DO NOT BUY A SHAY!!!
Because if you do you'll end up collecting the darn things, and in brass no less. And then you'll have to have a Climax, then a Heisler, then a Duplex (ya I know not logging but same idea), two trucks, three trucks. All started by the Bachmann unit. Oh ya, you'll then get into re-motoring and re-gearing the silly things.
Just DON'T DO IT! Of course if you have some self control then the Bachmann unit can't be beat for the money.
San Dimas Southern slideshow
Probably as a direct result of this thread I ordered a shay off the new MicroMark catalog I recieved day before yesterday.The price was just under $80. I showed the ad to my wife and she said Wow! you should get one then. Rather than fall out of my chair I ordered one immediatly,and was promptly put on the backorder list. But,they will hold it for me at that price. How nice. Isn't Anticipation half the fun of getting something? BILL
twhite Of course, if you were modeling logging operations out here on the Pacific Coast in Washington or California, you could always forego the Shay and invest in a 2-6-6-2 tank logging Mallet, but since you're back east, I'd get a Shay. Besides, they're neat. Tom
Of course, if you were modeling logging operations out here on the Pacific Coast in Washington or California, you could always forego the Shay and invest in a 2-6-6-2 tank logging Mallet, but since you're back east, I'd get a Shay.
Besides, they're neat.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Did you know that the Rayonier 2-6-6-2 #8, is stored in Chehalis, WA? The Guy that owns it, intends to restore it, but it is questionable whether or not he has the financial and other resources required for such a project. At least she has dodged the scrappers torch for a bit longer. It would be great to see this locomotive under steam again. I have some pictures, but haven't loaded them into the computer or photobucket yet, I will try to post some soon.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
I am not trying to talk you out of a shay, I had an MDC Narrow Gauge shay, built right it ran like a dream and ran at my club show continuously on public display. Lube yours right, check the mechanics out, it should run great.
challenger3980Hi Tom, Did you know that the Rayonier 2-6-6-2 #8, is stored in Chehalis, WA? The Guy that owns it, intends to restore it, but it is questionable whether or not he has the financial and other resources required for such a project.
Did you know that the Rayonier 2-6-6-2 #8, is stored in Chehalis, WA? The Guy that owns it, intends to restore it, but it is questionable whether or not he has the financial and other resources required for such a project.
... I remember seeing back in 1974. I was already in a pretty bad shape, as most of the other stock just left outside and rust... Unfortunately I have lost all the color slides I took on that occasion - 35 years is a long time!
C & O SteamI am starting a new layout and would like to add a Logging operation. I have been looking at buying a Shay for some time now but with all the negetave things that I have read I am afraid to make the investment. I looked at one in the LHS a couple weeks and it seemed to run very jerkey. Is this normal or is this one of the many problems.
I am starting a new layout and would like to add a Logging operation. I have been looking at buying a Shay for some time now but with all the negetave things that I have read I am afraid to make the investment. I looked at one in the LHS a couple weeks and it seemed to run very jerkey. Is this normal or is this one of the many problems.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
C & O Steam I am starting a new layout and would like to add a Logging operation. I have been looking at buying a Shay for some time now but with all the negetave things that I have read I am afraid to make the investment. I looked at one in the LHS a couple weeks and it seemed to run very jerkey. Is this normal or is this one of the many problems.
It's hard to judge an engine right out of the box. I normally do a break-in by running the new engine for 15 min. forward at about 3/4 full power, then 15 min in reverse the same way. That usually makes a difference, you can also check to see if it needs lubrication. Most engines are lubed at the factory but an engine you buy at the LHS may have sat on the shelf for a year or two so might need a touch of lube.
Keep in mind geared engines weren't the only ones used in logging operations. Here in Minnesota the most common logging engine was probably the 2-6-0, though logging railroads often just bought whatever they could pick up second hand, including 4-4-0s and 2-8-0s. Maybe only 1/3 of logging engines here were geared locomotives.
C & O SteamOk, that settles it....I don't want a Shay, I don't need a Shay and I am not going to buy a Shay....Well maybe another trip to the LHS just to see if they still have them in stock. I can always just look it won't hurt anything..............................
Ok, that settles it....I don't want a Shay, I don't need a Shay and I am not going to buy a Shay....Well maybe another trip to the LHS just to see if they still have them in stock. I can always just look it won't hurt anything..............................
And the answer is...............................
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.
wjstix One thing about a Shay is it's only "interesting" on one side, since all the cylinders and such are on the right hand side of the boiler...
One thing about a Shay is it's only "interesting" on one side, since all the cylinders and such are on the right hand side of the boiler...
