As much as I love shays I don't think it will ever happen in Z to any degree that would be worth buying. Atlas makes one in N scale and it has a bunch of compromises. Like for one it represents a 60Ton shay when most normal shays were around 42Ton. They picked a huge prototype so they could fit a motor in it. I gotta admit they did a good job making the drive shafts turn though. but hey we are dreaming right?... I'll take a 22-25T Z scale shay shay ; ) It would be similar to this Sn3 Climax I once had: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/786/BackwoodsClimax1.jpg
I think we have a VERY long way to go before we see a commercailly produced Shay in Z (or Zm or even Zn3). That being said, I know of at least three people that are currently working on Z or Zn3 Shays as I type this. Maybe one day, some of these efforts might produce a very limited number of craftsman kits, but more likely just one-offs for the people who build the models. I personnaly would like to see both Z and Zm/Zn3 Shays, Climaxes and Heislers (maybe even a Willamette) in the mid-size ranges. A large three truck Shay would be neat, but not as common in the prototype world. Randy
well, the smaller the better, but that is asking a lot. but to get even a "large" shay, like the Atlas, would be great! even if the gears didn't rotate, just having them represented in a good looking scale and size would be very, very nice. dave f.
I'm with David, "the smaller the better". My money would go to a Mich Cal deuce: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...mages?q=Mich+Cal+Shay&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&sa=N Realizing the limitations of the scale, I wouldn't even care if it were powered, I could always push it with a ghost car (I recently bought an excellent ghost car from Jens Wimmel http://www.zettzeit.ch/ZZ01006.html and it is one of the best running engines I have). Without the limitations of cramming a motor into the locomotive itself, the manufacturer could then focus on having nicely operating gears. Look at the fine *unpowered* Tristians from Railex http://www.railex.de/ Or if you've got your heart set on a *powered* loco, look at how small a powered engine can get in the Kof by Z-modellbau http://www.z-modellbau.de/ Jimmy
The trucks of a shay are just about the same size as a regular freight car truck, same axle to axle spacing, same small dia. wheels. So imagine trying to power a 40' MT flatcar with nothing but a small cab to hide the motor in. It can't be done yet believably in N scale so I'd say Z is about 50-80 years away from even having the ability. I've had Shays in O,S,HO, and N scale so trust that I do like them. I just don't think it will happen in Z and still look like a shay.
Never say never, Chris. Some of the Shays where the cab sides are closed and integrated with the tender have more room for a motor than you might think. Nobody said they would be powerful enough to pull 40 cars either. There are some pretty small motors like pager motors that could still pull a few cars. Look at photos of Shays in action, the average number of cars behind them is probably fewer than 10 cars. I can't wait to see what some folks come up with. Like I said, I know 3 different people working on them now, all with different solutions. Randy
Chris, I would like to receive the drawings. BTW Randy, now you know on more person who is working on that.
And since we know who the ones working on this project are, I'm predicting working prototypes by the end of '07. :shade: How's THAT for confidence in ability?! Just between Tim and JR, there's enough talent and know-how to make just about anything work. Never say never INDEED!
How about West side 12 or 15? they both have 3 trucks, but the front half is the same as a higher ton shay (meaning bigger) and are fairly close to the Atlas N scale model.
Shay Drawings???????? Chris, I have some N-Scale Magazines coming that have some drawings in them for a Shay, But............................. if you have some you'd like to copy and send to me, or, if they are digitized, send them my way! Anything I can find to get me started. Only thing I can find info on is a Willamette online. Hobo Tim
