The Rumor mill has it that Canadian Superstore is going to release a President's Choice train set for Christmas this year. It's been a few year's since the last one (with Canadian National Loco #6060) S0 I'm wondering has anyone seen them yet or is this just a rumor?
Can. Superstore Pres. choice train set
- Thread starter Glen Haasdyk
- Start date
A 4-6-4 Class K5a Hudson numbered CN 5702 with matching Vanderbilt tender. Produced by Mehano for the Loblaw's chain of grocery stores in Canada.
Can motor w/flywheel, 10.5 oz. weight, crisp paint and lettering, metal handrails/coupler bars, directional lighting, scale 80" drivers w/nickel plated coined brass driving rods/valve gear, very smooth operation, will run 18" curves with no trouble, nicely detailed (including the boiler backhead), brass safety valves, even a smoke generator and 'elephant ear' smoke deflectors.
picture on trainorders.com but you have to be a member to see the pics
Can motor w/flywheel, 10.5 oz. weight, crisp paint and lettering, metal handrails/coupler bars, directional lighting, scale 80" drivers w/nickel plated coined brass driving rods/valve gear, very smooth operation, will run 18" curves with no trouble, nicely detailed (including the boiler backhead), brass safety valves, even a smoke generator and 'elephant ear' smoke deflectors.
picture on trainorders.com but you have to be a member to see the pics
Sets are $99, and are out at most stores already. You can get them at Loblaws/Canadian Superstore/Zehrs/Independent Grocer/Fortinos. Did I miss any? 
Otherwise get somebody near one of these stores to get one for you.
Otherwise get somebody near one of these stores to get one for you.
Glen,
I think the last one was actually the "Yard Bull" an 0-8-0 switcher with ore cars.... The big Loblaws in Barrhaven (Ottawa) actually had some for sale this past summer at $29...!
Andrew
I think the last one was actually the "Yard Bull" an 0-8-0 switcher with ore cars.... The big Loblaws in Barrhaven (Ottawa) actually had some for sale this past summer at $29...!
Andrew
Have to go shopping tomorrow, so will look for one here and see if they have any and how much..Ron..
They are out, $100.00 plus taxes, the ones that I saw did not look worth it, paint job not that good, cars looked real cheap, did not find a name brand of who the manufacture was, they would not let me open a box to get a good look...pass on this one at that price, will wait and see if they reduce the price the closer it gets to holiday season and they want to get rid of them, they had two cases of 12 so will wait and see..Ron..
Ouch, I was hoping around 60$, since all I'm intrested in is the engine the cars are either repainted or swap meet fodder.
had some one bothered to read previous posts he would of seen the brand name listed.
Produced by Mehano for the Loblaw's chain of grocery stores in Canada.
Produced by Mehano for the Loblaw's chain of grocery stores in Canada.
doesn't Mehano not exist anymore? i have a mehano trainset my uncle got for me at a garage sale... that it. seems old and i never saw anything else Mehano
Well folks, perhaps this might help...I'm doing a little Googling....
First off, here's a link to a description of the Presidents Choice sets with mention of IHC/Mehano.
http://www.theweebsite.com/trains/pctrains.html
Secondly, IHC has a page with some Presidential sets but I don't see one that is listed for Christmas this year: http://www.ihc-hobby.com/cgi-bin/bsc.cgi?sn=0527W84315288MET761X2K31108569
Thirdly, I found Mehano's site but its not in English and when I hit the Google "translate this page" it was automatically translated into German! Not too helpful for me. I had a hard time seeing how one might order directly from Mehano and I'm not sure if one can find what you're looking for at IHC. So...I hope you have a Loblaw's nearby!
Hope this helps....
Best of luck!
Ralph
First off, here's a link to a description of the Presidents Choice sets with mention of IHC/Mehano.
http://www.theweebsite.com/trains/pctrains.html
Secondly, IHC has a page with some Presidential sets but I don't see one that is listed for Christmas this year: http://www.ihc-hobby.com/cgi-bin/bsc.cgi?sn=0527W84315288MET761X2K31108569
Thirdly, I found Mehano's site but its not in English and when I hit the Google "translate this page" it was automatically translated into German! Not too helpful for me. I had a hard time seeing how one might order directly from Mehano and I'm not sure if one can find what you're looking for at IHC. So...I hope you have a Loblaw's nearby!
