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Shay Locomotives
Andrew has an HO layout and wants to hear from anyone who has a shay locomotive or knows something about the history of shay locomotives:
“How many different Shays have been designed, and is Bachmann the only company that has produced Shay models?”
Pictured a LIONEL O GAUGE SHAY LOCOMOTIVE.
The Shay locomotive (named after the late Ephraim Shay of Michigan) was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. Ephraim Shay wanted a new way to get logs to the mill instead of just floating them down a river. In or around 1877, Ephraim Shay invented the idea of an engine sitting on a flat car with a boiler, gears, and trucks that could pivot.
Between 1878 and 1945 the Lima Locomotive Works manufactured nearly every Shay. They were is four classes and ranged from 6 to 160 tons:
Class A – two cylinders, two trucks, 6 and 24 tons.
Class B – three cylinders, two trucks, 10 and 80 tons.
Class C – three cylinders, three trucks, 40 and 160 tons.
Class D – three cylinders, four trucks, 100 and 150 tons.
It was not unknown for Shay locomotives pulling a heavy load to leave the track after failing to respond to a change in track curvature. This was usually before or after an uphill curve.
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Shays are real nice to watch and operate. I have 2 in n scale and will probably not stop there. it is an addiction.
If you are really interested look them up on line. There are a lot of articles on these, real life and models.
Atlas builds a really nice product. and there are other manufactures out there that make them I happen to like atlas best right now but if something better comes along I will try them just keep looking and keep on Shayen.
If you want to see the REAL Shays in action, plan your next vacation to take a trip to Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass, West Virginia! I grew up about an hour and a half to two hours from there, and have been there several times over the years!!! Well worth the trip for Shay lovers!!!! Check them out on the web as a teaser!!!!!!