Menards Does It Again: 3 New Ultra-Affordable O Gauge Diesels!

[@davidstrainsandlego]

I really appreciate menards' place in the hobby, not only are there products affordable, but also extremely accessible for regular shoppers

[@Guytrains]

@@davidstrainsandlego yes I agree. Its to expensive this days. If the quality was a little better they would kill it in the market

[@angelstudiosmggsg3196]

I don't have room in my room. Could I collect adjusts? But I'm thinking about building a room outside my house in the backyard in numbers. Pretty sure that this company will be the first company that I'm gonna buy. Because that's the biggest issue that we have in right now is the only that I had to build my room. Sad to worry about what's it? I wanna get. I wanted to get Lynelle, Bluetooth and open city here. Watching a videos roku use note. And I saw this and I said well no I don't have to worry about where'd when I had to buy for my first transit in my collection. Religion known when I built the room in my ticket. Copy ears look for no I want you videos. Thank you should do what you do for us in the hobby.🫶

[@angelstudiosmggsg3196]

And to keep the conversation going. Yes, I used to be a collector but I suppose play with my transit. The day in that removed into our house that we live in now. We moved in 2000 an emergency. Then I've been trying to get to hobby. I'm 33 years old turn on dingm. Ready 86 gonna take me home to get back to the hobby. Not only I gotta make a home room. My friend said but I don't have any. I only have one set that I had 2 sets that I had 102 kid. Maybe 3 sets. I don't remember but I didn't time. They don't work either and they got roasted. Indianic alarm didn't work. Get on and anyways. I want you buy the new one with Bluetooth. Anyway, I dissolve your. Big boy said that was the first video I sent. Yeah, I'm coming back LO. L. I wouldn't see in the next one.

[@angelstudiosmggsg3196]

And I know what people gonna say if you wanna start your room have you start yet? II would tell you delete the note because unmind's waiting until my brother get the order and my dad knees to fix the heater of the house in the roof so I had to wait for that too so, for now, like I said, I'm in it's gonna want to videos for a few more years. But I'm already planning more than a dew. Maybe by the beginning of next year. If God permits, I'm being able to start but keep me in the loop. The best I can. I don't like to leave common so medio's but this one Mimi. Wanna leave you once because this one special to me. I never seen between slow portable amazing. It's good to see that it's hobby. It's not dead yet. Have a great day. Say hi to Wayne for me.❤

[@anthonyacampora5171]

Their stuff is affordable, the quality is good, and they do a lot of licensed stuff I love. I am a big village collector as well, so it's nice to have this option. Menard's also does Halloween and Christmas village too. They are tremendous.

[@MHRRR54]

Eric, I agree 100 percent. Our hobby needs these lower priced entry level locomotives to encourage more people to get involved and enjoy it as operators. There be plenty of time to grow their layouts and spend more if they want to and perhaps become collectors as well. I have both the Santa Fe War Bonnet and Yellow Union Pacific models and very happy with both ! Thanks!

[@RobertRussell99]

Unfortunately I've seen this same thing on Facebook marketplace selling for 400 hundred dollars

[@cobramerciless]

Menards has done such a good job in the past couple years. With so many manufacturers trying to focus on the scale market, it’s nice to see someone new stepping up to the plate for those who just want a big train to play with!

[@TobyPasman]

Back in July, a kitten came into my family. We decided to name her Chessie after the Chessie System railroad. She’s almost 4 months old now

[@Ericstrains]

Awesome!

[@Rammstein45]

Recommending these to my friend who wants to build a ceiling layout for his son. He's brand new to the hobby so this is perfect. Great models!

[@RyanKlapperich]

I was at Menards recently and they are making their fun buildings in HO scale too! I almost bought an HO scale M&M Flying Saucer just for grins and giggles. Way to go Menards!

