The New Menards Union Pacific Engines: Ultra Affordable O Gauge Fun!

[@MilePost106]

One thing I love about Menards trains, they are affordable for us on fixed incomes. Even the railcar and vehicles are affordable and that’s all I was ever able to afford. No complaints from me on Menards train stuff.

[@marknewman3360]

Never knew about these

[@Fridge56Vet]

Menards continues to fill a much needed entry-level space in the O gauge hobby. A good bit of dialogue, too.

[@TooManyHobbiesJeremy]

I like that the trucks & fuel tank are painted vs the chrome of the SF models. Also, the amount of crew talk was impressive.

[@randytaylor1258]

You're a real training, Eric. It's great to hear the genuine fun in your voice as you test out new equipment. Woo-woo!

[@trainsNwrestlin]

Main takeaways of this locomotive are; The trucks are no longer a blaring chrome... which is nice The horn no longer abruptly stops after you depress the button The locomotive itself doesn't abruptly stop So yeah, it has some more room for improvement, but it's good for what it is... Overall it is a solid step-forward, and I'm excited for the future with Menards!

[@Ericstrains]

Yep they're getting better and better at it with each generation. It's fun to watch.

[@monmixer]

The Menard's train is fine. The layout is the jewel here.

[@davidstrainsandlego]

Love to see menards doing something different. I'm looking to pick up some 1/48 scale vehicles from them

[@dacfile275]

me to, I wish they would stop the service charges and mail in rebates

[@billsmith5401]

Eric, i love the fact that you get what Menards mission statement seems to be, to make O gauge affordable to everyone. So much Menards bashing going on! You are fair, and your comments are constructive! I am an MTH guy but i appreciate as you seem to what Menards is trying to do! Great review!

[@officialpennsyjoe]

I think they should add dummy B-units as well to add more to the model. They can also do a double A-A powered set and have both run on the same controller. Basically one petmanently under the same address as the main A unit connected to the controller.

[@deepsleep7822]

Good idea, but probably won’t happen. The tooling cost might be prohibitive.

[@jimmyseaver3647]

Menard's fills what I consider to be an important niche in model trains. Their stuff might not be overly prototypical, but they look decent and are affordable.

[@randallellison6421]

These look great Eric! I love the fact Menards is doing something for the budget conscious and beginner model railroaders and these locomotives fit the bill nicely! Even though I'm in HO and not O scale, I'll say this, its great having highly detailed locomotives and rolling stock with all the features and all, but sometimes it's nice to just go back to the basics and simply just have fun playing with trains, and Menards seems to be filling that need nicely!

[@bradleymcwilliams6348]

Strikes me that Menards is the only model RR manufacturer that is actually a customer of the railroads they offer as models.

[@DaimosZ]

If anything that probably makes them more qualified to do model trains. Takes a rail customer to know rail customers.

[@bernardconeghen]

can not wait to get one not only affordable but instead of dull silver trucks there fully chromed looks awesome

[@metal_1520]

As someone looking to expand into the hobby, these look like a great entry point. Thank you for putting these on display for us.

[@ericwilliams2619]

Extraordinary realistic cab Chatter on a friendly Budget locomotive ✨️✨️✨️✨️👍🏻Eric you own an extraordinary layout and collection

[@Machia52612]

Mernards has definitely improved the performance of their engines, and it’s opening the hobby to more people!

[@banjoplayingbison2275]

Growing up in the Midwest i miss Menard’s, it’s so cool to see them make Trains!

[@MadMax-sc1su]

I really appreciate Menards for making affordable trains, I find it very respectable, the same reason why I love the old Marx trains company.

[@simplsquam]

i am amazed at the improvment between the earlier menards locomotives. it may be the thing that pushes me over the edge to buy one since you can really tell they want to make them better

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Let's see a Menard's set of Soo Line "covered wagons" in the original maroon color scheme next.

