According to a 2023 article from U.S. News & World Report, approximately 73% of Americans celebrate Halloween. In recent years, there’s been a boon of Halloween product releases from manufacturers like Lionel, MTH, and Atlas. Menards is jumping on the bandwagon with a lighted Halloween boxcar.
This boxcar features orange sides with a black roof and ends, and a gray roofwalk. The sides are decorated with three jack-o-lanterns in front of a sunset and “Happy Halloween” lettering. According to Menards website, each car is uniquely numbered.
The underside features two roller pickups. The pickups use track power to light the car. The red LED lights blink in an alternating pattern so that one eye of each jack-o-lantern is lit at a time.
On the track
I put the boxcar through its paces on our in-house City Terminal & Transfer layout. It lit up immediately and started blinking. I connected some Atlas and MTH tank cars we had on hand, and the couplers gripped tightly. The coupler and shank seemed stiff, but I imagine they will loosen up a bit with use.
The car navigated through all of the turnouts on the layout without any problem. There were no issues with the trucks or wheels; everything seemed true and in alignment.
The doors open on both sides, but you may want to keep them closed, as the wiring is visible inside. Alternatively, you could partially open the doors and put a small load inside (perhaps miniature pumpkins or a small figure) to conceal the wiring.
All in all, this is a fun car, and the lights make it stand out. I’d love to see more releases in this line, perhaps with other colors of LED lighting (purple or green would be great!). If you or your club host a Halloween event, a string of these would be a crowd pleaser.
The boxcar is available as a single item or in a four pack for $114.96. Select ship to store for free shipping.
Menards Halloween Boxcar with Lights (No. 275-9444)
Features: Blinking red LED lights, unique number for each car, O-27 operation
MSRP: $34.99
Website: menards.com/trains