[@dukeboy1989]

I love the glow-in-the-dark Harper cars on one of your trains

[@OldLow1361]

Menards is the new K Line or Marx in a way, also the reason the Menards units are longer is because they are FP7’s which were a mix between a F7 and an E8 in design with the steam generator

[@TeamGlockAustria]

An FP7 is not a mix with an E8 😂

[@OldLow1361]

@@TeamGlockAustria it kinda is, it has a steam generator for passenger trains like an E8 which the F7 does not have

[@HILLERYYARD]

Thank you Menards..Just bought the Milwaukee set. Thanks erica for all you do.

[@Blakes-trains]

I’m getting 2 Canadian pacific flat bed cars from Menards tonight and I’m hyped!! Love your channel Eric

[@Ericstrains]

Have fun!

[@Blakes-trains]

@@Ericstrains thanks!

[@BrianBaugh-o6r]

I'm so glad I clicked on this video and learned about Menards thank you Eric

[@gmaneis]

I'm an N scaler, but happy to see these diesels working hard to keep the hobby alive and well. Thanks for a great review.

[@AHomelessDorito]

I love my menards UP F7 from last year! I added a small amount of ballast to the powered unit and it can almost pull 1lbs of cars! Menards is definitely my favorite manufacturer!!

[@Ericstrains]

That is awesome!

[@mikebrzostowski8183]

One more comment: the sounds of engines, bells, voices, horns, are awesome. Makes it so much more realistic and fun.

[@jsrupert1037]

I have purchas3d several cars from Menards. I liked the road names, but the only thing I had a problem with was the one truck came apart. A quick e-mail to Menards and a replacement truck was supplied at no charge. Cannot fault their support!😊 truck was supplied.

[@steverontti4199]

I had to get softener salt @ Menards today, also picked up a UTLX tanker in black. I'm really hoping that they do a Rio Grande paint scheme in their next run.

[@Jared-91]

Neat products. Have you checked out the new PS-1 boxcars from RMT? Those are an amazing value.

[@Ericstrains]

Yes, reviewing one soon

[@blindjustice8373]

Totally agree, can't imagine a child playing with a $1400 Lionel.

[@confusedshovel1232]

The Milwaukee and Pennsy set looks the best imo. Hoping they would do a non-power b unit in the future to go along with the A units and speaking of the A units, those might actually be fp7 rather than a standard f7. Oh and opinions the tulsa black bonnet set they recently did

[@DFLTrains]

Lots of crew talk. Very cool

[@RealTylerBell]

you going to need a warehouse soon, or giant house lol

[@Ericstrains]

I dug out an underground storage vault 🤣

[@seanjoynt2605]

I have been looking at menards cars for quite a while. After seeing them it really sparked my interest in trains again. Thanks for the video

[@MatthewTheRBXMan]

Loved the review Eric keep it up

[@Ericstrains]

Thanks! Will do!

[@allegheny48]

Thanks for the informative review Eric. Menards has hit another home run with these models. They certainly have filled a much-needed gap in the world of affordable O gauge trains and they know how to properly market them too. The paint job on the engines is really of decent quality yet I did notice the unpainted roof fans and exhaust stacks especially the Milwaukee Road unit. The closeup of those fans at 10:21 suggests that those parts were masked off. Kinda makes one wonder why they did that? I wonder if they may be looking into adding a smoke unit on future models?

[@Ericstrains]

Not sure, but it would be neat.

[@Daehawk]

Beautiful. Makes me want to get back into N or Z scale stuff. Those LED RGB cars look like a ghost train.

[@Brayden4472]

I’m a HO/OO collector and I was given a 2001 Lionel Starter O scale set that had never been used from a friend. I also bought one few Menards F units to go with it and I love these!! Makes a great addition for a beginner!

[@aidan-hill]

Completely flabbergasted by the crewtalk. I don’t like using it on my Lionel stuff, I just think it sounds goofy and doesnt convince. But these - it was convincing, interesting, and told a story within a trip.

[@maxgraziani2379]

I really appreciate Menards making affordable O gauge trains. Much like Marx back in the day, they are helping people who can't afford legacy or expensive items. My only thing I wish Menards did was instead of the remote control I wish they did a more traditional, conventional approach like Lionel postwar trains. They probably would be simpler for them to produce and you could control the speed but again beggars can't be choosers and I appreciate their company.