[@davevan8864]

I have two ATSF units, power and dummy, that I like a lot. I'd buy the UP units if not for the big flag logo. I fly the flag daily at home....but never did a UP F unit run with big flags on the side. Thx

[@thesheq5023]

Finally someone doing affordable toy trains!

[@CalebsTrains]

Love the improvements! These are really nice for the price. Great review! Happy Railroading!

[@Eyrrll]

I got into this hobby about a year ago, and I am still in the middle of building my first layout. I kind of went a little crazy on the size of the layout, deciding to make it as big as possible now and avoiding future expansion problems. The side effect of all that is that is that I am spending almost all of my train budget on the table/layout… leaving very little for actual trains. The Menards stuff has been FANTASTIC for me, because I can still occasionally buy some actual trains (while I am still building the layout). I bought this engine and dummy unit and I am very glad I did. It gives me something modern to run around my basic track… even if the layout is pretty bare otherwise. Thanks for the videos. I have learned a lot here over the past several months.

[@johnbeck3270]

The layout “issue” has hit all of us in the beginning, and if a modeler tells you otherwise, we’ll….. I think we all liked the idea of the big rail empire. If you pick up a copy of “ A 101 Track Plans” go to the back and check out “ If I Had a Million” and you’ll see what I mean. Good luck and remember, we’re in this crazy hobby for fun!

[@loco4locos142]

Looking to start an O gauge layout for my birthday, thanks for showing me Menards! I was looking to get an extra locomotive to pair with the Lionel Super chief set to put the coaches together, now I know where to look. I was scared I was gonna have to go with N or HO scale

[@justincole1510]

Ok, I thought hearing “Menards” doing model trains until I saw the box and logo name’s font and knew immediately it was them. I’m laughing right now because there’s a Menards store down the road from my house and my mom used to worked there. Loved that store so much

[@SchaeferOGaugeLoggingRR]

Love Menards products. I have a couple of their buildings and many of their cars. Love their prices. And a bunch of great crew talk.

[@silverfox5319]

Menards has done very well with this release. For what you spend you certainly get your money's worth.

[@leterguyschroeder4919]

Got mine last week and really enjoy it.

[@Eyrrll]

Same here.

[@jerryhubbard4461]

When I was a kid, my first train was an F unit with both engines and the middle power unit. I got it for Christmas. When I got it out of the box, it has two non power units. Boy was I upset. It took another week for Santa to bring my power unit. It was Lionel set painted in red and silver. That is about all I remember of that train. My friend across the street had a set by Lionel and it was the heavy cast set. It was also an F unit. Is is possible to find those anymore? This was back about 1960. Not sure the scale of either of the trains. Santa brought him an expensive. train.

[@BearCreekWoodworking]

The crew talk is AWESOME!!! 👍🚂

[@AndrewNeilFalconer]

LIONEL only did the specific road number crew talk for all locos between 1995-2000.

[@kevinbeverly4086]

Those are super awesome for budget O gauge locomotives.

[@kevinbeverly4086]

I liked the blue bonnet. I've been waiting to see more from Menards.

[@johnbutler1323]

I saw someone who pointed out that the reason these are an inch longer than the Lionel F3s is that they are actually FP7s which were four feet longer than standard F7s to make room for a steam generator for passenger service.

[@DJE2025]

👍👍Very good review and demo! Can't beat the Menards pricing, makes O gauge affordable to get started. Menards has some affordable buildings in O & HO and some are actually pretty cool looking. This was my first visit to your channel, I'm now a subscriber I enjoy seeing other modelers layouts in any gauge. I'm building a HO layout. 🚂🚂

[@BlamesmokeBuffaloNy]

I like the radio noise prior to talking.

[@SkiVail]

This is what you get when a Railfan makes a product really for there own enjoyment! Fun all around!

