On30 Shay slope ability

[L8GR8N8]

New to the board, but haven't been able to find anything about the capability of the On30 Shay models to climb.  Some books record some Shays as climbing 10 percent or better slopes.  I think that would make an interesting model, especially with zig-zag like at Cass or Roaring Camp in Felton, CA, but the model would have to be able to handle the grade.  Any info?

[Stevelewis]

As a long  time  user  of bachmann Shays  I can  telllyou  they  will  work  on gradients  far in excess of  the'Real' thing

Sugesst  you  may  want  to  try  a  shay  on a plank of  wood  with  some  track laid on it  and  gradually increase  the  gradient... you may be pleasantly  surprised.

[TimR]

Just one word of caution regarding Shays and slopes. They go UP the grades beautifully, but they get a bit herky-jerky on the downslope due to the backlash in the drivetrains. If you keep the speed up, it doesn't look bad. However, if I wanted to highball around a layout I would have bought a diesel....or just a Lionel. 

This jerky motion on the downslopes is one reason I was so keen on the Heisler. It exhibits none of that.

[ebtnut]

I might point out that the backlash issue is not limited to the Shays.  I've seen a lot of regular rod engine models from different manufacturers that exhibit the same problem  In the case of steam locos with "conventional" drives (motor with worm attached or into a gearbox) the issue can usually be corrrected by inserting thrust washers to elminiate the back-and-forth movement of the motor/gear shaft. 

[Stevelewis]

The  above  mentioned downward  performance  issue  can  be  corrected  by adjustment of some  CVs, I will check  what  these  are  and  post  later,  unless someone  has  the  info to  hand?