[@Ericstrains]

True, but in this day and age I think most people expect a remote control. And actually, believe it or not, it's cheaper to do it this way than to make it 100% conventional.

[@evileyeball]

My dad had a Marx i played with as a child, When he passed away I didn't really have the ability to have it in my house so I gave it to my uncle who owned his uncles old Lionel O-guage set from back in the day and had space in his basement to have it. He's my moms brother but I told him, Dad would want this to see use and If I ever want to use it, I know where you live.

[@brlngtn]

I was at Menards and took a look at the rolling stock and seeing them in person they really look nice.

[@betsy662]

I like that these are offered at such an attractive price, and speaking of longevity, there are plenty of the old AHM, and Athearn and Mantua units in HO scale that are still running long after they were put out in the 1960's and 70s, I have an old K-Line F unit from the 80s, which was still running and still does, to a degree, nylon gears and all!

[@Ericstrains]

true

[@betsy662]

@@Ericstrains I think what I was trying to say was, the nylon gears in many models have certainly proven themselves over the years, so, some of these Menard's locomotives mght just be running fine when some of the Lionels will be in the bone yard!

[@charlesmcclure5994]

They definitely nailed the fun Factor I would be happy with a set, maybe Menards should think of coming out with an aftermarket improved set of gears for these engines 👍👍

[@JoltKing627]

I love how in the upsidown world of o scale model trains you can say "$230" and "super budget friendly" in the same sentence and not be laughed out of a room

[@Ericstrains]

There it is. Thank you.

[@MrSEANDEERE]

Those are so nice! Pennsy and the Milwaukee are gorgeous. I hope Menards gets into the HO loco and rolling stock game one day!

[@johnandrus3901]

A very nice review. Menard's has a great line-up of cars and locomotives, plus their buildings and track. Hopefully, passenger cars are on the horizon. The big curves on my layout are O72 and O96 Menard's. Everything is pretty good quality and priced perfectly, not just for the people entering the hobby, but those that are on a tighter budget. Good stuff, all the way around. An excellent review and video, as always.

[@angeloavanti2538]

I think they're great. For all the reasons you site and more. They can really boogie too. Keep those gears greased and they last a long time.

[@mzinet2099]

Hi Eric. Just got a Menards caboose, like yours. Its the Pennsy caboose. I am having buzzing problems with the lights and after 7 minutes or so, the lights start flickering. I'm using the Lionel Power GW-180, which is the Power Brick and CW-80 like dummy controller. I have the Menards Pennsy train too and recently also got the ATSF flat car with lighted car and those work fine. I have no problem with my other LionChief train either. It's lighted searchlight and caboose are fine. So, that is the AC power running, but when I test the caboose on DC power, I get no buzzing and no flickering at all. Tested for 30 minutes and its fine. On my GW-180, I did decrease my power down so the Pennsy engine would start so fast, but I tried cranking up the AC power on my GW-180 to about 18 volts and it does the same thing. I would hate to have to return the caboose. Since it works on DC power just fine, I'm thinking maybe is something I'm not thinking of with my AC power. - Any advice or help is greatly appreciated. - Thanks.

[@mikebrzostowski8183]

Looks great to me! It's a fantastic hobby! Thanks for all the information!

[@Ericstrains]

Thanks for watching!

[@alexanderpoirier3350]

These are nice engines and will definitely attract new customers to the hobby. Hoping they add Canadian Pacific and Canadian National/Grand Trunk Western, and maybe your own custom railroad Eric. Also, those Menards specific cars with either their name or their dog look fantastic behind the diesels. Hoping they also add a B unit, which they might. They might have the B unit couplers attach closer to the A units to reduce the distance. Also, somebody probably suggested China, Texas as a joke at a board meeting but the higher ups liked the idea so much that they went ahead and put a factory there. I didn’t even know there was a China, Texas! Thanks for the great videos Eric and keep enjoying your trains!