[@gamingwiththeboys-nf3wb]

it's a beautiful train I really love the paint and just looks awesome

[@HILLERYYARD]

Thank you Menards

[@johnbeck3270]

Menards has done it again! These units will fill the bill for the budget minded O gauger for sure. The “play value” on these locomotives is fantastic. I hope Menards will continue manufacturing these nice trains, the one really big issue I have with the model railroad industry right now is “limited run” mentality. If you don’t get it now, you won’t be able to get it later. Even manufacturers like Bachmann have fallen into this. As I mentioned before, keep it up Menards!

[@allhailcaesar]

Saw this and immediately ordered..looked on e bay and running between 3 and 350...glad Menard still had em in stock!

[@engineerpat5290]

IM AM IMPRESSED WITH MENARDS O GAUGE TRAINS! Love the Crew talk and I agree the horn is much better!!

[@henryszubielski8601]

Eric, These look darn nice! As you and others have said, it is nice that Menards takes the feedback to progressively improve the product. Got to say that they did a good job with a paint scheme that is more difficult. Have fun with them and thank you for the review.

[@Ericstrains]

Thanks!

[@Allnightexplor]

Good review Eric. Great job comparison with the Santa Fe and the crew talk is cool!

[@chiconian49]

I hate to admit it. This old prewar and postwar guy was impressed.

[@MrBnsftrain]

I noticed some light bleed on these locomotives, especially when you ran them through tunnels. Maybe covering the inside of the body with black would help

[@zacharyspinks6207]

This is Incredible!, the New Menards Union Pacific Engines are Amazing, Especially the Crew talk sounds Awesome.😃👍

[@rickpalo1]

Another great review! Thank you .

[@dacfile275]

just got mine and ran it for an hour, in my humble opinion, it the best bang for the buck... my paint is good no stuck buttons, runs great, here comes the butt,,, the rear coupler needs a height adjustment.. back to youTube I go. I have Lionel LionChiefs and welcome this one... now make a Rio Grande road name

[@agenttexx]

Knowing Menard's, they probably approached Lionel asking for sets similar to those offered to True Value by K Line in the 90s, but Lionel wouldn't give them a break on pricing. Instead, they bypassed and went straight to the OEM. I had a relative that retired as a Menard's VP and they put him to work his last few years before they would allow him to retire.

[@edwardcurtis9552]

Nice!!! Menards removed the chrome excellent move to more realistic look.thanks Eric you rock. Keep it going looking forward to the next video.

[@jakekreutzer]

Would’ve been cool if Menards picked up some of the budget MTH RailKing tooling, the starter set 2-8-0 and some of the diesels come to mind. They could’ve likely offered them at a low cost not having to make a sole profit off them. Also, I think their crew talk sounds MUCH more organic (tones or voice, radio sounds, etc) than Lionel or MTH. Great video! Can’t wait to see what more they come out with as they improve over time!

[@johnbeck3270]

It would be nice to see some steam, maybe even some “old timey” stuff as well.

[@markharley7474]

Lionel bought many MTH dies.

[@fmsteve1222]

given that i grew up in the MPC era of Lionel, these locomotives are a far better product when you compare the two I think the best feature improved or not, is the radio chatter, it's probably the least cheesy and somewhat more "true to life" and from the looks of it the powered unit can pull a decent train given that the top end on the demo "manifest" was cooking along pretty good might be worth it to get a second powered unit and swap shells with the dummy, as long as you could find a way to sync them to function together properly

[@therailroadempire7993]

Menards is making a decent profit margin on the trains

[@MrDanielmarlowe]

I have all 3 4.5 units. I love them all this one does have the best horn better than the Santa Fe 4.5s. I painted inside of the shell black to stop the light bleed thru which is my only complaint about these units for the $$.

[@BearCreekWoodworking]

I was thinking 15 years ago some said that our hobby was dying. Now we have a new manufacturer with an affordable price point. This should allow many more people to start running trains and fall in love with our hobby. Meaning that our hobby is not dying, but instead perhaps at the start of a new Golden Era! 👏😃😁

[@jakekreutzer]

Would love to see someone do a nice weathering job on one of these or some other mods. They seem like a good low cost way to practice weathering or customizing a locomotive.

