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Four Truck Shay

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  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Four Truck Shay
Posted by BigDaddy on Thursday, June 1, 2023 8:44 AM

Just got an email from Trainworld.  BLI is going to produce 4 truck shays, Paragon sound and smoke.   Preorders

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 685 posts
Posted by Howard Zane on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 4:50 PM

Any mention of what road?....I know of only three ever 4 truck shays: Hassinger Lumber, C&O/WM#5, and Mower Lumber co. All were previously done in brass and quite good, but none came painted. If offered in paint with full DCC, I'd guess this would be a sell-out for sure and then some. I need another large shay like I need a 25 pound carbunkle on my butt.....but if not to over priced, I'd bite!

Howard Zane
  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 5:42 PM

Hey Howard, long time no see.  I did not know there were 4 truck Shays.  MSRP $599, Trainworld preorder $479

  • C&O three numbers
  • Southern six numbers
  • N&W and WM two numbers each

One number of each of the following

  • Undec
  • Carolina and Northwestern
  • Mower Lumber
  • Greenbrier, Cheat, Elk
  • Red River Lumber

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 8:52 PM

i don't know anything about the four truck version, but i do know the two and three truck versions [primarily bachmann spectrum] were very reliable with only one small breakdown [covered under warranty]  .. i had a couple of brass but i don't recall the brands

  • Member since
    November 2013
  • 2,756 posts
Posted by snjroy on Thursday, June 8, 2023 8:55 AM

Any new Shay brought to the market is great news for the hobby. I read the description on the Internet, I did not see whether the gears will be made of plastic and/or metal. Plastic gears for such a high priced model would be disappointing. 

Simon

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 327 posts
Posted by AEP528 on Thursday, June 8, 2023 9:11 AM

There were 20 Class D 4-truck Shays built, 18 of which were the 150 ton version.

This site is an exellent resource: https://www.shaylocomotives.com/

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 685 posts
Posted by Howard Zane on Thursday, June 8, 2023 9:58 AM

****.... at that price I may have to purchase one if they are brass hybrids. I am a brass guy, but I do apprecaite other mediums as they allow many to play choo choo for decent prices. I do have some BLI and MTH locos in my stable and hey are just great...not only for the reasonable costs, but inherent quality. I do draw the line with modern diesels as to me they look like bricks on trucks, albeit running well. Also when I sold personal brass when I changed to northen Jersey operations, I did not lose any money as all were brass. Had they been constructed from other mediums...most likely I would have taken a bath and not the Saturday night kind.

Howard Zane
DrW
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Lubbock, TX
  • 371 posts
Posted by DrW on Thursday, June 8, 2023 10:14 AM

They are not brass hybrids. From BLI's description:

"Our models have die cast locomotive and tender bodies for maximum weight and tractive effort."

JW

Moderator
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  • From: Northeast OH
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Posted by tstage on Thursday, June 8, 2023 10:42 AM

Interesting that, after recent announcements by BLI to make more DC-only locomotives available to customers, BLI has apparently decided NOT to include any with their Shay.  It's sound & smoke, as usual...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Thursday, June 8, 2023 7:50 PM

wvgca
i don't know anything about the four truck version, but i do know the two and three truck versions [primarily bachmann spectrum] were very reliable with only one small breakdown [covered under warranty] .. i had a couple of brass but i don't recall the brands

I have a Bachmann Shay, I picked it up at Timonium for a good price.  They had a well known plastic gear problem, solved by NWSL metal gears.  I moved since I bought it and it has had no real run time, so I have not replaced the gears.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

jpg
  • Member since
    July 2019
  • 32 posts
Posted by jpg on Friday, June 9, 2023 2:59 AM

tstage

Interesting that, after recent announcements by BLI to make more DC-only locomotives available to customers, BLI has apparently decided NOT to include any with their Shay.  It's sound & smoke, as usual...

Tom

 

Trainworld lists

BLI #7810-7824 are Paragon 4/DCC/Smoke for $479, 

BLI #8252-8262 are No Sound/DCC-Ready models for $399

 

Moderator
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  • From: Northeast OH
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Posted by tstage on Friday, June 9, 2023 8:22 AM

Thanks, jpg.  I was only going by the BLI link that Henry provided and all those showed only the Paragon4 and smoke models.

Hope it's a good locomotive for BLI and customers...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • 4,365 posts
Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Saturday, June 10, 2023 10:44 AM

So we've got that and the 2-truck Shay coming from KR models soon.  Now we just need someone to make a powered class A!

_________________________________________________________________

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    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, June 10, 2023 11:56 AM

It is interesting that from BLI's description of the prototype that they were no more powerful than three truck shays. They just had a larger water and fuel capacity.

If that was true, why run gears to the fourth truck? An idler truck would have allowed increased fuel and water at a lower expense.

What am I missing?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • 4,365 posts
Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Saturday, June 10, 2023 1:56 PM

Going up a steep hill, it would probably have more traction even if it wasn't any more powerful overall.

_________________________________________________________________

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
  • 252 posts
Posted by CNR378 on Saturday, June 10, 2023 3:18 PM

SeeYou190

It is interesting that from BLI's description of the prototype that they were no more powerful than three truck shays. They just had a larger water and fuel capacity.

If that was true, why run gears to the fourth truck? An idler truck would have allowed increased fuel and water at a lower expense.

What am I missing?

-Kevin

 

Depends how you define powerful. The added driven truck would provide added tractive effort IMO.

Peter

  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Big Blackfoot River
  • 2,788 posts
Posted by Geared Steam on Monday, June 12, 2023 12:52 PM

SeeYou190

It is interesting that from BLI's description of the prototype that they were no more powerful than three truck shays. They just had a larger water and fuel capacity.

If that was true, why run gears to the fourth truck? An idler truck would have allowed increased fuel and water at a lower expense.

What am I missing?

-Kevin

 

Extra axles, more weight in water and fuel, more adhesion. 

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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