Were these used for operations other than lumber?
The reason I ask is I bought a Bachmann 3 truck shay after visiting Cass Rail Road. It has sat in the box since, and that was in the pre DCC days. To get it up to snuff I would have to convert it to DCC and replace the gears. However my layout plans aren't really leaning toward a lumber operation. My era is transition, Applalachian area.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Shays were also used in quarries, mining, and large construction projects. I also see a portland cement company and some electrical utilities that had them. And American Shipbuilding.
There WAS logging in Appalachia, though. Should you reconsider.
In a slightly different vein, Lima was trying to get the "big guys" to buy them. Everyone knows that Western Maryland bought one. So did NYC, UP, El Paso & Northeastern, Candadian Pacific, Montana Union. They were flogging them as powerful low speed locomotives. Which they were, or could be.
Ed
Mining and quarrys appeal to me. Granddad was a coal miner. As far back as I can remember, we used to drive past this quarry, but even 50 years ago could never see much from the highway. I would love to get into the complex.
They could really pull, slow. Not much over ten miles per hour.
A google search found some info. Try Shay locomotive mines, industry as an example.
http://utahrails.net/utahrails/utahrails-shays.php
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Shays and other geared engines were designed to operate on rough trackage with sharp curves and steep grades. They are usually associated with the temporary trackage that typified loggong lines, but they were used in a variety of applications. Some of the West Virginia and Pennsylvania loggers also served coal mines. The Twin Seams Mining Co. of Alabama used Shays as late as the 1960's to serve their coal mines, as did the Brimstone & New River in Tennessee. The Middle Fork Railroad in West Virginia also served a mine in its last years of operation. The M.F. had no Shays, but did use geared Climaxes and one Heisler. Western Maryland's Shays were generally used to serve a coal mine on the Chaffee Branch.
In an earlier time, Shays were often found serving various quarries, as well as construction projects.
Tom
And sadly nobody recalls the 12 1/2 mile Shay powered Graham County Railroad that used a Shay until the 70s? This was a North Carolina short line. This little jewel was the first thing that came to mind.Trains Magazine did a excellent story on this railroad in the 60s. IIRC it was also covered in a layout book.
http://www.grahamcounty.net/GCHistory/12-railroads/railroads.htm
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Western Maryland had a shay to service a coal mine on a very steep branch. New York Central used a number of shays in New York City for the street trackage.
Back in steam days there was an electric co-op in northeast Minnesota, I think called "People's Electric"(?) that owned a Shay that was used for switching cars at their coal-fired power plant.
Numerous examples exist of shays being used wherever high traction and low speed was appropriate. The "Dixiana Shay" that is at the Roaring Camp & Big Trees RR in California is from a coal operation in Southwest Virginia. Railroads that were generally known as "flatlands" companies even used them, such as the 130-ton shays bought and used by the Kansas City Southern to hoist cars from the "bottoms" up the May Street grade into downtown KC.
The Bachmann HO Shay is a nice and dependable model once that gear replacement is taken care of.
Bill
Thanks to all. It never occured to me to google. Cass as you know was a lumber operation with 9% grades. A DCC conversion doesn't look like it will be fun but the gear conversion looks doable. I didn't really want to sell it anyway.
BigDaddy A DCC conversion doesn't look like it will be fun but the gear conversion looks doable. I didn't really want to sell it anyway.
A DCC conversion doesn't look like it will be fun but the gear conversion looks doable. I didn't really want to sell it anyway.
I've got a small assortment of logging locos, all DC. I MAY keep them DC. If I were to build a logging branch, I can well imagine that they'd only run one at a time, anyway. Or two. If I kept it separate from the rest of the railroad (electrically), I could keep it DC and have the rest be DCC. Of course, there'd have to be a failsafe interchange track.
That said, they're making decoders smaller and smaller. I believe that critter was available with sound, so there really oughta be room.
Love shays. Growing up as i did in ground zero for backwoods railroad logging (pacific northwest/vancouver island) it seemed only natural for me to chase a logging layout. After several years of banging my head on it i gave up because decent shays in HO are few and far between. It seems the only choice is bachmann's shays (which pop up on ebay from time to time) or brass (leagues out of my price range). If BLI, Walthers, or (shudder) MTH were to put out a pacific coast shay in ho, i'd be pawning my children to buy a fleet of them...
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
A Pacific Coast Shay would surely be welcome around here. It would have to be: reliable, smooth running, "adequately" detailed, DCC sound.
Or perhaps a Willamette. Hey, how about both!
I gave up waiting on a logging articulated (no, the Tyco doesn't count), and saved my paper route money and picked up a very nice NWSL fella. CUTE as the dickens!
DS4-4-1000 Western Maryland had a shay to service a coal mine on a very steep branch. New York Central used a number of shays in New York City for the street trackage.
The New York Central Shays had carbodies that made them look more like interurban freight motors. Their low speed wasn't a problem, since city law required them to be, "Proceeded by a man on horseback carrying a red flag," the so-called 'Tenth Avenue Cowboys.'
WM #6, Lima's last Shay, was at the Cass Scenic Railway when I visited some years ago. It actually belongs to the B&O Museum.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
WM #6, Lima's last Shay, was at the Cass Scenic Railway when I visited some years ago. It actually belongs to the B&O Museum
Hi
WM Big #6 pulled (and pushed) our train to the top of the mountain when I was there in 2007. I was wondering if it is still operational?
Have a good one.
Lee