By chance is there any way of finding out what set or sets Menards will be selling this fall? In my dreams there would be a DM&E diesel set with 5 PS2 central discharge high side green CNW hoppers.
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
Well Boyd, not to swing a hammer and shatter something, but I do think that would be a dream more appropriate for maybe a Service Station Set and not a department store. Lionel's strategy in placing sets in department stores is to reach newcomers, that is families with children. So that means compromises to keep a affordable price point, and compromises in content for play value.
A set of scale sized PS2 hoppers (unless this was new non-scale tooling) would hardly qualify as either newcomer play value or an affordable price point. Part of that "affordable" price point also means Lionel uses items that have already recouped their investment dollars, ie: usually tradtionally sized non-scale cars**. Though I suppose they could also use the MPC developed Standard 0 rolling stock. Bear in mind the last new rolling stock products developed for the traditionally sized, lower price range was almost 15 years ago, with the Waffle Box Car and the Spine TTUX Cars.
So dream on, but I'd say this is a very improbably dream for a department store kind of train set.
** The new 0-8-0 and Dockside steam engines of course are new tooling, but developed specifically to meet a low price point, and thus I think we will continue to see these items in many more starter sets in years to come so that they have a chance to recoup their investment costs.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
I also remember this question being asked last year and it seems that the answer to what they had or were going to have should I say didn't come out till thanksgiving or later it seems they broke them out late I guess they didn't have a lot of sets to sell. Like maybe just the minium order amount
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
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At our local Menards they had the Mernards set and the Enhardt NASCAR set out about a week before Thanksgiving. The Menards set sold out very quickly, the NASCAR set was still on the shelf after Christmas. The limited edition Menards flat with the Menards NASCAR stock car also sold out quickly, I got the last one. I agree that Menards probably does not get many of the limited editions per store and any employees into trains or NASCAR probably grab em before they get out of the backroom.
Bill T.
I would settle for a DM&E engine and anything they would put behind it. Make it a banana shaped car for all I care.
Maybe Lionel or some other company could do that for April Fools. Post that they are releasing the "Banana Train".
I would like a F3 or 2-6-4 steam set my self. In years past at least in the last 2 I got a set from there one was a pasnger and one a freight and boath 4-4-2's one had train sounds. They are boath good runers but one of the transformers blew out.
DM&E has GP38's, so Lionel could do it with their GP38 tooling with traditional freight cars, but maybe some of the more advanced ones, like the auto carrier, hi-cube boxcar and waffle box, etc. I'd go for that!
Boyd By chance is there any way of finding out what set or sets Menards will be selling this fall? In my dreams there would be a DM&E diesel set with 5 PS2 central discharge high side green CNW hoppers.
Virginian Railroad
SD40-2 would be better. I know DM&E have had some of them. Not sure if they had any SD38s.
Saw the Lionel train sets at Menards today.
They had the C&NW passenger set from last year at $189.95 and a Lionel Classic freight set at 219.95
Mark
Home of the K.I.S.S. Railroad
Mark, did they have the separate for sale Menards flat car with race car like previous years ?
Our local Menard's had about 5 only of the flatcar with Menard's race car, but my guess is that they may have been left overs from last year. As of last week, not a lot of Lionel exhibited yet. I did not check this week - might have more now.
Midwest Region appropriate Menard's O Gauge Lionel train sets concept:
Chicago & NorthWestern GP38-2 Diesel in "Safety Yellow" with TrainSounds or RailSounds
Chicago & NorthWestern Single Unit Spine-Flat Car with C&NW Trailer
Chicago & NorthWestern Open-Frame Auto Carrier with Autos
Chicago & NorthWestern Flat Car with Load
C&NW Green O Gauge Hi-Cube Boxcar
C&NW "Safety Yellow" O Gauge Bay-Window Caboose
That set has cars in paint schemes that Lionel has not yet made. I would love to get that set.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Another Midwestern region appropriate O Gauge Lionel Train Set for Menards:
Soo Line GP38-2 Diesel in the 1970-1987 Red & White Scheme. TrainSounds or RailSounds
Soo Line Thrall Car Flat Car with Bulkheads & Pulpwood Load. Same flat car as the 1996 release of the SOUTHERN Flat Car with Bulkheads & Pulpwood Load.
