TIDE FACTORY BY MENARDS
Price: $99.99 Stock no.: 279-5518 Features: Fully assembled and decorated. Worker figures, grass-covered base, and illuminated signage. Website: menards/trains
I continue to be amazed at the variety (and quantity) of new building designs coming from Menards headquarters in Eau Claire, Wis. They’ve made residential structures (farm houses, ranch houses, and hotels), railroad buildings (engine shops, stations, and even a burned-out engine shed), and a host of manufacturing and industrial structures that are audacious in design and shape.
In the annals of O gauge railroading, I don’t believe anyone has made a detergent-related product – maybe a boxcar, but certainly not a building. This piqued my curiosity, and I checked YouTube to find a video on commercial soap making. It was pretty interesting, and I have to say that the Menards design could be a credible component in the making of detergent.
The O gauge building has a compact 11 x 12-inch footprint. There’s a lot of eye candy (detailing) in a relatively small space – crossed structural support beams, plates with steel rivets, yellow safety railings, ladders, and pipes feeding the two tanks.
There are two tanks – a tall one and another slightly shorter. Each tank has a bold yellow-orange-and-white Tide logo.
There are three levels to the main structure. On the roof, the taller tank adds two more. All levels have yellow safety ladders and railings.
The roof has a smaller storage tank similar to an liquified petroleum (LP) gas tank. Pipes run to the large tank and below the deck.
The bottom floor of the building has a removable section for run-through train or truck service. Each side has illuminated Tide signage. The letters light sequentially.
First the circles come on, then each letter lights up. You can clearly see them in normal lighting, but they look amazing in the dark. Each tank has a red flashing warning
light for low-flying pilots.
If you have some spare tank cars, the Tide factory could be the basis of a pretty neat industrial scene.
The Tide factory looks good as-is, but for lighting you’ll need the Menards Plug & Play 4.5V power supply, sold separately. Check Menards SKUs 279-4061, 279-4062, or 279-4050. The no. 279-4681 9-piece Plug & Play accessory kit can serve multiple structures and vehicles.
This is a clever building with a compact space requirement. I sure can’t remember a similar product in any scale. Visit Menards. com/trains for more information. Don’t forget to opt for free shipping to your local Menards store!
