80 TON,THREE-TRUCK SHAY

[IAN]

Hi I have this loco for some time but have not run it,I have just give it a quick run but it does not run with any speed is this normal for this type of loco?I do not have another loco to compare it and as I live in the U.K. there are not to many to compare it with, Ian

[Jhanecker2]

I don't own one personally , but Shays were used mainly for  the logging industries usually on narrow gauge track .  The use of three trucks was necessary to spread the weight of the locomotive and freight cars to allow the trains to run on tracks that had grades in excess of 4% and had relatively tight curves.  Therefore the prototypical trains were not very fast , I suspect the models aren't either .  John II

[ebtnut]

Top end for a prototype Shay was about 20 mph on a good day.  Most Shay models try to provide sufficient gear reduction to approximate the very slow speeds that these engines normally ran at.  Your Shay model isn't going to compete with Mallard for track speed.

[john Max]

I have one of these also in the UK and they are slow runners as they should be, if it runs without stalling it is probably it's normal speed.

[rich1998]

any geared locomotive sounds like it is running very fast. they have a lot of gear reduction. logging track was very rough at times. some logging railroads used pole roads. small diameter tress with limbs removed laid end to end and used as "track".  The loco wheels were double flanged.
do a search for shay locomotive speed.
lex

[Pacific Northern]

Top end for a prototype Shay was about 20 mph on a good day.  Most Shay models try to provide sufficient gear reduction to approximate the very slow speeds that these engines normally ran at.  Your Shay model isn't going to compete with Mallard for track speed.

I received a book recently and it references the three shay's purchased by CPR for use in the coal and mining sector as running around 10 to 15 miles per hour at best. Powerful, but slow.