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Menards train stuff

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  • Member since
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  • From: Chicago, IL
  • 306 posts
Posted by Eilif on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 9:36 AM

mbinsewi

Menards has an on-line special going on, buy any building, get a log cabin by Model Power for free. 

The ad says buy any HO train item for $20, get the free Model Power building.

Mike.

 

That's a pretty good deal!

I'm glad to see them increasing their HO offerings with Model Power.  Not much there for a train-show guy like me since almost everything in the model power line is 40 years old and easily available for a fracion of the price.  However, I think it will be great for folks who are new to the hobby and wanting to do HO.

We've gotten a few of the Menards cars over the years for our Christmas Lionel train and like them.  Also a member of my wargame club bought a couple of their O-scale buildings for and they're fantastic.

Menards seems to be going from strength to strength in model railroading.

Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading. 

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Posted by mbinsewi on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 6:17 AM

Menards has an on-line special going on, buy any building, get a log cabin by Model Power for free. 

The ad says buy any HO train item for $20, get the free Model Power building.

Mike.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 2:16 PM

b60bp
It sort of reminds me of some of the hardwear stores that used to carry model trains, and some that still do as well, but on a larger scale.

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There is a Hardware Store in Bonita Springs, Florida that has a huge Lionel display and sale shelves every year. It is a huge money maker for them.

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-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by joe323 on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 12:47 PM

b60bp

I have to agree that Menards is making a real effort to make the hobby more accessible. It sort of reminds me of some of the hardwear stores that used to carry model trains, and some that still do as well, but on a larger scale. Last summer Menards hosted a model railroad expo in their home town of Eau Claire, WI which drew large crowds both days it ran. They offered free tables to vendors too, justlet them know how many tables you needed! And by large crowds I mean in the five digit range Over the weekend.

One other attraction at the local Menards is the ready supply of Homosote. I haven’t bought any for a number of years but they always sold it in 4x8 sheets as well as ”handy panels” in 2x4 foot side for about $5 a panel. Plywood too. Perfect for shelf layouts.

Barry P

 

 

Menards Was actually quite helpful when I ordered from them.  I used the ship to store option and had one of the buildings sent to a Menards in the Chicago area where I could pick it up on one of my semi annual visits to Chicagoland.  When the item failed to arrive they shipped to me on Staten Island free. 

Still Waiting for One Police Plaza in HO scale.

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 9:54 AM

BigDaddy
There are things called buck voltage regulators. On Ebay, from China, they cost about a $1, maybe that is where the name comes from. You can dial down the voltage ot 3.3 V. Anything 4.5v or less should work and Menards buildings I have seen are quite bright at 4.5.

 

A good power regulator will both boost and buck the power to keep it as specified.

When input voltage is hig, the regulator bucks it down,

when input voltage is low, the regulator boosts it up.

Current of course remains the same.

 

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by b60bp on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 9:39 AM

I have to agree that Menards is making a real effort to make the hobby more accessible. It sort of reminds me of some of the hardwear stores that used to carry model trains, and some that still do as well, but on a larger scale. Last summer Menards hosted a model railroad expo in their home town of Eau Claire, WI which drew large crowds both days it ran. They offered free tables to vendors too, justlet them know how many tables you needed! And by large crowds I mean in the five digit range Over the weekend.

One other attraction at the local Menards is the ready supply of Homosote. I haven’t bought any for a number of years but they always sold it in 4x8 sheets as well as ”handy panels” in 2x4 foot side for about $5 a panel. Plywood too. Perfect for shelf layouts.

Barry P

 

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  • From: Blair, Nebraska
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Posted by Boiler-man on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 7:30 AM
I wish they would do an N-Scale line of buildings like they have in HO & O scales.
Boilerman
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Posted by nealknows on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 7:13 AM

I have 3 of their buildings - Morton Salt, Power Plant and Fire Station. All bought different times. Their freight charge is a money maker for them, no doubt about it. They look good, I liked them so I bought it. the 11% discount or rebate they offered at the time didn't help me since I don't have a store near by. 

This is what I call the 'I want it depsite the high cost' impulse purchase. Not looking back. 

Neal

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Posted by B. Bryce on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 6:02 AM

B. Bryce

Well, as much as I liked the Menards Pepsi Plant and wanted to get the Starbucks, I ordered the Starbucks store and it arrived.  It was even better than the photos and I was really pleased with it.  Pretty good price for the quality of the building and extras, but they really soak you for the shipping and their "Handling Fee".   

 

The Pepsi Plant was $69.95 and my total to get it in Florida was $92.57.  The Starbucks sold for $59.95 and I paid $81.44.