[@Guytrains]

Thanks!

[@Ericstrains]

Thank you!🙏

[@bubbaskywalker3129]

I love the Menards product reviews. I really look forward to them. 😂

[@BearCreekWoodworking]

Awesome Crew Talk!!! 🚂

[@EngineerEd-xt2qu]

There is a fourth the Santa Fe black warbonnet

[@Ericstrains]

There is a another Skywalker.

[@OldLow1361]

@@EricstrainsNice Empire reference

[@bigcharliesmodelgarage296]

Great review. Seems like a lot of train for the money. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend 😀

[@mikebrzostowski8183]

They may not be the top quality of Lionel but they allow one to afford to increase their rolling stock much quicker due to the lower prices. It's a great hobby, I got my first train for Christmas in 1957 when I was 7 years old had a 4x8 board this added another 4x8 for 4x16 layout. Ran the heck out of the trains I accumulated as I could. Now they still run, and now belong to my grandson who now has a following of 1,118 follows on utube! It's still a great and popular hobby.

[@glindabeaven6805]

Always loved the stream liner engines when i was a kid with the Railroad was behind my house

[@FrederickJMehrhof]

Thanks for showing and running these affordable trains please pass on by telling Menards to keep up the great works

[@evileyeball]

Nice CN tanker on that one train... I love seeing Canadian Rolling stock on your layout hehe Go CANADA

[@zacharyspinks6207]

These Diesel Locomotives are Incredible, Great Review Eric.👍

[@angelhelp6819]

Good afternoon Eric I am so happy you back on KZbin I like this video is very excited when you buy a new locomotives🎉 I hope you will run them on display I'm making new videos 📸 Eric and good luck on Menards

[@trainfan4449]

The PRR units sound system, at least on mine, is set for a Pburg PA to Crestline OH run over the Fort Wayne Line. Likely, each road has a specific line its meant to run on. Most sound effect crew talks are genaric except for the ones specifically for rhe location names.

[@kevinmartin9940]

Great review of budget friendly engines by Menards. Agree the they fill a huge void in the market. The road specific crew talk is fantastic and puts Lionel, MTH, Atlas to shame. If Menards can put those types of sounds and voices sequences in a $150.00 engine so can Lionel, MTH and Atlas. Well done Menards!!!

[@CentralPARailfan28]

I can appreciate the affordability of these models, even as an HO scale guy we dont have very many affordable entry points into the hobby anymore.

[@rodrossi9749]

The Santa Fe Black Bonnet set is FANTASTIC !!! YEP....IT'S NEW TOO.....👍👍👍

[@denisebasile3813]

Beautiful thanks for the video I am looking for a affordable O scale engine I on a fixed income

[@halfcircle63]

I love Menard's stuff! That's exactly how I can afford to get my grandsons hooked on this hobby!! One small correction, the $150 and $80 price of these locomotives DOES include their 11% rebate...

[@MrDanielmarlowe]

My favorite is the Milwaukee Road. I wish on the Pennsylvania they would’ve had the name a little bit smaller.

[@obvious2886]

The Pennsylvania locomotives paint job made my jaw drop

[@michaelramsey82]

The extra length of the Menards F unit is because it's actually an FP7, not an F3 as advertised. These were longer than a standard F unit because they had a steam generator for heating passenger cars.

[@Guytrains]

I have the Pennsylvania but will get the others soon I also have the frist bata run paid a little too much but I’m happy. I also have your special run love it and I want to say thank you because you have inspired me so thanks👍👍👍👍👍🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@Guytrains]

If they had better quality control they would kill it in the market

[@steamrailwilly]

I wouldn’t be surprised if they are working on passenger cars. They have a Menardsville station, an Amtrak station, and the crew-talk of each release mentions an Amtrak train.

[@GlennFresch]

I think the Menards prototype is the FP7, so it should be a bit longer than a freight F unit.

[@howardbaum]

Great entry level trains as you point out. By the way, when will the york meet and greet video be out?