[@MrDanielmarlowe]

They actually sell weathered box cars cheap. I have some they are really good.

[@michaelc1664]

I love menards. These i wouldnt mind weathering. The more expensive egines and my post wars i would never

[@paulmiller5337]

Thanks for the video Eric. I received mine yesturday. After 5 laps around my layout the engines wheels started to squeak.badly. I took the body shell off and oiled the axels and used grease for plastic gears. The engine runs fine now. I don't believe there was any lub from the factory. I think the sounds are great.

[@Ericstrains]

Yeah, mine started squeaking too. A little oil took care of that.

[@steamrailwilly]

I ordered both units, as well as the UP flashing caboose and UP Operation Lifesaver Boxcar. The caboose and boxcar arrived today, so I’m expecting the units tomorrow.

[@Factoryf98]

Super cool! Thanks again Eric!

[@mrsam6751]

For me just slow the bell down and that will do it. Great looking model. Thanks for letting it rip !

[@bigcharliesmodelgarage296]

Pretty cool Eric. If l had O gauge these would be the cat's meow. Thanks for the review and sharing. 😊

[@aidensypolt]

I'll try this Union Pacific FA-A set, Eric. This is a great review!

[@MMID303]

The crew talk really surprised me. It's actually great.

[@miguelangelgarrido7233]

Hola buen dia excelente video muy bueno la locomotora abrazo grande

[@flyboyu777]

Those units are really nice for the price-I think Lionel could learn a thing or 2 from the Menards “Crew Talk”‘dialogue-really nice feature. It’s like the tower and engineer are actually in a conversation instead chopped up phrases.

[@Ericstrains]

Video Notes: 1) This video has chapter for those who wish to skip around. 2) The diesel sounds on the powered unit can be turned down for those who like silence. 3) At 9:40 I meant to say "1 Pound, 5 Ounces" of pulling power. 4) I bought a matching box car and caboose from Menards, but they didn't arrive in time for this video. :(

[@levidarling5107]

At least you still have the cheap yet awesome locomotives! 😉

[@OG-Productions]

Who would want to skip around anyway

[@railchief74]

I checked on the Menards website and shocking they still have them in stock

[@OG-Productions]

Nice

[@rodrossi9749]

Non powered are gone.

[@johnhartz21779]

I think they got it locked in for the price. The horn is fixed & no crazy crome. Can it get better? Yeah, but for the price it's good. Can get one for the kids to play with when dad isn't there. Run the nice Lionel, MTH, Atlas... when dad is there. Makes a great entry option! They probably should sell it next to transformers. Put a note on the outside saying what you need to get to running. Maybe a link to an online start up/setup guide. Nice job Menards! 👏 Maybe in the future have a level up with electro couplers and smoke. (Not water vapor)

[@animalyze7120]

Great video! I could never pay that much for an incorrect 3 rail setup however. Still fun to see a good layout and trains rolling and man that is a huge setup!

[@Ericstrains]

Actually it’s not incorrect. Most people don’t know this, but real trains run on 3 rail track as well. The central rail is typically painted with clear paint, making it very hard to see.

[@fmphotooffice5513]

Top speed is right on the money, not too slow or too fast to control. Looks pretty much like when Amtrak goes by at high speed.

[@alancicero9654]

Menard's is now offering this UP Locomotive in a combination set. It's the powered 4694 with a UP caboose, small transformer and some basic track. The cost is $249.99 for the whole set. So if you missed the opportunity to purchase the individual locomotives like I did, you can still get one now. Can't wait to get it up and running.

[@Ericstrains]

Yep

[@nollster8]

No BFIMO? But I think the crew talk would win the award! Great video as always!

