A question about shays.

[Jake]

I was reading a book my school library gave me a few years ago to gain information on logging line, and when I came across a section on the shay I found this statement

Shays haul at a five- or ten-mile-an-hour speed. If they go faster, they may "walk off" the tracks.

Is it true that a shay can "walk off" the tracks? (what that means I am not entirely sure, but we can all assume that it has to do with the train derailing) And if anyone knows if that is even true, does anyone happen to know why?

[taz-of-boyds]

Someone who knows better can correct me, but I always had the impression that this was when the flange hit the rail, and pulled itself up over the rail proceeding to a derail.

Guessing,
Charles

[Lawrie]

Shays "walking off the track" was related to the torque that was applied not so much the speed, but the combination of a heavy Load and speed on an adverse grade was almost a certain derailment, on the West Side the climb up to Flume prior  to the 4.8% downgrade was always taken with care and in the Catenary Video, Bert Bergstrom mention one such derailment

[martin_lumber]

Although a Shay might derail, it isn't as serious as a rod loco, because they re-rail a Shay (or Heisler, Climax) truck like a derailed freight truck-with a re-railer.

Durring a late 60's, very early 70's ('68?) Cass Railfan Weekend, Shay 7 jumped the track ontop of Bald Knob. While the park officials were scrambling and having panic attacks, the veteran logging employees said "No problem!" and had the engine's front truck on the tracks within an hour or two.

Jumping the Rail might also come from the really bad track that most logging railroads had. They were not very level, built crudely, and had many defects. Going too fast over it might also cause a derailment.

My 2 cents...

Phil

[tiny]

and, SHAYS dont go much over 8-10 MPH with a train anyway....