This just came over from England, a very nice model of a Patterson & Western RR Company oil-fired 18 ton Shay built by Lima in 1916. While the original locomotive was built to ride 3 foot narrow gauge track, the model was built to run on standard gauged track. Offered by NWSL in 1974, they were notoriously bad runners from the start, apparently from a design change in the drive train made between the time the prototype model was approved and the final delivery was made.
It is a beautiful little Shay though. At just over 4" in length over the foot boards, it is nicely dwarfed by my Bachmann 80 ton Cass Scenic Railway #5...
...and a 9 volt battery.
Those tiny jackshafts are an absolute beast, popping out at the first opportunity, whenever the trucks are swayed too far to the left. However, any grief is quickly sated as it runs, and the monkey motion of the little two cylinder engine with its rods and crankshafts does its magic.
It is remarkably slow running (when it is running), thanks to a well hidden worm and gear setup, cleverly tucked behind the engine. The thing sounds like a very angry hornet, a testament to its early heritage. In the mid 70s, brass locomotive manufacturers who made quiet, smooth mechanisms were still hard to come by.
Interestingly, it only powers the front truck, the rear one is just there for the ride...there are gears on the rear jackshaft, they just were never built to mesh properly. Because of this arrangement, it can barely pull itself, and will need some additional weight added to the boiler to remedy the problem. Fortunately there is plenty of room, limited only by the amount of lead the motor can handle and still slip the drivers.
Alas, the couplers did not survive the trip across the pond...whose postal gorillas are at fault none will know... The fine spark arrestor suffered at the hands of the same goons as well...
She came with her original box, papers and a bit of a list to starboard. The contacts needed a bit of adjusting to straighten that out. The weathering job is a treat and well enough done that only minor touch-ups are necessary. I will eventually upgrade the drive and properly letter it for the P&W RR Co. #2.
...approximately actual size---yeah, dangerously close to "cute"...
---On rewards and consequences...
I have recently felt impressed of God to start selling down a large amount of my collection. A well meaning friend, knowing this, as well as my desire for a small Shay, observed that this may be a reward from God for my obedience. I appreciated the thought--but--I dearly hope my faith is a bit stronger and more well grounded than that of following a Divine Dispenser of Brass for Good Deeds. I just can't picture the Sovereign Lord of the Universe using one of His nail scarred hands to put one of these into my mostly faithless and morbidly ungrateful ones...at least not for doing what was asked of me anyway.
Now you know why no one sits with us at church....
No comments:
Post a Comment