 

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Posted by rrinker on Monday, December 17, 2018 3:36 PM

 I just randomly grabbed a building (Vetter Sash in HO) and it was less than $10 to ship it to my house - and the nearest Menards to me is halfway across Ohio. That doesn't seem unreasonable. Overnight shipping - well, that was almost half the price of the building, but overnight is never cheap, even for a simple letter, let alone a package.

                                   --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by B. Bryce on Monday, December 17, 2018 2:54 PM

Well, as much as I liked the Menards Pepsi Plant and wanted to get the Starbucks, I ordered the Starbucks store and it arrived.  It was even better than the photos and I was really pleased with it.  Pretty good price for the quality of the building and extras, but they really soak you for the shipping and their "Handling Fee".  

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Posted by mbinsewi on Monday, December 17, 2018 8:06 AM

I don't have any problem.  Usually in Google, the name comes up when you type the letter M.

You can go to the black bar across the top of this page, hover the mouse of The Magazine, and 3 drop-down appear, in the middle one, click on Advertiser Links, then scroll down to Menards.

Neal's link works fine.

Mike.

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Posted by nealknows on Monday, December 17, 2018 7:40 AM

I got on just fine.. they have a secure site. 

https://www.menards.com/main/home.html

Neal

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Posted by robert sylvester on Monday, December 17, 2018 7:33 AM

As a follow up it says this sight can't be reached.

Robert Sylvester

Newberry-Columbia, SC

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Posted by robert sylvester on Monday, December 17, 2018 7:27 AM

Bang Head I have tried to get on the Menard's web site through the ad on this forum but it doesn't work, that is for me. I tried on line with Google, similar problem noted.

Any suggestion, I like the gas station..

Robert Sylvester

Newberry and Columbia Line, SC

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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, December 10, 2018 6:54 PM

joe323

There is no such thing as a UFO being the wrong era

 

The mention of the dynamic brakes might suggest that I was being a tad sarcastic.

I should have used a "Funny, ha-ha" emoji.

Model Railroading IS Fun!

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by AirMojo on Monday, December 10, 2018 6:15 PM

It looks like Menards does have what I need... they were quick to respond to my email !

8-Piece Plug and Play Accessory Kit...

https://www.menards.com/main/home-decor/menards-collectibles/train-stuff-from-menards/train-stuff/8-piece-plug-play-accessory-kit/2794035/p-1493187863820-c-13318.htm

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Posted by schief on Monday, December 10, 2018 5:28 PM

Aliens would not necessarily need to be from a whole other galaxy.  They could simply be from another solar system, which potentially could be any number of stars in our own galaxy.  4.2 light years is a more accurate distance to consider.

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Posted by B. Bryce on Monday, December 10, 2018 3:50 PM

davidmurray
Andromeda is the not the closest star to us, that's only 4.2 light years away.

Problem as I see it, even if we learn to travel at 90% light speed, is not the time, it is the capital envestment and the operating cost to go exploring.  If you have to spend years to get to each star and then propbably not find a new home, why pay for it.

Dave

According to :

"The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) has been estimated to be somewhere around 2.5 million lightyears away from us here on Earth. Due to its relative size and proximity to the Milky Way, Andromeda can actually be observed with the naked eye in the night sky.

Also because of its blueshift we can determine that it is approaching our galaxy at around 110 kilometers per second.  The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) has been estimated to be somewhere around 2.5 million lightyears away from us here on Earth. Due to its relative size and proximity to the Milky Way, Andromeda can actually be observed with the naked eye in the night sky."

Also because of its blueshift we can determine that it is approaching our galaxy at around 110 kilometers per second." 

This is from Neil deGrasse Tyson: Collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda

Wikipedia: Andromeda–Milky Way collision

The Astrophysical Journal: The M31 Velocity Vector. III."

 

As for myself, I've never been there, so I must rely on the Internet, because no one ever lies on the Internet !!!

Either way, they are not seeing us, they are seeing us a really long time ago, and if they are seeing T-Rex, this is the last place they will come. 

My theory and I'm sticking to it!

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Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, December 10, 2018 2:09 PM

AirMojo
Hopefully someone knows the proper barrel & pin sizes for the Menard adapters.

The 2.5 and 2.1 mm connectors look the same to me.  Surely they didn't invent a one off odd ball plug to use.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by davidmurray on Monday, December 10, 2018 12:09 PM

B. Bryce
My theory, we will never be visited by aliens. The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is 2.5 million light years from Earth which means it takes light 2.5 million years to get here from there. When we look at Andromeda, we are not seeing Andromeda as it looks like today, we are seeing Andromeda as it looked 2.5 million years ago.

