Spectrum "HO" scale 80-Ton Three Truck Shay Greenbrier & Elk River (wood cab)

[Harvey99]

I have the subject locomotive (Item No. 81903) new in box but not sure exactly what I have.  I know only that the Greenbrier R.R. in West Virginia was important in supporting the WVa Timber Industry in early 1900s.  Is this an operating model locomotive or only display?  What is required should I choose to set up a small operating track?

[Doneldon]

Harv-

This is most definitely an operating locomotive. Shays were powerful, but slow, locomotives which were ideally suited
to service like you describe: timber and mining lines with heavy hauling over (frequently) poor track with sharp
curves and steep inclines. You could easily use your loco as an Appalachian timber hauler pulling logs out of the forest
to a mill, and possible even on to a place where the lumber could either be used or transferred to a normal gauge
railroad for distribution to the larger economy. You can do this on a narrow shelf layout with end to end runs or on a
table or around the walls layout with at least one loop for continuous running. Such layouts can easily combine
interesting switching opportunities with well-detailed scenery. Note that Shays are commonly operated in both
directions so you don't absolutely need to turn yours around. However, that's not to say that you can't have a
turntable or a wye to reverse the loco's heading.

One decision you should make early is whether  to run with DC or DCC. DC controls locos by adjusting track voltage
and polarity. It would be more than adequate if you plan on only a single locomotive and want to keep the wiring
easy. It's also the cheaper of the two options by quite a lot. However, you will be limited to running all of your locos
at the same speed and in the same direction unless you break your trackage into electrically isolated sections
called "blocks." That isn't particularly difficult to do but it is fussier than is a single block or the wiring required by DCC.
DCC, on the other hand, is more like driving actual locomotives. DCC accomplishes this by keeping full voltage on the
tracks all of the time, but using in-loco digital decoders which read commands from your controller and send only the
current and direction specified by the command to the motor. DCC requires a command station, a power source and
decoders in every operating locomotive. DCC systems are more expensive than DC power packs, but they allow
much more precise control of your trains and a greater sense of actually operating the engines. Both DC and DCC
permit sound, but the variety and quality of sound is superior with DCC.

Bachmann's entry-level DCC system would be very adequate for a small layout with only two or three locos
operating at once. That would probably be just two locos if both have sound. However, the Dynamis system or one
of the entry-level systems from other manufacturers would provide more power and much more versatility in the
use of DCC features. I'm not a big fan of Bachmann's EZ Command entry system because it has quite limited power
and no significant programming ability, but it is an economical choice if you plan to just dabble in model railroading or
want to get your feet wet before plunging in whole hog. In the latter case, however, I'd still encourage you to obtain
a more powerful and versatile system.

Good luck with your modeling endeavors and welcome to the hobby. I hope you find it to be as varied in its demands
and as engaging as I have for more than 50 years.

                                                                                    -- D

[J3a-614]

Welcome to what many consider the world's greatest hobby, Harvey.

What Donaldon said about the railroads that used Shay and other geared engines is quite true--it was, and sometimes still is, the wildest sort of railroading you could imagine.  No high speed running here, but instead some of the steepest grades ever attempted by rail, curves sharp enough to look like something from a garden railroad, and track so rough it would scare a handcar.  Even at that, with locomotives that can almost follow a goat's trail and just about climb a tree, this railroad runs into a couple of places where it can't climb any higher--and so it reverses direction with a couple of switchbacks, running in reverse part of the way to continue to climb.

Of particular interest is that the prototype for your model still exists.  This engine, built for the Greenbrier line you mention, has survived through different owners and runs still today at the Cass Scenic Railroad, a state park in West Virginia.

Some glimpses of what this railroad is like--featuring your No. 5 as it looks today.  Its appearance has changed subtly; the most notable change is a steel cab, dating from the 1920s or early 1930s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89TfUia3CLk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDJkzW7ligQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-NJQAIqkWI&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Scenic_Railroad_State_Park

http://www.cassrailroad.com/

http://msrlha.org/

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?location=Cass%20Scenic%20Railroad

Another similar railroad with a wild logging side--the Buffalo Creek & Gauley, and the log hauling Elk River Coal & Lumber Co.  The latter didn't bother with bridges when it had to cross a creek called Lilly Fork; the trains just waded across:

http://www.buffalocreekandgauley.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Creek_and_Gauley_Railroad

http://clayberry.org/RRPICSfromGeorgeslogDec2005/

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?railroad=Buffalo%20Creek%20%26%20Gauley

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?road_number=ERCL%2019

http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?railroad=WM%20Ritter

Have fun!