How do shay locomotives work

On the three truck models, an additional tender with its own single driving truck was added to the basic two truck locomotive frame. With the four truck model, the tender was longer and was supported by two driving trucks. Classification : The text in the previous two paragraphs is a basic summarization of a more formal grouping or classification system that existed for the Shays.

The following table summarizes the models available in the company's marketing catalog, The Shay Locomotive. It was built for the Western Maryland Railroad in This particular company also manufactured conventional "rod" type steam locomotives. Geographic Use: Although some engines were exported, the vast majority were used from coast to coast in the United States. Alley Co. Fuels: Wood, coal, and oil. His work on a prototype began as early as the winter of Being a timber man who was frustrated by the performance of "rod" locomotives of the day, he created and operated a single cylinder unit to assist with the harvesting of his timber for transport to his lumber mill.

This Shay - picture right - worked at Glen Blair. When the Glen Blair mill closed in the Shay was stored in the shed and lay undisturbed until this photo was taken in This Shay was built in and is believed to have been the first Shay on the Mendocino Coast.

Check out this Reference and Research website for Shay Locomotives. It is a static model i. It is atypical of the class of Shays owned by the L. White Company. The entire model was constructed from drawings and photographs by Colin of styrene plastic with the exception of the wheels which were bought.

It took some hours to complete. Another of Colin's models of a Shay Locomotive is shown left click photo to see all pictures. Right are pictures of a live steam model of a Shay Locomotive owned by club member Deb Smith click to see more photos.

This one is of a very early Shay with a vertical boiler. Like the model in the gallery above left, it is unpowered and was built from scratch using plans that Colin drew from measuring photos. Right, is an picture that shows what the real thing of this type of Shay looked like. Not all are operational as some are undergoing renovation and extensive refurbishing. The Dixiana has an historic and varied past. She served on six different short line railroads before coming west to California.

Although she saw service on the famous Smokey Mountain Railroad in Tennessee, it was a little narrow-gauge mining railroad now abandoned in Dixiana, Virginia, that gave her the name " Dixiana. Three 10 x 12 inch cylinders can maintain pounds working pressure. The beloved Dixie was dubbed Roaring Camp Engine 1 because it was the first locomotive acquired by founder, F. Norman Clark, who inaugurated steam train service from Roaring Camp on April 6, The "Sonora" is one of only 83 Shays in N.

America, and one of the few operational Shay engines in existence today. The second operational shay is the Sonora, Engine 7. She is a three-truck, ton Shay engine built in by Lima Locomotive Works, factory number After long years of service, it was retired and stood in a county park in Sonora.

Purchased by Roaring Camp in , the engine was retained as 7 and nicknamed "Sonora," in honor of its gloried past. Although two cylinders are sometimes used, three forms the usual practice, so as to bring the setting of the cranks to degrees.

The vertical engines drive on a crank- shaft, which in turn is connected with the main line shaft, which is built up in sections and rendered flexible by means of universal joints and extension couplings.

This shaft drives pinions which mesh with bevel wheels attached to the outer face of the truck wheels. Each wheel, both of the engine and tender, is geared, so that every wheel, irrespective of number, is converted into a driver. The gear ratio is about 19 to Although three cylinders are employed, each is driven by high- pressure steam, the pressure of the latter being pounds per square inch.

The driver has absolute control when ascending and descending the steepest grades. The machine is fitted with all the latest and usual locomotive fittings , and can, if desired, be adapted to the consumption of oil fuel. The location gave banks of 1 in 22, and curves of feet radius, which could not be eased owing to the configuration of the country.

The operation of such a railway also occasioned considerable anxiety, as ordinary adhesion working was quite out of the question. The issue was closely investigated and after examining the Mount Tamalpais Railway and its Shay locomotives, which have to run over similar grades, and where the curves range between 70 and 80 feet radius, and also the Canadian Pacific Railway , where the Shay geared locomotives have to overcome curves of feet radius, this system was adopted.

The latter grade is quite impossible to ordinary adhesion working. The only alternative to the Shay geared locomotive was the rack system or the Fell centre rail such as worked the mail traffic over Mont Cenis during the boring of the tunnel.

Seeing that the conditions fulfilled in this instance were closely allied to those which had to be faced in Australia, twp and one ton Shay geared locomotives were acquired for the Wolgan Valley line, this decision being influenced by its flexibility in conjunction and the enormous adhesion. In the country of its origin the Shay geared locomotive has been adopted extensively and many striking machines of this type have been built.

The latest and most remarkable is that designed for the Kansas City Southern Railway in connection with the operation of the new terminals of this system which have been completed on the north side of Kansas City, Missouri. This is the largest and most powerful geared locomotive in operation in the world to- day. It is of standard gauge with three cylinders, each of 18 inches diameter by a stroke of 20 inches, and inch drivers.

The rigid wheel base is of 6 feet, and the total wheel base 52 feet 11 inches, while the over- all width is 11 feet 4 inches by 15 feet in height.

The tender carries 5, gallons of water and 2, gallons of oil. In running order the locomotive weighs tons. The duty which this engine has to fulfil is of a very exacting character, and demonstrates very conclusively the enormous power developed by this geared system.

Owing to every wheel being a driver and available for adhesion the locomotive is able to develop a tractive effort of 74, pounds. Despite the fact that this huge geared locomotive was built 30 years after the inventor, Mr.

Ephraim Shay, contrived his first crude engine to facilitate his logging operations, strict adherence has been made to the original Shay idea - the vertical. Since Mr. Shay evolved his unique solution for overcoming an exasperating difficulty in the backwoods of Michigan several different types of geared loco- motives have appeared, but it is interesting to observe that the Shay has more than held its own, over 2, locomotives of this type being in daily use throughout the world.

Although the Mallet articulated , Fairlie , Garrett and other duplex forms have appeared since, the Shay geared locomotive still is preferred for service under conditions closely analogous to those for which it was first designed.

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