[@gumpgump3635]

I've been watching this menards train for a while know because I want to eventually get back into model trains. I used to have HO scale trains, but I really like O scale due to the size. I recently found on30 which feels like a happy medium in size and the price seems the same as HO. Narrow gauge trains also seem to have there own character. I think that on30 would be my choice if i decide to get into model railroading again.

[@TrainTracker911]

We love the American Flag on the trains. Bravo Menards!

[@NathanLougy]

Loved this BETA release! But if your video is accurate in coloring, then mine got the low end of the paint stick. Yours looks like the normal UP yellow, and mine is like a Cheese Wiz orange. Actually, lots of my coloring seems a little faded compared to yours, so maybe that’s more the problem. But anywho, I still love them! 😊

[@Ericstrains]

Yeah, they're paint quality tends to vary widely. But, they're cheap!

[@NathanLougy]

@@Ericstrains and I love them all the more for it!

[@johnbeck3270]

For fun, look at the UP locomotives out on the rails and see just how many shades of “Armor Yellow” you can find.

[@darrylwhite232]

Thank you for the very informative video. I look forward to receiving this loco on july 26.

[@poconotrainman]

I agree, the crew talk is amazing. Lionel better step it up.

[@Demon_Outlaw]

Great budget train set.

[@stevenmiller5696]

Thank you

[@donaldwiller9238]

Great review 👏 good looking Engine 👌

[@denisebasile3813]

Beautiful engines I wish you the best of luck God bless you and your family and I wish years of enjoyment your layout is absolutely

[@Ericstrains]

Thank you very much!

[@denisebasile3813]

Absolutely beautiful you're an inspiration I have 80 right now but I've had every size and I have an o scale that I've been saving up for him almost done paying it off almost

[@414cyclerider2]

I also want to say real units have paint imperfections, too. Might be cool to weather one.

[@ELWtrains]

Good video thanks for sharing locos look 👍

[@rustingparts]

These are going to be a super detailers dream. A little bit of work and you will have a incredibly nice looking model for CHEAP

[@latinalover2715]

Close coupling would be an improvement.

[@Chessie1985]

Very nice Eric!!!

[@danielboone3770]

I love these diesels!

[@gordonsnell6735]

Very nice Eric 👍👍

[@DominicMazoch]

Need to do SP/Cotton Belt Black Widow.

[@valdweel]

These are FP 7s Theywere use for passwnger service. They were later reveared for freight.

[@mikefinney5269]

I received mine a couple days ago. I agree with your assessment. (no BFIMO?) If I were to point out a small issue with these units, the number boards light up quite a bit of the nose of the unit. I did not notice this on the Warbonnet units. A bit of silver paint or possibly some aluminum foil inside the shell to block the light would solve this. Also my couplers don't match up real well. Not sure if it is possible to adjust this. They also require a pretty good smack to close, but as you point out, for the money I love them! The paint on mine seem a bit better than on yours.

[@jackstoyOgaugetrains]

I got an A-A set of the Union Pacific's 3 days ago. They are really nice for the money. Get of around the Christmas tree. Wish they had smoke and brass gears. But just as they are I like them. Hope I can catch a set of Santa Fe units. They named the dog with good name. I'd also like to know what the little black things are. Your videos are very good. Great description information.

[@timothystevenhoward]

I like the air brakes sounds. Have you noticed they have released a ton of new freight cars in the last 2 months. Not sure if that was intentional but i'm getting tons of email alerts lately. Their stuff isn't as detailed, but its definitely focused on fun.

[@rickknight8950]

great job MENARDS!

[@RaysTrains]

I love theseeeee

[@RyanWehr]

Wow they move fast

[@dalenelson6021]

The nose light glows threw the front end can this be painted black on the inside?

[@plunkervillerr1529]

Say Eric, I know money is no object, but how about seeing some of your skills of handy work in building custom locomotives?

[@Ericstrains]

Money is always an object lol.