That makes no sense.  

One other question what side is suppose to be the front.  My wife & I disagree.

Thank You

Ken M

Ken,

The front side is purely personal preference and I would love to see what other people think. In my opinion, it would be a side that features an animated sign. However, both the  Lionel and Menards Hobby Shop signs are animated with multiple lighting patterns.

As far as the pricing question, let me know if my last post to Don provides an answer for you.

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Ken, the second picture from the top shows the front where the the little boy is looking in the window.

Jack

gladstone,

Spence is 100% correct. Jack, the German Shepherd.

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Received the email from Menards  for the hobby shop.  I took it to our Club meeting and several members will be ordering it, including me.

Thanks again, Mark, for actively participating in the discussions. All too often, a company will toss out a comment, like, "we now have "X" product shipping" and then go radio silent when follow-on questions pop up.

Great looking building and flatcar.   I think I am going to order these now.

Art,

Unfortunately, rebates can only be used in store and I can't venture to guess if that will change in the future. I think it would be incredible if we could set up a community of rebate traders to make transferring rebates seamless!

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy 

I ordered one yesterday, when I first saw this post.  Not sure where it will go.  I already have Cowen's Corner Hobbies train shop on the layout, but I know that I need two model train stores on the layout.  Really.  

I get emails from Staples all the time about rebates, coupons, etc. that I can use on line.  I recently used a $30 discount coupon for an on line printer cartridge order.

litegide24,

Ship to Store and Pick Up at Store are a little different.

Pick Up at Store: We Pull - A Team Member will pull your order for you and you can pick up your order at your convenience. A minimal processing charge will apply and orders must be picked up within 14 days. (Taken from "?" icon on menards.com, shown below).

These items are in stock at the selected store and the processing free ($1.40 per item) covers the labor to get each item ready for pickup. 

Ship to Store: These items come directly from our distribution center. Since these are going to a Menards store along with other items the store has ordered, there is no charge. This is the case for many of our train products.

I hope this helps!

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Rebate or not, the price, the product, and commitment to providing new "O" scale items is outstanding. Keep providing and making, and I will purchase. So far, all the building will, and have found a place on my layout.

Another new Menards building!  Moe's Garage quonset hut.

http://www.menards.com/main/p-...ortId=NDY0MTczOTg0S0

The BNSF flatcar with BNSF pick-up at $19.99, after rebate $17.79 is a heck of a price. The BNSF pick-up probably would have cost that much at some retailers, like getting the flatcar free.

Ordered the C&NW flatcar with C&NW truck and it will ship to Cambridge, MN store, once it arrive, Menards will notify me by email and I will pick it up. Pretty easy!

I'm buying the hobby shop and it will be difficult or impossible to use "in-store" rebate since I live in Georgia.  But even w/o the rebate, I consider the hobby shop to be a great value--if someone is buying it because it isn't a good value w/o the rebate, fair enough--we all have our own notions of "value."  Heck, I'll probably end up listing the coupon for sale at some heavily discounted price--may create a new, "secondary" market for Menards rebate coupons as "Mark the Menards train guy" suggested.

Unlike some rebate programs that are intended to drive sales, Menards "rebate" is obviously designed to promote sales, but also to drive traffic to its retail stores; a legitimate marketing tactic IMHO. 

I just ordered the Quonset hut, thinking about the hobby shop.

BTW, people modeling Army posts could militarize the hut.

If you want to visit the nearest one, it's a 763 mile drive from your house.

Does my Menards Hobby Shop have a wiring problem? When the two signs are lighted the interior lights and the overhead door light dim and brighten as if they are wired to the signs.

Menards is a big box home improvement store, mostly in the Midwest.  The head of the company likes O gauge trains, so they carry those too.  IMHO, they have better customer service than Home Depot or Lowes.  They also carry some groceries, so if the wife asks you to pick up some milk, you can do that and check out trains and power tools.  If they carried beer they would be perfect! 

I have seen a few of the Menards freight cars on E-Bay, they are usually priced around double what the Menards retail price is. As always on the Bay, buyer beware.

Free enterprise is a wonderful thing!!!

Buy a dozen Hobby Shops now, stash them in the basement for a year, and then put them out on Ebay.

Just found a Seed and Feed on Ebay for $179!!!  Hurry, he says that supplies are limited.

That's almost double our asking price! We're mystified! Is this bad or good? What are your thoughts?

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Hi Mark, there are some folks in this hobby that will post a very high price on the bay hoping to snag an uniformed electric train operator. There are also some train folks that don't have the slightest idea that Menards is in to O Gauge trains

The Hobby shop arrived today with a number of broken parts.

The building is well detailed but the shipping method is not very good for that

kind of detail.

FedEx smart post was used with the building going from MN,WI, MI,MI,OH,MI to

a post office where I live. The package was picked up at the post office. The

package was handled too many times for that much detail.

The building is in pieces for repair and will be very nice after repair.

The only complaint is with the inside lighting, 6 white LEDs.The LEDS are blinding.

Good for them!

a question for mark

would you give a little background on why menards is so heavily into models for trains (beyond the $)

i have purchased several and am very happy with the products

thanks to menards for their support of our hobby

jerry

I have read a number of posts where people have reported damage when opening up their Menards building.

I ordered both the Hobby Shop and Camaraderie Bar.  The Hobby Shop was in its own box, and the Camaraderie Bar was wrapped in bubble wrap.  The two buildings were then packed in an outer box together.  The only issue I had was one of the trash cans outside the bar had come loose.  My order also came via FedEx Smartpost to me in NC.

