Building the 2.5" Scale Shay

[Soot n' Cinders]

Thanks guys!
I got the second large gear finished tonight. The plan right now is to do two small years and have the front truck's drive shaft complete and spinning before next Wednesday for the fall meet at the CSPPRy.

[Soot n' Cinders]

The front truck is reassembled and is starting to look more like a shay truck. Next up, two of the small gears and some test running.

[Soot n' Cinders]

Didn't get a whole lot of time in the shop today, but I did manage to make sme chips. I got two of the small gears bored out. Next I have to turn two new hubs to press into those holes, then cut off the old hubs and weld the new one. Once that's done, I just need to broach the hole and drill and tap for a set screw.

[SilverSanJuan]

Really coming along nicely, Tristan. It could almost be mistaken for the full scale prototype.

Todd

[Kimball McGinley]

Has anyone inquired about a comissioning a run of these gears customized by the gear vendor to be a drop-in item on John's Shay? Just a thought...

Not building his Shay yet, but liking it and dreaming, maybe going to buy castings and season them for retirement..

[Pipescs]

Tristan

Can you post a photo of the truck from the end? I am looking at how to hang my brakes on the Rust Bucket's trailing truck and am curios how you did yours

Charlie

[Soot n' Cinders]

Got the front truck done! The gears roll nice.

Tristan

Can you post a photo of the truck from the end? I am looking at how to hang my brakes on the Rust Bucket's trailing truck and am curios how you did yours

Charlie

Here you go Charlie.

[Pipescs]

Thanks a lot. Will be looking for how you activate them. I believe I am going to usa a manual "T" lever forward of where I sit to activate the trailing tuck brakes and steam on the driver brakes. I used on on an engine at Eagle Point and really liked it

[Kayrixi]

Very nice photos. Nice movement as well

[Soot n' Cinders]

Very nice photos. Nice movement as well

Well thank you!

Thanks a lot. Will be looking for how you activate them. I believe I am going to usa a manual "T" lever forward of where I sit to activate the trailing tuck brakes and steam on the driver brakes. I used on on an engine at Eagle Point and really liked it

The brakes on all eight drivers will be activate by a single, double ended, steam brake cylinder mounted on the left hand side of the frame near the fire box.

[Soot n' Cinders]

Wow, how time flies. It has been a month already since I last posted on this thread. The shay has been on display a lot in this past month and not much has been done. The rear truck has its gears and has gone for several trips around a couple of railroads. Some behind John's shay, some behind the late Art Olds #5, and some in front of a Plum Cove box cab. She rolls nice and should easily move with power from the engine once its done. We've been working on the universals and slip shafts. I learned how to silver solder with our new Oxy-Acetylene torch to put the horns in the yokes. We have a TIG now waiting at the ready for whatever project we need it on. Probably some practicing welding so we can use the TIG for the boiler. Our plan is to TIG the root pass and then come in with our gas shielded MIG with solid wire and do two or three filler passes with that.
One universal is almost done and will probably be finished tonight. I will post pictures tonight, as consolation for my absence, I posted a video in the thread about the N&W A in the Live Steam forum.

[Harold_V]

Probably some practicing welding so we can use the TIG for the boiler. Our plan is to TIG the root pass and then come in with our gas shielded MIG with solid wire and do two or three filler passes with that.

Hmmm. If that was up to me, I think I'd run the idea past a boiler maker to get his thoughts. MIG isn't one of the better choices you can make for (code) welding a boiler, regardless of the method used for the root pass. Probably all the more true for those who are not certified.

Unless there's been a change in code since the early 90's (there may have been, I don't know), MIG isn't an approved process.

Harold