Soo Line Standard O ACF Center Flow 3-Bay Covered Hopper in the condensed 1980-1981 Scheme. The older plastic body ACF 3-Bay Covered Hopper.
Soo Line Gondola with Covers - the old Standard O 40' Gondola
Soo Line O Gauge Flat Car with Soo Line Trailer that has the 1970's SOO Slant Logo.
Soo Line Extended-Vision Caboose - the old Standard O Extended-Vision Caboose
That would be a very nice set to have.
Boyd,
The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Locomotive that could be produced for a Lionel Set at Menard's would more likely be a GP38-2 Diesel-Locomotive. It could have metal trucks and Pullmor Motors.
The Covered Hoppers produced would most likely be the plastic Standard O ACF Center Flow 3-Bay Covered Hoppers in the DM&E Yellow paint scheme, DM&E Gray paint scheme, and the North Dakota Soybean Processors scheme. They would also need to add a DM&E Waffle-Side Boxcar and DM&E Standard O Gondola to round out the rolling stock. That would still be a great set to have.
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Only to check on passenger set I stopped in at my local store after work. No passenger set in stock yet but 2 local stores have them. The young guy who looked up inventory said they were stock left over from last year and their distribution center had 500 sets in stock.
The C&NW Passenger Sets sold out at the Portage, MI store in 2008. The NASCAR sets took a longer time to finally be sold.
Your dream set would be possible if it was a custom run set that was sold with the help of organizations like a Lionel club and the CNW Historical Society.
The Atlas O Trinity 5161 Cu. Ft. 3-Bay Covered Hopper could be produced in an accurate DM&E paint scheme.
But they would be too expensive for sale at Menards.
A non scale GP9, with 027 cars behind it would be fine to me. As long as the engine is DM&E blue & yellow.
I was in our local Menard's a couple of days ago looking for leaf bags. Checking the toy aisle I saw that they are apparently only carrying one Lionel set this year; a fairly generic freight set with a 4-4-2 lettered "Lionel Lines", a boxcar, a gondola with cable-reel load, and a Lionel Lines caboose.
Last year their store didn't carry any Lionel at all that I remember. I wonder if it's because we also have a local Hobby Lobby outlet, which stocks a much broader line of Lionel train sets. Maybe they have decided not to compete.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Hi! Quick question.......(Don't Shoot.).....Who is Menards? Are they a train store? Thanks.
traindaddy1 Hi! Quick question.......(Don't Shoot.).....Who is Menards? Are they a train store? Thanks.
It's a midwestern big box hardware chain, similar to Lowe's or Home Depot. They carry some toys during the Christmas season, along with the obligatory artifical trees and assorted holiday decorations.
Stebbycentral: Thanks. (I guess that is why I couldn't find them around here.)
www.menards.com has a store finder
The higher quality set that LIONEL could offer has to include a GP38-2 featuring die-cast metal trucks with pullmor motors.
There has to be a Local Switching Freight Train Crew Figure Set. The crew figures are designed to be placed on the locomotive, cars, and track.
To end the train they can include a Standard O Refrigerator Car with the End of Train Device in the Union Pacific Chilled Express scheme.
I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Menards. They are the cheaper of the big 3 in home improvement stores. THe C&NW passenger set looks nice and would make a nice under-the-tree set. But I wish it was scale. That would be VERY
Probably also very expensive. The GP-9 and GP38 requests could easily be scale locos. They are scale size whether Traditional or Standard O. Just more detailed in scale versions.
The Dakota, Minnesota & Easter starter sets sold in large retail chains would most likely resemble this configuration.
D,M&E SD18 as an SD10
D,M&E Gondola Blue with White markings
D,M&E 4-Bay Covered Hopper Light Gray with Blue Markings
D,M&E 4-Bay Covered Hopper Yellow with Blue Markings
D,M&E Waffle-Sided Boxcar with End of Train Device Brown with White Markings
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