Assuming the Hobby Shop was the only item you ordered, did it come in just the Hobby Shop box or was it packed in an outer box?  If Menards is not packing the buildings in an outer box, that may explain the number of buildings being reported with damage.

I spent some time on Ebay checking on the Menards items.  One person has all of the Menards buildings listed, each at close to double what Menards is selling them for.  If he can get those prices, more power to him.  With a little investigation, Menards should be able to figure out who it is.  Whatever one thinks about the ethics of it, it is free enterprise.  I just feel a little sorry for the buyers.  Our Club meeting is tomorrow and I will pick up my Moe's and Hobby Shop.  Looking forward to getting them. If there is damage, so be it. Repair jobs are my hobby.

I don't think it's bad. Free enterprise, arbitrage, the American Way, etc.
Equates to more sales for Menards which can also be good for O Gauge Train Enthusiasts, as it could generally lead to more product offerings and greater quantities...more demand generally equals more supply over time...equals more train stuff

Makes you wonder if Menards had a store front on the 'bay' could their train and/or collectibles line grow even more.  I sure hope they do continue to grow.  I now have the Camaraderie Bar & Grill, the Door Factory, and the Hobby Shop on it's way

Robert

My thought is that it is bad, someone ripping off uninformed buyers.  Hopefully with the increased advertising that Menards is doing in the hobby press and on online forums people will be educated about these.  Mark, please don't raise your prices too!

BTW, my Moe's Garage (shipped to store) came without any outer box.  The inner box and styrofoam packing were destroyed.  It looked like it had been dropped, and Moe's is pretty heavy!  I pulled the garage out of the wreckage at the Menards checkout lane and amazingly it appeared undamaged.   The packing should be more stout for these items though.

Jerry,

Mark (banjoflyer) hit the nail on the head. I feel that because Menards is family owned and operated, we can dedicate more time to producing something we are passionate about. We are proud to be part of the hobby and we see great things in the future. Thanks Jerry!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

thank you for the reply mark and mark the menrds train guy

it makes sense and the hobby is better off

y'all keep making, and i will keep buying

thank you

j

I need a part for my intermodel crane, and the only place I could find it was this guy, For a $3 part I had to pay $28.00. But I couldn't find it any where else. 

S & W Parts Supply in Niskayuna NY is a good parts source.

I like it a lot, if I can scrape up some unneeded cash to buy it, will try and buy it. 

My only complaint about it is it needs some more figures, it is missing several grumpy old men who tend hang out at hobby shops, in the scene depicted they would be off to the side, glowering at the guy with the kid invading "their" hobby shop *lol*. Seriously, I am impressed with what Menards is producing, it really is adding to the hobby!

Is there a Menards table at York?

Bob,

I would be willing to guess that plenty of our items will be for sale. However, we will not have a table this year. Soon, I hope!

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Is there any power supply besides Menards that will work?  I just had a birthday, and one son gave me the hobby shop, and the other son gave me Moe's Garage - but neither son purchased the power supply!  I'm mostly interested in just checking them out to make sure all work correctly; is there a RadioShack p/n or some other wall wart that works, at least temporarily?  I have no problem sending off for the Menards's unit, but I want those lights working NOW!     ;-)

Carl,

Our buildings run on a standard 4.5 volt power adapter which is commonly used with other buildings such as Lemax and Department 56. However, I would advise against using a transformer that converts higher amperage down to 4.5 volts. That being said, any 4.5 volt power adapter should work. Mark is absolutely right, there are some great bargains out there if you hunt for them but just double check the output.

Now, allow me add a “plug” for us (pun intended ). Here are the links to find 1-Outlet and 3-Outlet power adapters at Menards.

Thank you,

Mark the Menards Train Guy

Just received mine a couple days ago, and WOW! what a great model for the price.  The detail and interior lighting is really cool!

Regulated DC voltage output is another concern.  I bought the Menards three output 4.5v adaptor, even though I had read here that it is an unregulated type.

I just put my volt meter on it, and sure enough output without any accessory attached to any of the three outputs is ~9v.  When I plugged in the hobby shop to one lead, the voltage dropped to ~6v.  Then I plugged in the camaraderie bar to a second lead and voltage still held at ~6v. 

As mentioned, the lack of regulated power has been discussed here, but not sure if any one has had problems running these for extended time with the Menards adapter?  I believe the 4.5v max recommendation is analogous to Miller brand signage, where 4.5v max is specified...both of these models have that type of lit signage.

However, I'm still not sure how much of a concern that is...mainly because I'm not sure if there is any circuitry within the model to limit the voltage to the 'miller' like signs at 4.5v?

To your question Carl...I did find a universal Enercell brand multi-voltage adapter, which is regulated, and tested it back when I purchased the bar & grill.  It's output held at 4-4.5v.  It has a two prong universal plug head to use multiple size barrel jacks.  The one I bought came with 3-4 standard size barrels...one of which fit the size on these.  Miller also sells a regulated 4.5v adapter.  Others have mentioned the Lemax adapters as an option.

Robert

I am using 3 Menards 3 plug power supplies, that are under the layout, and plugged into power strips on the floor,  to power the 6 Menards buildings and two Lemax type structures.  The power strips are plugged into a wall outlet that has an on-off power switch.  When I turn that switch on, all the buildings light up, and power goes to the MRC Dual and Z4000, which I then turn on. The one unused plug will be used by the Menards Plumbing Supply which in en route.  The whole mess works fine.

Thanks Diok S...that is good to know!