did you guys really expect a nice and reliable working shay for just a few bucks ?????? what do you think why a used overland western maryland shay usually sells for way more than $1000 ??? if i follow this and other threads there's one phrase showing up several time : slipping contacts. seems like atlas really is not able to design a reliable drive. same bs as the rest of their drives. did you ever install a decoder in a gp38 ?? you fight with the motor tabs for a good time until they finally make contact. i have close to 40 gp38. 6 or 7 of them were DOA (death on arrival) due to slipped contacts. sending back to atlas ? throwing it away might be cheaper than shipping across the pond. that's not what i call a reliable product. all you shay fans, i hope you enjoy this pic :
I think the Atlas shay is the best bargain going in N.Even if you have to tweek it a bit,only a few so far. I had one of the Overland shays and yes it was a nice "looking" unit but ran like crap and on anything under an 18'' curve would lose the drive shafts.Yes they go for $1000+ today thats 6 or so atlas ones,that run a ton better,more usable prototype,only a couple 90t shays existed. Best day for me was when I sold it at a few $ more than I paid. Regards Mike
They aren't really that cheap on e-bay. Most are at or above what the online dealers are selling them for. Of cource if the dealers are sold out then E-bay is the ticket. [ 11. January 2005, 10:11: Message edited by: Chris333 ]
I agree with cnrsteam, this loco is one fine piece of workmanship. Atlas has done something here that everyone in N scale will benefit from. Even if you're one that has no use for the Shay, the engineering and manufacturing advances applied here are obvious and raises the bar for all the manufacturers. Just my $.02 worth and my Shay is one of the few that needs tweaking. I'm still thrilled to have it. Thank you Atlas.
I really hate to disassemble N scale engines. The tiny parts either break or disappear mysteriously. I've had some issues with the motor commutators (those 'tabs'), either being bent or dirty, on diesel engines I've had. That is usually the reason for the light to go on, but the engine not work. The electricity is being pick-up and the light is getting 'juice', but the commutator is not making contact with the motor. I'm even more concerned about trying to correct any mechanical problem in this little Shay. I've never tried taking a steamer apart yet... and am very concerned about putting them back together correctly. The Shays geared drive looks so delicate... I'd be concerned of doing more harm than good. BTW: There is nothing wrong with my Aloha Lumber Shay... just putting my .02 worth on the subject. [ 11. January 2005, 13:52: Message edited by: Calzephyr ]
The Atlas Shay I have is a jewel. Every bit as nicely detailed as the Brass I own. Sandro don't be so sure that Overland Shay is worth $1000 anymore. With any mass produced item so delicate as this Atlas Shay, there are bound to be a few with problems. I think you have based your opinions soley on the odd defective one. If I remember right the Kato Mike had quite the problem with the drawbar when it was first released, and I dare say probably had more returns then this Atlas Shay. The Two Mikes I bought both had this problem as they were damaged in shipping. I suppose it would be fair for me to observe that Kato can't make a reliable locomotive????? No, that would be wrong wouldn't it<grin>
I have the same contact problems with my Shay - not doa, but stops on switches since the contacts on the right front truck are disconnected. since I am not about to open this thing up, I called Atlas, and Wayne said to send it back. I will mail it today....we will see how long it takes to get back here. Michael
John; Thanks for the photo of the Feather River Shay! I have a Charles Smiley WP video with a few shots of their equipment before they tore up the rails. Where was that one located?
WPZepherFan, No problemo. This is located in a park in Oroville,CA Also in the park is a WP steamer. Can't think of the name of the park but it is right on the tracks. In your original reply you mention Feather River Lumber as running out of Oroville. Actually that outfit ran out of a town near Portola. Feather River Railway ran out of Oroville. Just learned this doing my rosters on my Foothill Rails site as I had both mixed together. Somebody please feel to correct me if I screwed this up even further.
Atlas received my shay on January 17 for repair (confirmed by Fed Ex). Nary a word, no less an acknowledgement that it has received the unit. I understand the undecorateds and other road names have been delayed for shipment. Methinks there is some trouble in New Jersey.
Mark: Atlas doesn't acknowledge receipt of a loco. It should take about 4 weeks to repair based on prior experiences with loco's. Stay cool and run steam.....
My shay just chugged into my office from the Hillsboro, New Jersey repair facility. I will see how it runs tonight on the LLL. I will not run the same at more than 7 SMPH or .0001 volts.
Mark: That's about right for the turnaround time on a loco from Atlas.. Keep that throttle low... Stay cool and run steam........
And sometimes they'll do better! When I was having a problem with my VO-1000s, the turnaround was about two weeks.
According to word from Atlas Land is that the Undecs, and the remaining releases have been put on hold while they evaluate the problems with the current run and come up with the fix or fixes (my words).Now this news is several weeks old and words was that they should be annoucing the release date for the remaining ones shortly. That is if they found the fix (my words again). I do give credit to Atlas for putting on hold the remaining releases for the Shay while they check out the issues, and it does appear that customer service does exist in that company unlike some. While I do set here in some frustration while my two undecs are somewhere out there, I will continue to patiently wait while they get things right. I've waited a year and a half before to get a particular baggage car, and I've waited several years for this loco. I can wait another couple of months.
I hoping the fix isn't too difficult. This is a complicated little piece of machinery, with very small tolerances. They were brave to try it. Substantial retooling could be a disaster. I decided to hold off until a DCC version was available which, I guess, isn't going to happen. So now I'll wait some more.
Pete: A Lenz 521W decoder installation in the Shay is fairly straight forward and presents no problems. You just have to do some surgery on the cab and oil bunker. Stay cool and run steam......
Comparing a small business such as a mail or LHS specialized hobby shop to the Crap-mart makes no sense. Just think that you could most likely fit every hobby shop in your state under the roof of a single behemoth crap-mart. Their whole stratagy for marketing and selling is entirely different than a small business. Often I must wait for a auto repair store or the dealer to get a replacement part from the manufacture that is under warranty as not even the dealer keeps parts for a late model auto they may currently have on the show room floor. I also found this true for large kitchen appliances, and a plethora of other items. I have also found this true with computer parts, the list goes on & on. You will void your warranty if you monkey around with something that is covered. Not a good idea. That would maybe include a LHS fiddling with it. So what if they fix a minor problem but then some greater problem unrelated develops. I do agree its a pain in the neck to send products back, & the shipping time is no fun either but if its the best choice for a satisfactory result thats it. By sending products back to the manufacture its costing them money to and allows them to hopefully see the flaws in the product and correct them to make the customer happy. It isn't a pleasant thing, & I have better things to do than packing something I just bought back up, but with regrets I realize I can't return it for a new one to a LHS most of the time like I could to Best Buys (even then I have had to wait as they didn't have the product anymore & contacting the manufacture was the only way) Mike
