The available castings are suitable for building a 50-ton class ‘’B’‘ 2-truck Shay or a 60-ton class ’‘C’‘ 3-truck Shay. The cylinder castings are scale for a 12" stroke by 11" bore cylinder. All castings are cast iron except the eccentric straps and the slide valves which are bronze.

The engine portion of the locomotive is made using the listed castings along with brass and stainless steel round stock. The crankshaft is fabricated from drill rod and cold rolled steel bar stock. The intake and exhaust manifolds are made from copper pipe and 1/4" copper soldered joint fittings. The drawings cover the machining and fabrication of all the parts needed to make the three cylinder engine.

The trucks are fabricated using the listed castings along with various shapes of hot rolled steel bar and angle. The gears are stock gears which are manufactured by either Boston Gear or Martin Gear. The axles run on ball bearings while the drive shaft runs in bronze bushings. The drawings cover the machining of the truck castings along with the other components needed to complete the trucks. The brakes are steam actuated and there are drawings covering the brake system..

The other castings are used to complete the engine and boiler. The boiler is made from 6" steel schedule 40 pipe with ½" copper pipe tubes rolled in. The boiler is a welding project. There are drawings for the boiler along with drawings showing the throttle which uses a standard ball valve. If you prefer to buy a boiler already built and ready for installation, Ed Perry who advertises in Live Steam Magazine, can furnish a Shay boiler to our design.

The drawings which are available cover the machining of the castings along with some miscellaneous items such as the locomotive frame, tender frame for a 3-truck Shay, cab design, axle pump. There are no elevation drawings or erection drawings. A person contemplating the building of a Shay should be familiar with the Shay design or should have access to one of the books on Shay locomotives. There are many pictures available depicting the many variations of the Shay locomotive.

The 2- truck Shay is 56" long and weighs 310 pounds. The 3- truck Shay is 84" long and weighs slightly more than 400 pounds. This locomotive is a proven performer, having pulled nine cars with 27 people, and being in service since 1976.

This is a good project for the person who wants to have a unique Live Steam locomotive without a lot of expense. Other than the castings, the material and parts needed to complete a Shay locomotive should be readily available from your local retail suppliers at a reasonable cost. We normally have all castings in stock and are willing to answer any questions you may have. The best time to reach me is during the week between the hours of 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM or on the weekends. Phone # 775-265-3632.

Additional Information on Shay Construction

http://www.nelsonslocomotive.com Nelson Riedel's Shay project

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