Say whaaa...? I look at it like this: as much as I am a nut about steam engines, and of course principally their rods and gear, it would be interesting to see a steamer from the side on which nothing seems to be effecting any locomotion. Someone not in the know would turn to the person next to him/her and ask, "Isn't there something strange about this steam locomotive? What makes the wheels go 'round?" The other person crooks his finger to indicate, "Follow me," and takes the viewer to the other side where all is made clear. Sort of...since it's still an odd kind of steamer at first glance.
-Crandell
Should this not be a new thread?
If you were modeling the area I model, you couldn't use a Shay in your (logging) business. The Kiso Forest Railway had a bigger territory than most American logging roads, and a main line built to Class 1 mainline standards (steel bridges, long tunnels, concrete retaining structures above and below the tracks...) Until 1960, the logs were pulled out of the woods by 0-4-2T rear-tank Baldwins! Those were replaced by diesel-mechanicals, most with only four wheels.
The tender version of the Mantua/Tyco 2-6-6-2 was used in lumber service before being sold to Guatemala.
OTOH, the Alishan Forest Railway (Taiwan) used Shays almost exclusively. It had a 4% ruling grade, and a 1:1 scale multi-turn helix wrapped around Tsu-li-Shan. (Yes, the Shays were Lima-built.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I have an old Roundhouse Shay kit I bought about 25 years ago and never built! I may sell it one day, I hear they are impossible to get to work right!
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
don7 Should this not be a new thread?
No.
Quite the opposite. These posts are all the reasons in the world why one SHOULD get into Shays and related locos.
SilverSpikeI have an old Roundhouse Shay kit I bought about 25 years ago and never built! I may sell it one day, I hear they are impossible to get to work right!
Not true. It can be done. There is info in a Yahoo mdc roundhouse site but you need to be a member to see the info. I am not at liberty to post the info here. If you join, look at the messages and Photos sections concerning the Shay. You can download the info yourself if you like.
Parts, motor from NWSL along with other parts.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mdcroundhouse/
dinwittythey can only pull logs
WRONG!!! UP used them to haul ore. NYC put a shroud around them (make them look more like a boxcar and not like a steam loco to scare the horse) and used them to switch the harbor districts.
-Morgan
richg1998 C & O Steam Ok, that settles it....I don't want a Shay, I don't need a Shay and I am not going to buy a Shay....Well maybe another trip to the LHS just to see if they still have them in stock. I can always just look it won't hurt anything.............................. And the answer is............................... Rich
C & O Steam Ok, that settles it....I don't want a Shay, I don't need a Shay and I am not going to buy a Shay....Well maybe another trip to the LHS just to see if they still have them in stock. I can always just look it won't hurt anything..............................
And the answer is...........................................I am not running it yet, but hope to be by the end of next week.
Thanks guys for all the help.
C & O Steam And the answer is...........................................I am not running it yet, but hope to be by the end of next week. Thanks guys for all the help.
Modeling question: how many cars can your geared locomotive (any of the 3) pull up your max grade? What is your max grade?
Prototype question: where the geared locos used in anything besides logging? From what I've read and what not a reason they were used for logging is because steep grades and such, but something like a quarry or strip mine could have steep grades too. Can anyone else see a...we'll say 3 truck Shay pulling a few gondolas of crushed stone up a...say 4% grade out of a quarry? Or how about a 40' flat with a couple of 10 ton blocks of...granite. Or limeston. Or shale, well maybe not a big block of it but, you know, it's another type of rock. Or maybe a Heisler hauling a flat car up the ramp with pyramid cap on it...., I pulled the lever back to fast on the time machine. Heislers in ancient egypt? I must have landed on a bug or something that last trip I took to see the Mayians.
I'll steal his thunder He has this unit on the way.
http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll17/hamltnblue/?action=view¤t=M4H00466_converted.flv
Springfield PA
hi ive 6 of them heislers climaxs shays and they all run great as with the bachmann's get the gears from nswl and you should no problem with them.
MILW-RODR Prototype question: where the geared locos used in anything besides logging? From what I've read and what not a reason they were used for logging is because steep grades and such, but something like a quarry or strip mine could have steep grades too. Can anyone else see a...we'll say 3 truck Shay pulling a few gondolas of crushed stone up a...say 4% grade out of a quarry? Or how about a 40' flat with a couple of 10 ton blocks of...granite. Or limeston. Or shale, well maybe not a big block of it but, you know, it's another type of rock. Or maybe a Heisler hauling a flat car up the ramp with pyramid cap on it...., I pulled the lever back to fast on the time machine. Heislers in ancient egypt? I must have landed on a bug or something that last trip I took to see the Mayians.
I'm sure someone already mentioned it, but a Shay forces you to run slower (since my MDC RTR 2-truck one only gets about 17-18 scale mph, and seems like it might bust a boiler gasket at that!), which makes the time between your loggin camp and your return destination more prototypically long. I had mine re-worked by one of our local MRR club members with NWSL parts, and a decoder put in it at the same time (now, if only I'd thought about where Kevin coulda put a speaker...). I probably have $125 or so put into it (forgot what I paid on the 'Bay for it originally), and would love to locate another 2-truck Shay.
