Unfortunately I think they have problems with the 80 ton Shay's. A couple of weeks ago I bought one and it only lasted a few minutes before it started running like it was on dirty track. It also made the room smell like burnt electronics. I returned it for another one and that one seemed to run pretty good for about 2 hours of use. A few days ago it started stalling when crossing turnouts but only when the right side tender crossed a frog. It would also stutter randomly like it was on dirty track.After a few hours of troubleshooting track etc, I removed the cover of the tender. On the lower pc board one of the electronic traces is burned off. I tried a solder bridge which stopped the stutter and stalling but now sound isn't working. I called tech support and described the problem. I will be hand delivering it to their philly shop to get repaired. I think they probably have a bad batch out there.
Springfield PA
The problem is that it was running well. It is only 6 months old. Do you think any adjustment of the CV's would help.
David
It was bought at the Hobby shop.
I just bought one at a show and it had a hiccup when running. (I was getting ready to install a decoder in it and was testing it on DC) What I found was a cracked gear on the horizontal power shaft that was driving the wheel gear. I was looking for some flashing on the gears when I found it. Then it just broke in half.
It appears that this is the same problem Life-Like and some of the other diesel manufacturers were having with cracked axle gears. The Shay gear is a press fit on the shaft just like the diesel gears, although smaller.
I send mine back about a week or so ago. You probably have the same problem on one or more gears. A back-up check would be to remove the decoder and test it on DC.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I have 2 Bachman Shays. One is running perfectly and the other is running poorly. The poor running one acts as if it was running on a dirty track. It bucks and jerks as it runs around the layout. The track is clean and I have cleaned the wheels. I have also oiled the gears. I was reading in the current MR about the adjustments in the CV's. Could this be the problem and if you think it is which one would I adjust to correct the problem. Thanks in advance for your help
Harold