Atlas Shay
- Thread starter Trains
- Start date
Just got back from the LHS where I tried one out and it ran pretty smooth, but was just a tad noisier than other Atlas models I have run in the past. It ran good overall and was well weighted being made of a heavy cast metal--not sure which type though. The detail and piping and such were up to the usual Atlas standards and had no complaint there. I guess if I had to have one I would go for the Pennsylvania Power and Light one since I live in PA.
Does anyone know if PPL actually had one of these as I would suspect they could only have used it in the mines to deliver coal to a steam powered plant or something to that effect?
Lee
Does anyone know if PPL actually had one of these as I would suspect they could only have used it in the mines to deliver coal to a steam powered plant or something to that effect?
Lee
You are thinking like a steam engine, but the insides of the shay are just like a regular diesel locomotive. You don't need traction tires on a GP-9 so why would the shay need them?
I ordered 2 undecorateds and they didn't show up yet so I can't confirm anything, but I have read that the boiler is a cast metal part and that the whole locomotive is pretty heafty.
There "should" be room for flywheel, but I am curious about this also.
There "should" be room for flywheel, but I am curious about this also.
Hmmmm, nice to know there are no traction tires. But I'm guessing that the poor low speed performance is due in part to no flywheel/s. Hope I'm wrong.
They got flywheels! and no traction tires. The sample we ran here seemed to run well in slow speed.....typical for fresh-out-of-the-box....with a little time it should run very well indeed!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Now, to see how it climbs a 5% grade with a string of empty log cars!
Then to see where I put that extra 135 bucks. Hmmmm...
Wayne
Then to see where I put that extra 135 bucks. Hmmmm...
Wayne
I got one of the Shays the day before Christmas. I wasn't planning to get one because I don't do that kind of "railroading," but it only takes a few moments' weakness to reserve one. (Also, though, I'm inclined to buy almost any steam engine that gets manufactured, if nothing else, to reward the company for expanding our horizons.)
I'm pretty happy with my Shay. It runs smoothly, quite well at slow speeds.
Reading this thread, I decided to see what it would pull on a grade. I have one route on my layout that most of my locos bypass, because on the steep side it has a grade that is 1200 scale feet long and 3.5%, with a slight curve 1/2 way up. When I have a loco go up this grade, I don't want to throttle it to get over---I want a reasonable level speed and still surmount the grade (at obviously a slower speed).
My wonderful Bachmann 2-8-0s can do this grade with up to 15 cars, and 12 cars with perfect ease. So I wondered about the Shay. I don't have any log cars (yet) so I hooked it up with eight Atlas 33 foot hoppers, 5 with MT trucks and 3 with (the new) Atlas trucks. The Shay went around the level stretches at a slow speed and conquered the grade at a creep, but with no trouble (and no throttle increase, either). I added two Micro-Trains hoppers to the train and it slipped, took one of them off, and it was OK. In fact, if the grade was only half the length, the results would have been better, because it had gotten a bit more than 1/2 way through when it lost traction.
So my results: 3.5% grade w/slight curve in middle, 1200 ft. total length, the Shay could pull nine cars. Not bad!
I'm pretty happy with my Shay. It runs smoothly, quite well at slow speeds.
Reading this thread, I decided to see what it would pull on a grade. I have one route on my layout that most of my locos bypass, because on the steep side it has a grade that is 1200 scale feet long and 3.5%, with a slight curve 1/2 way up. When I have a loco go up this grade, I don't want to throttle it to get over---I want a reasonable level speed and still surmount the grade (at obviously a slower speed).
My wonderful Bachmann 2-8-0s can do this grade with up to 15 cars, and 12 cars with perfect ease. So I wondered about the Shay. I don't have any log cars (yet) so I hooked it up with eight Atlas 33 foot hoppers, 5 with MT trucks and 3 with (the new) Atlas trucks. The Shay went around the level stretches at a slow speed and conquered the grade at a creep, but with no trouble (and no throttle increase, either). I added two Micro-Trains hoppers to the train and it slipped, took one of them off, and it was OK. In fact, if the grade was only half the length, the results would have been better, because it had gotten a bit more than 1/2 way through when it lost traction.
So my results: 3.5% grade w/slight curve in middle, 1200 ft. total length, the Shay could pull nine cars. Not bad!
Thanks for the report Jay. My guess would be with a little more running time it will do even better. My findings with steam locos is they need several hours of running time to get broke in. Happy New Year'
Ron :thumb: :thumb:
Ron :thumb: :thumb:
any change someone could measure the lenght of the shay not including the couplers please ?
Cheers
Ian
Cheers
Ian
In response to Camelot: from bumper to bumper, not including couplers, the Shay appears to be just shy of 3 1/4 inches, or about 8.2 cm.
The DCC version has been postponed or maybe, sort of, cancelled. There have been some people who are quite disappointed by this. In my own case, it doesn't matter, since I don't intend to go DCC. I suppose you can convert a Shay to DCC on your own, but I haven't paid attention to any discussion on that. I do have a "plain" Shay, and am happy with how it runs.