[@peterd.9893]

Will the all of the Lionel class a atlantics and the passenger cars in the fantasy schemes ever release?

[@johnbeck3270]

Menard’s has done it again! With proper care, these should last a long time. I still wonder what motivated a home improvement center to get into model trains? Like you stated, Menard’s had filled a niche that needed to be filled badly.

[@joshuacantu101]

Very cool and budget-friendly

[@richardgiammarino7568]

Gomez from The Addams Family would have a blast with these

[@Ericstrains]

no doubt!

[@william2william]

This is something affordable that can get kids into the hobby of toy/model trains.

[@RobertFrei-q8k]

hi eric those menard engines are super nice runners they look great .

[@Ericstrains]

Thanks 👍

[@haydenrichardp3712]

I don’t mind the poor paint and other small imperfections but longevity is a must for the drivetrain. Time will tell especially when considering who will be operating them.

[@Chessie1985]

Nice engines Eric!!!

[@ChazzLyons]

Thank you Eric!! Great video 👍

[@Ericstrains]

Glad you liked it!

[@MachRacer4]

The Milwaukee Road and C&NW F units from Menard’s are longer due to being the FP7 instead of the standard F7.

[@ericwilliams2619]

Awesome looking locomotives 🚂 I agree with you 💯 the crew talk dialog is extraordinary sounds very realistic 👍🏻✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[@Doc.6466]

Killer crew talk sequences. Ironically way better than most TMCC and legacy locomotives 😂 imo a slightly better horn and bell, some metal gears, and these things are basically perfect.

[@obvious2886]

I would love to see Menards make a different body for the locomotive as emd made a couple different locomotives with this same chassis. This could allow for a cheap way to introduce a second locomotive. If I’m not mistaken it’s a gp7 or something like that that shares the chassis with the f unit

[@AaronSparks-g1x]

Just yesterday I bought the powered Milwaukee F with track and 2 cars for about 250.

[@martinfletcher6715]

I am digging the beard and the trains Eric

[@mikebrzostowski8183]

Yes, Menards provides a great way to start the hobby, unless someone is a real stickler for detail, running gear the rolling stock and engines, it's the way to go.

[@donttreadonmetal5073]

Cool engines, although i would note the ahistorical big emblems on the MLW & CNW units. Gotta love that cancer warning on the main box label.

[@UP-gv9bn]

I think the auto rack cars they've released are a bit of a testing bed for those larger stock such as passenger cars. Regardless I hope we see that in the next couple years

[@jimmyseaver3647]

I've seen A-A sets of F-units in HO run for a higher cost than Menards' locomotives. Honestly, if they were to release their own line of HO trains, they'd make a killing. I can deal with 'cheaper' mechanisms as long as they can be easily maintained.

[@Ericstrains]

They make some HO stuff already, not sure of the extent of it though.

[@jimmyseaver3647]

@@Ericstrains From what I've seen, it's structures. Not bad to decorate the layout, but they've yet to put out anything to actually run on it aside from what Bachmann stuff they carry.

[@OldLow1361]

@@jimmyseaver3647they should take a shot at it, would be the at the same level as the 1980s Bachmann locos

[@asteroidrules]

​@@jimmyseaver3647Some of the Bachmann stuff they carry is in livery or sets exclusive to them, which is probably a sign that they're not planning on making any HO trains on their own any time soon.

[@LousTrains1523]

These menards engines seem like a great deal, I have a few of their rolling stock and like them very much. The number specific dialog is very awesome and I still shocked that you have to reach Vision Line in Lionel to get something like it. Out of all the construction elements on these model trains, replaying a voice recording is one of the easiest of things to accomplish.

[@edwardwilliamson2654]

Hey Eric! I love these FP7s, but I don’t love that super fast first speed step. Have you played around with any of yours, wiring the motors in series, or any other tricks to slow them down a bit? Just curious if you had performed any experiments…

[@Rammstein45]

Can they make it around the entire layout with just the remote?

