Atlas just announced that the 2 truck shays are returning the second quarter of 2015 in 4 new paint schemes and 2 previously done paint schemes. Returning paint: Crown Willamette Paper Co. 1 Sugar Pine Lumber Co. 10 New paint: Argentine Central 4 East Side Logging 107 New York & Pennsylvania Co. Inc. 3 Pickering Lumber Corp. 3 http://www.atlasrr.com/NLoco/nshay2.htm
It's the latest Government Mandate. Now they ship them without so you'll have to THINK and ACT to install dcc! "No Train Left Behind"
apparently yes. There were numerous instructions floating around how to do it, can't remember where they were. Fred
People have hard wired decoders into them, I have one myself, so a factory install should be no problem at all. European manufacturers put DCC into locos that make the shay look like a Big Boy.
Maybe the spare parts will return with them, too. I had one that I bought used, and some parts of the driveshaft detail were lost. I sold it again because Atlas couldn't give me anything for replacement parts. I would much rather prefer a heisler or climax now, instead, anyway.
Years ago I kitbashed a giant M-1 decoder with a socket for the Shay.Heck , today, the modern tiny Z decoder would be MUCH easier. You don't have to do what I did, but here are some ideas. http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/N_Scale/Atlas/Shay/Shay M1 Advanced.pdf
A welcome announcement. I was hoping for a three trucker but on a second thought figure I will be better off staying with the two truck version in that my two from the first run will handle curvature under the standard 9.75 and with some thought a three truck version just would not handle that. Probably some rejoicing in the HO narrow gauge arena also since the mechanism has been used for a number of small Shays with them. The two I have are sweet runners at the typical slow speed a Shay ran and I note that the oil burner version is once again being offered since all my logging critters are oil burners. So I will save up my few spare $$ to get in line for at least two more. Maybe if these sell out Atlas will consider doing a Class B Climax or a Heisler next hopefully.
I never looked at one of these thing close enough to realize that the drive shaft it only on one side. Pretty wild!
Shay's are a wonder to behold. I am old enough to have seen them in actual logging use. They have several nicknames, including such as "Sidewinders" and "Monkey Motion Machines". With their small drive wheel diameter, they could be seen thundering along, drive rods flailing, but only doing maybe 10-15 miles an hour- Depending upon the log load, and grade, etc.
Sure wish I'd been old enough, and thinking far enough ahead to own a good slide shooting SLR and a movie camera. Oh well. Nice old memories.
The Georgetown Loop railroad had one, it was a three truck Shay. It was really fun to ride behind and watch all those shafts turning
There are a bunch in tourist/museum service. But none in North America actually doing the work as intended when they were built.
Here is a list of Shays that still exist. There are a few that are still listed as operational. Roaring Camp, Georgetown Loop, and Cass run them on a regular basis I think. http://www.shaylocomotives.com/surviving/SLc-Survivors.htm
As far as riding behind one on some of the original logging line to the top of the mountain the best bet is at Cass, West Virginia. Best time is in the spring and they have some of the original company housing that can be rented so one can stay on site. Some pretty impressive grades to the top of the mountain and one of the few places where one can depart with a nice 70 deg. at the bottom and arrive in snow at the top so it is best to have at least a light jacket for the earlier spring trips. The folks at Cass are in the process of restoring some additional geared steam and either have them already running or close to it. Nothing like the sound of double or triple headed Shays working hard in the mountains. My Shay memories go back to the original J. Neils logging operation at Libby, Montana, the same folks who had the Klickitat operation in Washington State and the last regular working Shay. Unfortunately I was to young at the time to realize the importance of what I was seeing or to use a camera to record that bit of history.
In California there are several still running, most at Roaring Camp outside of Santa Cruz (a MUST VISIT). There is also one running up by Yosemite outside of Oakdale, CA at the Sugar Pine Railroad. Seeing a logging locomotive (be it a shay, heisler or climax) is a must do for a train buff.
