I see all those kits on E-bay, and I just laugh, and laugh, ...
I have some "vintage" MDC horn hook couplers for sale .... $20 a pair...
Do people really believe their stuff is worth that much ?
I say again, ... a complete MDC Shay can be had for $50
Sure you have to do some looking, but they DO exist.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
I passed on those kits there too. just didn't seam worth it Cannot see paying two or three hundred for something that might be complete. With that money, go buy a spectrum Version. Even thier large scale 36t is cheaper than those Mdc kits. shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Plenty parts on Ebay, I would definitely purchase the "improved" trucks as these were on of the items that needed to work. There is also a NWSL motor for it, much better motor than the original open frame.
mdc shay for sale | eBay
Just my opinion, but those full kits on EBAY are outragiously expensive for what they are. I've passed on those kits at trains shows for $25.00, no interested because I know what they really are.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
dknelson NVSRR Did they come withmotor and gears or was that a separate purchase from the kit? shane Shane you might be thinking of the white metal kit Shay from Keystone, which was indeed unpowered (but the shay mechanism was complete -- if you built it right, which I understand was a challenge -- and you could push it along the track. There was an aftermarket motor and gearing set which might or might not have been from Keystone itself. Dave Nelson
NVSRR Did they come withmotor and gears or was that a separate purchase from the kit? shane
Did they come withmotor and gears or was that a separate purchase from the kit?
shane
Shane you might be thinking of the white metal kit Shay from Keystone, which was indeed unpowered (but the shay mechanism was complete -- if you built it right, which I understand was a challenge -- and you could push it along the track. There was an aftermarket motor and gearing set which might or might not have been from Keystone itself.
Dave Nelson
Simon
They can be made to run perfect with whats in the box, my freind did it but he was a machinest. I got mine to run perfect also but I cheated on two of the outside gears. Mine ran at a tie a minute under regular DC.
Even if the ones on E-bay are missing stuff, they are still worth looking at. With all the parts there, I got my last one 6 months ago for $50.
So depending on what's missing, I wouldn't bid much higher than $35 - 40.
( but having a pile of extra parts is nice too.)
I've built 7 loco kits; 4 from Model Die Casting, 3 from Bowser. The last kit I built was the MDC 3 truck H0n3 Shay. I got it built , running, and detailed, but never got around to disassembly and painting. My plan is to finish it, and put it into use. It runs o.k., with some gear noise, not bad.
Paul
at one time, I wanted to letter my Shay " Foster's Logger"........
Thanks. That tells me the ones on eBay are missing parts. The motor and parts. But if it is a good idea to upgrade, then maybe better to get it without the parts
Yes they came with motors and gears.
you can build them straight out of the box and with a little "tuning " they run ok.
But, yes, adding NWSL gears and a flywheel will help quite a bit.
AFAIK, MDC shay kits come with motors and gears. That said, you may wish to investigate using the NWSL gear upgrade kits with it.