Andromeda is the not the closest star to us, that's only 4.2 light years away.

Problem as I see it, even if we learn to travel at 90% light speed, is not the time, it is the capital envestment and the operating cost to go exploring.  If you have to spend years to get to each star and then propbably not find a new home, why pay for it.

Dave

 

David Murray from Oshawa, Ontario Canada
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Posted by AirMojo on Monday, December 10, 2018 11:46 AM

BigDaddy

There are various size barrel connectors.  Somebody must know what size Menards uses.  There are connectors on ebay that have a barrel on one side and wire terminals on the other.

There are things called buck voltage regulators.  On Ebay, from China, they cost about a $1, maybe that is where the name comes from.   You can dial down the voltage ot 3.3 V.  Anything 4.5v or less should work and Menards buildings I have seen are quite bright at 4.5.

From there you need a bus and a 12 v supply from a wall wart.

 

Thanks Harry... Hopefully someone knows the proper barrel & pin sizes for the Menard adapters.

I tried hooking up my Martian UFO, but I was about 2 feet short using the available 3rd plug from my adapter, so a cable extension would be nice... you would think that Menards would sell one, but I don't see one available.

Did look online, but I need the exact specs... I emailed Menards, so I'll see how that goes, but I'm not hopeful on an accurate or quick response.

I'll probably just add a dedicated power bar for the adapters located more central to the layout instead of where my regular power bar strip is, which is way to one corner where my transformers are.

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Posted by NittanyLion on Monday, December 10, 2018 10:56 AM

B. Bryce

My theory, we will never be visited by aliens.

The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is 2.5 million light years from Earth which means it takes light 2.5 million years to get here from there.

When we look at Andromeda, we are not seeing Andromeda as it looks like today, we are seeing Andromeda as it looked 2.5 million years ago.

The people on Andromeda are not seeing Earth as it is today, they are seeing Earth as it was 2.5 million years ago, in other words, they are seeing a planet inhabited by T-Rex!!!

They ain't a commin here!

 

If you had the ability to resolve a dinosaur from that distance, you'd almost certainly be able to magic your way to Earth to see what intelligence arose from those lifeforms.

Without skipping over the neighbors, a civilization modestly advanced from our own over at, say, Chalawan would readily detect the sudden ramp up in our EM emissions over the previous decades and deduced what some of them are, based on their properties. It would take 200 years for a Bracewell probe to get here, if they're basically us, but they are know someone is there to find it. 

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, December 10, 2018 10:34 AM

This is a good model of the Roswell UFO scene on the Pasco County Modular Railroaders portable layout.

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I wish I was at home right now to share pictures of some of my UFO models.

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The Menard's UFO is a neat item. I really like the cow being abducted. To change it to HO scale you would probably only need to replace the cow.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by maxman on Monday, December 10, 2018 10:12 AM

B. Bryce
My theory, we will never be visited by aliens.

They may already be here.  Aliens are like ghosts.........just because you can't see one doesn't mean they don't exist.

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Posted by B. Bryce on Monday, December 10, 2018 8:34 AM

I recently bought the HO scale Menards Pepsi plant, and I am very impressed with it, and I got a free package of trees as well.

I am looking at their Starbucks store, but now they are only giving a $6.60 coupon with the purchase.  The fine print says you can only use the discount in one of their stores, not on line.

Since I live in Florida, not much chance of me driving to the North Central US to visit one of their stores.  

Would it really break their bank account to allow the coupons to be used on line?

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Posted by B. Bryce on Monday, December 10, 2018 8:26 AM

My theory, we will never be visited by aliens.

The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is 2.5 million light years from Earth which means it takes light 2.5 million years to get here from there.

When we look at Andromeda, we are not seeing Andromeda as it looks like today, we are seeing Andromeda as it looked 2.5 million years ago.

The people on Andromeda are not seeing Earth as it is today, they are seeing Earth as it was 2.5 million years ago, in other words, they are seeing a planet inhabited by T-Rex!!!

They ain't a commin here!

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Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, December 10, 2018 7:46 AM

joe323
There is no such thing as a UFO being the wrong era

Roswell got bad reviews.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by kasskaboose on Monday, December 10, 2018 7:13 AM

Meynards has some great buildings, but they are too expensive for me.  Walthers Cornerstone or Pikestuff(for generic buildings) are my preferred picks.  If you like their stuff, all the better. 

 According to some bona fide scientists, octopuses might be from outer space: https://www.newsweek.com/alien-octopuses-outer-space-930942

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