Enjoy, C&O!
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Flashwave dinwittythey can only pull logs WRONG!!! UP used them to haul ore. NYC put a shroud around them (make them look more like a boxcar and not like a steam loco to scare the horse) and used them to switch the harbor districts.
richg1998 SilverSpike I have an old Roundhouse Shay kit I bought about 25 years ago and never built! I may sell it one day, I hear they are impossible to get to work right! Not true. It can be done. There is info in a Yahoo mdc roundhouse site but you need to be a member to see the info. I am not at liberty to post the info here. If you join, look at the messages and Photos sections concerning the Shay. You can download the info yourself if you like. Parts, motor from NWSL along with other parts. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mdcroundhouse/ Rich
SilverSpike I have an old Roundhouse Shay kit I bought about 25 years ago and never built! I may sell it one day, I hear they are impossible to get to work right!
Hey Rich, thanks for the info, I'll have to check that out, and maybe I will just keep my Shay kit around a bit longer too!
MILW-RODR That must have been some very long, slow work. I bet it looked really cool though. Of course, I'm picturing a Shay with like dozen ore cars behind it, something that from the sounds of things wouldn't happen. I also have to admit a slight weakness for the Mantua 2-6-6-2's. Not the tanked logging versions, but the tender version. Now if I could just get that and a 2-4-4-2 tendered mallet version I would be set. Is anyone else starting to imagine a harbor scene full of log strings coupled behind Heislers and Climaxs waiting to be loaded onto a car ferry? I think I'm starting to imagine too much again
That must have been some very long, slow work. I bet it looked really cool though. Of course, I'm picturing a Shay with like dozen ore cars behind it, something that from the sounds of things wouldn't happen. I also have to admit a slight weakness for the Mantua 2-6-6-2's. Not the tanked logging versions, but the tender version. Now if I could just get that and a 2-4-4-2 tendered mallet version I would be set. Is anyone else starting to imagine a harbor scene full of log strings coupled behind Heislers and Climaxs waiting to be loaded onto a car ferry? I think I'm starting to imagine too much again
On the contrary, switching is done at slow speeds where geared locomotives excel. 5-10 MPH for switching is the norm - and fits very well within a Shay's or Climax's speed range. Heislers could go a little faster because of their larger driver size.
The Gilpin Tram was a 2ft gauge mining line in Colorado that used Shays as primary power. Similarly, the Black Hills mining lines liked Heislers for making their runs to/from the mines.
A typical mining or logging line using geared power could make a 20-30 mile run, drop off empties and pick up 30 loaded cars (actual number depending on grades and size of operation) and bring them back to the smelter or mill by the end of the day.
The dog hole ports were used to load coastal Northern California lumber on ships. The most common arrangement was a rail line to bring the logs down to the mill. Then some more rail to transport the lumber from the mill to a cliff, where a high line (wire cable) was used to move the lumber from the cliff to the anchored ship. Some of the ports used docks for loading the ships, but the docks often were wiped out by winter storms. The ship then took the lumber to San Francisco or San Diego.
Even Class 1 lines before WW1 favored drag freight operations over their mountain grades - haul as much tonnage as possible at one time, even if it only moved at 5-10 MPH. Many of the early large steamers were built precisely for this drag service, and were incapable of operations above about 30-40 MPH.
yours in geared steam
Fred W
fwright A typical mining or logging line using geared power could make a 20-30 mile run, drop off empties and pick up 30 loaded cars (actual number depending on grades and size of operation) and bring them back to the smelter or mill by the end of the day.
fwright The dog hole ports were used to load coastal Northern California lumber on ships. The most common arrangement was a rail line to bring the logs down to the mill. Then some more rail to transport the lumber from the mill to a cliff, where a high line (wire cable) was used to move the lumber from the cliff to the anchored ship.
The dog hole ports were used to load coastal Northern California lumber on ships. The most common arrangement was a rail line to bring the logs down to the mill. Then some more rail to transport the lumber from the mill to a cliff, where a high line (wire cable) was used to move the lumber from the cliff to the anchored ship.
Now you guys have to stop it. I have a limited space for a layout, should probably think about N scale, and you guys just keeping talking about 2 truck Shays and 3 truck Shays and I'm starting to really want a Shay. Do dumb little tinker toy N scale either, HO or O scale. A super detailed highly weathered O scale 3-truck Shay. Now that would be a piece-dey-rezis-tawnc
Canadian Pacific had two Shay locomotives working the Rossland/Trail area hauling ore in Southeast BC
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_107/b_06610.gif
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_136/f_05629.gif
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_106/b_05085.gif
Take a look at the third picture, quite a number of ore cars being pulled.