[@Ericstrains]

Yes

[@gregleuze6657]

Menards is providing a price point that the other model train companies abandoned. I look at Menards as a legit competitor as they have the engines, rolling stock, track, switches, and buildings. Do they have their own transformer(s)? At this point one could almost have a Menards only layout.

[@mslickstrains]

Crew talk has everyone else sweating right now

[@TonyFleetwood]

I have a bunch of their rolling stock and I'm a fan! It's fun going to different ones and seeing what they have, it's always a gamble!

[@jamesdenny4734]

Say Eric, is there enough room to add extra weight in the powered engines? 🤔

[@Ericstrains]

You could if you wanted to

[@steverontti4199]

I think that Eric has shown how he added some weight in the powered unit in the beta engines.

[@AEStudt]

I would like to get one of these but never can find them in my area . Even when u see the adds for them

[@LD1-38]

23:12 "Brake test looks good. Looks like a light load!" The wordplay and irony.

[@michaelellison]

That awesome

[@anthonycoach4551]

What kinda moters do they have are they can type or are they in the wheels ??and am I seeing correctly does the number boards light up Wow even better let me know..

[@Ericstrains]

What the entire video and you’ll have your answer 😀

[@anthonycoach4551]

@@Ericstrains I can't really make out does the number boards light up....and I did watch the whole video I went back where u had it appart and yes it has can moters that's so crazy my F3 has the same ones nuts I will try to git one or 2 these in the future

[@Ericstrains]

The number boards do light up.

[@anthonycoach4551]

@@Ericstrains holy crap ok thanks I've gotta git me one these

[@HighballMachineWorks]

Ok, we have the MILWAUKEE ROAD, how much longer before we get GRAND TRUNK? After all, if you watch the railfan meme compilations, MILW and GTW are the most memed.

[@asteroidrules]

On one hand I'd love more GT stuff, on the other they never painted their F units in as good a livery as their geeps.

[@HighballMachineWorks]

@@asteroidrules looking at photos though, Menards has options, they can do knockoff CN or John Deere Heaven. It’s no sky blue with a red nose, but it’s something, and they probably could take the creative liberties to do it if they wanted to.

[@anthonycoach4551]

That is sooo crazy how well they talk and how many phrases they say for that kinda money I wish I could git one of these I don't have a Maynards around my area..heck these things look just as good as my MTH stuff I'm not worried about the paint who in the world will see that from a distance the only I don't like is the plastic gears thoes will break or time and where can u find parts for them hummmm but for the price I'd have to git a couple these just to have for the talking feature I like engines that talk that's why I love my MTH so much..

[@gottardofanatic]

In Europe 0 scale trains are often out of reach due to high prices. The manufactuers of those models are almost all producing brass models mostly handmade in China and Korea,beautiful ones but not affordable for everyone unfortunately😑Train fans in the U.S have it much better! Affordable prices,500 USD for an Sd-70 or ES44AC is just fair...AND MENARDS IS JUST BEATING THEM ALL!🤛 I already own a Menards F-3 and an ES44AC(LIONEL NON POWERED)BOTH LOOK GREAT🤗USA-EUROPE 0 SCALE... 1-0👌

[@brianlohr3412]

Eric do they make a B units ? very nice units

[@officialpennsyjoe]

I have to disagree with mechanical quality. I would rather have an affordable, reliable model. If metal gears makes them 10 dollars more, then that is worth it honestly. I can do away with the cab space with the crew figures as a ballance. Quality afforable models will get people talking about Menards models in the long term and with a following.

[@kevinswan8311]

Good from far, far from good.

[@KearSki]

Being FP9s, I almost wish they had an Amtrak livery and some passenger cars. Bein' early amtrak they could even do them in multiple road names for the rainbow era.

[@Ericstrains]

I think they will eventually put out their own passenger cars.

[@davidlewis9068]

What powers the Menards AA sets with remotes? AC transformers?

[@Eyrrll]

Any conventional AC transformer will work. You set them around 16-18 volts or so and control all sound and movement from the remote.