Thanks for letting me join from NW Washington State

[Todd Miller]

I have always been interested in small motors and I am currently building an engine for a Shay Locomotive. Besides that I take up my time restoring a 1920 Staney Steamer. Actually that takes up the most time.

 

[Lloyd-ss]

Welcome to the forum, Todd.
Those Shay engines are odd little work horses and I hope your build goes well. Are their active ones near you? The Cass railroad (now a state park called the Cass Scenic Railroad) in West Virginia has several still in operation. The rail line was used to haul red spruce timber from a mountain top in Cass. The vertical cylinders and odd drive mechanism of the Shay is fascinating. There are several good YouTube videos of the Cass operation that show some very good detail views of the Shay.

Just a quick aside here, I had a knee replacement less than a year ago. The guy I was sharing a room with had the same surgery by the same surgeon just hours before me, and we got to talking and he worked for several years as a conductor on the Cass railroad with the Shay engines as a conductor after he retired. We talked almost all night like a couple of kids on a camp-out. Much better than laying their staring at the ceiling, LOL.

 

[Tug40]

Hi Todd.
I lived in Cathlamet Wa years ago.
On my walks I would often stop at the museum there and look at the Wiliamette 3 truck Shay type locomotive on display there.
Crown Zellerbach operated it transporting logs.
They are real bulldogs.
Lloyd-ss I had a knee replacement 10 or so yrs ago.
Very glad I did it, I still do a lot of walking.

 

[mfrick]

Hello from Mike Frick Port Angles just a short distance from you.

 

[Lloyd-ss]

Hey Tug, The knee is doing quite well. I took the after-surgery PT sessions very seriously. Nothing is flat where I live, and I love to walk in the woods. Now I can do that again with a good degree of confidence.

Mike, my wife and I visitied Port Angles and Victoria some years ago and did a lot of driving and hiking. Where we live is beautiful, but much of where you are is simply stunning.

 

[Todd Miller]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Mike, I live in Quilcene so not too far away. There are Shays on display both in Forks and Shelton and of course the Willamette in Port Angles. I have never seen one run in person, maybe I'll make it to Cass sometime.

 

[davesmith729]

I have always been interested in small motors and I am currently building an engine for a Shay Locomotive. Besides that I take up my time restoring a 1920 Staney Steamer. Actually that takes up the most time.

I enjoyed building a three truck Shay based on castings from Ken Schroeder with some help from Koxo Hiraoke. I run it at the track that the Orange County Model Engineer's have in Costa Mesa, CA.

 

[Joe]

Hey Tug, The knee is doing quite well. I took the after-surgery PT sessions very seriously. Nothing is flat where I live, and I love to walk in the woods. Now I can do that again with a good degree of confidence.

Mike, my wife and I visitied Port Angles and Victoria some years ago and did a lot of driving and hiking. Where we live is beautiful, but much of where you are is simply stunning.

I'm in Sooke just outside Victoria although I prefer to think Victoria is just outside Sooke. Forty miles up the island in Duncan we have three Shays at the BC Forest Museum (although they have changed their name). Certainly cool and one place I have enjoyed visiting since a kid.

John

 

[Richard Hed]

I live in Moses Lake, no where near you. There's nothing here interesting at all, not even any opera! Would like to see the engines you are talking about.

 

[Lloyd-ss]

Here is a great video of the Cass railroad and the Shay locomotives. It is in West Virginia, about 2 hours from where I live.
Watch at least the first 10 minutes for an overview..... And then:
The history and mechanics of the Shay are covered pretty thoroughly starting at about 25:00 in the video.
Whether or not you are a steam buff, it is very cool.
Lloyd

 

[Joe]

I live in Moses Lake, no where near you. There's nothing here interesting at all, not even any opera! Would like to see the engines you are talking about.

Richard,
Moses Lake isn't that far.

https://bcforestdiscoverycentre.com/our-train-collection-schedules/
This is a link to a description and history of their trains. It is a forestry museum so not full on trains but still cool, especially when they run steam. I was last there this last summer with my nephew and his family, his 4 year old was so excited to ride a train.

John

 

[Richard Hed]

Richard,
Moses Lake isn't that far.

https://bcforestdiscoverycentre.com/our-train-collection-schedules/
This is a link to a description and history of their trains. It is a forestry museum so not full on trains but still cool, especially when they run steam. I was last there this last summer with my nephew and his family, his 4 year old was so excited to ride a train.

John

Send me some gas $$, I'll come and visit.

 

[Joe]

Send me some gas $$, I'll come and visit.

Well it's a heck of a long way when you put it like that

John

 

[Todd Miller]

I enjoyed building a three truck Shay based on castings from Ken Schroeder with some help from Koxo Hiraoke. I run it at the track that the Orange County Model Engineer's have in Costa Mesa, CA.

You did a beautiful job on that. I am only about half way through the engine so I have long way to go on a whole locomotive.

 

[Todd Miller]

I'm in Sooke just outside Victoria although I prefer to think Victoria is just outside Sooke. Forty miles up the island in Duncan we have three Shays at the BC Forest Museum (although they have changed their name). Certainly cool and one place I have enjoyed visiting since a kid.

John

I need to stop there. My sister lives in Powell River and I like coming up the island instead of coming up I-5 to visit her.

 

[awake]

Welcome to the forum!