Hope this helps....
Best of luck!
Ralph
There's been a whole lot of discussion about this set on the Canadian model trains yahoo group. General consensus is that while the cars, track, and controller are indeed cheap, the engine alone is worth the $100, when the same engine sells for $150US on the IHC website. But these are meant to be starter sets and/or collector sets (I have 4 previous sets) and this one is making the Christmas list.
I know this is a bit of a stale thread now, but I have been looking for this set each time I head into Superstore...and I have finally seen one of these sets.
Yes, the cars are cheap looking, likely has brass track and a useless transformer, but the locomotive sure looks NICE. While I don't intend to run out and buy a set today, I am keeping my eye on them, and if they go on sale, I will pick up two. One for the HO locomotive as is, the other to bash into an On30 4-6-0.
Yes, the cars are cheap looking, likely has brass track and a useless transformer, but the locomotive sure looks NICE. While I don't intend to run out and buy a set today, I am keeping my eye on them, and if they go on sale, I will pick up two. One for the HO locomotive as is, the other to bash into an On30 4-6-0.
Okay, I knuckled under and bought a set today. They were on sale for 80.00 so I figured the engine is worth it. I have to make a few modifications to my tunnel portals for the fellow (cab overhang) but it runs very well and as quiet as my proto1000 c-liner. haven't tried the smoke unit yet, fortunetly they designed an almost invisible switch just above the pilot so that the smoke unit can be turned off and won't burn itself off when there's not fluid in the engine. Also included is a small sirige (sp) for adding the smoke fuild. Conversion to a kadee or knuckle coupler took less than 5 minute using the factory coupler pocket. It is held on by one screw and look exactly like a kadee couple pocket. There a re a few details to add to the engine. The bell, and a few other details on the engien and the two rear ladders on the tender. Speaking of the tender it has a working back-up light which is a nice touch.
The freight cars are painted in a cheesy president's choice mini-chefs scheme so I don't know what I'll do with them yet, either repaints, scrapbox of swap meet.
The freight cars are painted in a cheesy president's choice mini-chefs scheme so I don't know what I'll do with them yet, either repaints, scrapbox of swap meet.
Last week one of the fellows brought his PC loco to the operating session.
It ran neatly and smoothly from the start.
He said that he went into the shop with a steel rule because there seemed to be a warp in the running board about midway along the boiler. Also some locos have a bit of excess gap where the running board meets the cab. I checked a few in a store and noticed the same. (Suggested that it would straighten out when the boiler was filled with water!) I noticed one where the eccentric was totally reversed - 180 degrees out, with the pivot out on the driver tyre.
Was that a Kadee #5 pocket?
(Glen: syringe)
It ran neatly and smoothly from the start.
He said that he went into the shop with a steel rule because there seemed to be a warp in the running board about midway along the boiler. Also some locos have a bit of excess gap where the running board meets the cab. I checked a few in a store and noticed the same. (Suggested that it would straighten out when the boiler was filled with water!) I noticed one where the eccentric was totally reversed - 180 degrees out, with the pivot out on the driver tyre.
Was that a Kadee #5 pocket?
(Glen: syringe)
Well, I've been into Superstore, and I see they're on sale for 79.99 out here, too. I also noticed that they still have a dozen sets or more...so I'm going to wait and see if they go down further, seeing as I want 2 sets.
Am I cheap, or what?
Am I cheap, or what?
yeah it was a Kadee #5. An update on my unit, the eccentric screw fell out and I can't find it so today I'm exchanging the set for another one and checking the screws before runnning it.
Maybe, I went to the one near me toady to exchange the broken one and there was still 7 sets left on the shelf there. I'm just finishing the recomended break-in procedure now and the second one runs just as well as the first.
david, I checked mine and did not notice any warpage in the running board and while there is a joint between the cab and running board there isn't much if any gap, at least not enough to bother me!
david, I checked mine and did not notice any warpage in the running board and while there is a joint between the cab and running board there isn't much if any gap, at least not enough to bother me!