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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 15:33:10 GMT
Wood Menards uses a variety of trucks on their cars. What type do you have on the flats?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 15:49:52 GMT
Wood Menards uses a variety of trucks on their cars. What type do you have on the flats? I do not have a lot of experience with Menards. Here is the description of what is on there. The 11 1/2" flat had a low grade truck with thumbtack uncoupler and a coupler draw bar that did not rotate. Totally cheap! The 14" car has a moving drawbar and a better uncoupler which is activated by a magnet underneath the truck, not a thumbtack. The 14" is what I am trying to use. Both trucks are 2.5mm narrower that the MTH or Lionel trucks.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 15:56:49 GMT
Wood I'm guessing those are the slide type trucks. Must be the slides hitting the switches. If you don't need the slides for uncoupling you could remove them and see if it helps. You are correct about Menards trucks on their cars .... they suck! That's the one thing that keeps me from purchasing more of their cars.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 15:57:59 GMT
BTW an easy way to test - cover the slide with electrical tape.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 16:06:28 GMT
Wood I'm guessing those are the slide type trucks. Must be the slides hitting the switches. If you don't need the slides for uncoupling you could remove them and see if it helps. You are correct about Menards trucks on their cars .... they suck! That's the one thing that keeps me from purchasing more of their cars. If you mean "slide" like in the bottom of the truck magnetic clip for releasing the coupler, it is not that. It is the actual wheel bumping into the 3rd rail power strip in the switch. Remember Ross and Gargraves us a middle power rail that curves into the middle of the switch and sometimes is too close to the outside rail. I have had a few problems with this in the past and all you do is push the rail closer to the center. Simple fix. Not this time, with the smaller 1/8' dimension of the wheels they slide on a curve right into the power rail. You are correct about Menards trucks on their cars .... they suck! That's the one thing that keeps me from purchasing more of their cars.I am on eBay right now looking for flats. Menards rolling stock will not be on my layout.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 16:17:15 GMT
Wood I figured you'd have experience with those type trucks. Sounds like the only option is changing the trucks. If you do that you saved nothing and actually pay more in the end. Maybe you can get lucky and find replacements for cheap.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 18:44:14 GMT
Wood I figured you'd have experience with those type trucks. Sounds like the only option is changing the trucks. If you do that you saved nothing and actually pay more in the end. Maybe you can get lucky and find replacements for cheap. I am very glad Menards has entered the Model Train Hobby and it appears to be doing very well. I believe a lot of their success is derived from the marketing of inexpensive products that look very nice. They have done a great job of marketing and offering addons to your purchase. Like "free" lighted vehicles, which I received 3 with my last purchase. The problem for the hobbyist is that some of their products simply do hot hold up under the demands of a detail oriented layout. More then anything else they are entry level sellers. That is wonderful, helping young families put a train up at reasonable cost. I paid $39.00 for a flat car with a lighted truck. It simply does not work on my layout, without making radical changes. I just paid $99.00 for a club car. No problem....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2020 18:27:17 GMT
OK, OK, OK. I whined about these Menards cars all day yesterday. After searching for alternative flats I went back to the table and dragged the Menards flat around the layout. It appeared to me that there were only 7 switches that caused the sparking. They were all Gargraves switches which have a double power rail at the frog. I was able to bend the power rail in and stopped the sparking. So I'm good and will use the Menards flats. They do look good. Do remember though that the gauge is 2.5mm narrower than MTH or Lionel.
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Post by Country Joe on Feb 10, 2020 21:01:44 GMT
Wood, I'm glad you were able to find a solution so you could use the Menards flat cars.
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Post by Zeke on Feb 10, 2020 22:38:21 GMT
Good news! Glad you got it figured out.
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Post by josef on Feb 10, 2020 23:06:17 GMT
Somehow, I figured you wouldn't throw in the towel and end up solving and finding a solution. Proud of you.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 15:35:10 GMT
Wood nice solve! I was having issues with my Gargraves switch. Cars were sparking and unhooking. I fixed it by eliminating it. Only Ross switches on my layout.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 19:40:11 GMT
Wood nice solve! I was having issues with my Gargraves switch. Cars were sparking and unhooking. I fixed it by eliminating it. Only Ross switches on my layout. I sure would love to do that. Hands down Ross are the best. Overall the Gargraves have worked good for me, a little tweaking here and there and saved about 60% of the cost of Ross. I am a track junkie and have 43 switches. It adds up..
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 20:12:10 GMT
Thanks everyone. I ordered two more flats and now this consist will be 7 cars, 4 articulated and 3 flats. Waiting for Plastruck parts so I can start building the towers.
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Post by josef on Feb 11, 2020 21:04:20 GMT
Thanks everyone. I ordered two more flats and now this consist will be 7 cars, 4 articulated and 3 flats. Waiting for Plastruck parts so I can start building the towers. Get a couple vessels which will be "exchangers", and with plastruck inspection plates added to top and bottom and at each end you'll have some great exchangers as shown in video's. These were for heavy material, pre-heat raw oil, and final heat to recover more light ends and send to towers. For transporting on truck or railcars these manholes were usually covered with plywood cut to size. A barrel of oil (42 gals) one would get 47% Gasoline, 23% Diesel/heating oil, 10% Jet Fuel,3% asphalt. The remaining would be petroleum products, waxes, and Bunker oil (one grade above asphalt). Your tower could also come from a Chemical plant. If you wish to number it it of course have a "T" designation and were in the process it would be, a refinery maybe a 300 number or in a chemical plant it might be at the end of a process to recover, or final product process and those I've seen are in the 900 to 1100 number designations. "T-901", etc.
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