2 or 3 cylinder Shays.

[WrinklyBottomJunction]

Odin's greetings from the Shetland Isles, Scotland.

I have two Accucraft live steam G scale shays which share very similar drive bogies, one of which has a broken frame that seems to be made of some rubbish brittle cast pot metal & Accucraft do not seem to keep spares for out of production models. I am wondering if the Bachmann Spectrum track powered Shay drive bogie side frames etc might be adapted? Iv looked at the Backmann Spares exploded diagrames and looks a possibility but i cant tell if they are all plastic construction or metal?

Wonder you guys can advise.

Thanks

Vic

 

[tac foley]

Live steam and plastic do not do well together in the case of the early Bachmann models, but the later metal type might well do the job. Let us know how you get on. My pair of electric replacement trucks came from Kent Garden Rail - an excellent company with which to deal. So far my Accucraft live steam 3C Shay seems to have resisted disintegration, in spite of being the very first of its kind to be sold in UK.

 

[beavercreek]

I got an early Accucraft Shay live steamer but imported it from the states a few years back. The guy had had it for years but never used it, so it arrived literally pristine.
I thought that it might have needed replacement 'O' rings but not so far..

I am the the opposite to you 'wrinkly', as my Bachmann DCC three truck shay has got a crown gear problem due to a very hard leaf stem blowing into the outside frame/gear assembly, becoming stuck and then bringing the loco to a halt. One gear tooth had its top broken off.

The Bachmann site seems to be out of stock of spare gears and the metal replacement 2-truck bogies (I have a pair) are slightly different to the three truck loco.
But I would be extremely interest to find out how you go.

 

[maxi-model]

You could try contacting Graham Langer, MD at Accucraft UK. I was told by a UK dealer, about 5 years ago, parts for the US marketed products should be ordered directly from them. At least there is an official direct link there to the US company to check if any stock is or will be available at some time, Otherwise you could possibly use the unbroken side, if identical, or unaffected part in the other bogie to use as a pattern to produce a master for a lost wax brass casting.

You can solder mazak but its breakage probably indicates a more extensive problem. See here. Zinc pest - Wikipedia. There is in the garden railway hobby a well known batch, 10 years or so ago, of Bachmann Fn3 Spectrum rolling stock that had similarly afflicted mazak castings, like bogie frames, that suffered a rash of failures - Bachmann at that time provided customers with the afflicted stock replacement components. Is there a similar issue with some old Accucraft US stock that is only now rearing its head I wonder, or just a freak one off ? Ask the question. Max

P.S. I own 6 various Accucraft Fn3 locos and quite a bit of their AMS rolling stock, including 2 geared locos - a 3 cylinder Shay and Climax. No issues with any of it so far, except an odd problem with a batch of framed tankers where the mazak coupling pivot seemed to expand slightly causing them to seize .

 

[tac foley]

I have a pair of older plastic frame Shay trucks that have stripped internal gears - the reason for changing them out in the fust place. If you can use the crown gear bits give me a call.

 

[WrinklyBottomJunction]

Live steam and plastic do not do well together in the case of the early Bachmann models, but the later metal type might well do the job. Let us know how you get on. My pair of electric replacement trucks came from Kent Garden Rail - an excellent company with which to deal. So far my Accucraft live steam 3C Shay seems to have resisted disintegration, in spite of being the very first of its kind to be sold in UK.

Hi Tac. Just come off the phone to KGR who will investigate but think as its been so long since Bachmann made any Shays that its more than likely a lost cause. But dont ask dont get?

 

[tac foley]

Hoon oze?

 

[WrinklyBottomJunction]

I have a pair of older plastic frame Shay trucks that have stripped internal gears - the reason for changing them out in the fust place. If you can use the crown gear bits give me a call.

Hi Tac. Just come off the phone to KGR who will investigate but think as its been so long since Bachmann made any Shays that its more than likely a lost cause. But dont ask dont get?

Just called back and found a pair of the complete Shay electric drive units @£200 + the pair so thinkig cap on now!

 

[Fred2179G]

The Accu 2 cylinder shays are renowned for problems with the front truck, which as you found is made of brittle pot metal. The smokebox is open at the bottom (necessary for burning) and the frame is open to the truck. It gets hot, too hot. There are also cases of the tires coming off the wheels due to the heat. I've been told the burner is too strong and could have 1/4 of the slots covered to reduce the excess heat.
Solution is to fit a brass plate across the frame under the smokebox opening. And keep the gas as low as possible.
Can't help you with the replacement, and I doubt the Bachmann truck parts will survive the heat.

 

[WrinklyBottomJunction]

Thanks Fred thats sounds like a good fix for any possible overheating of the front bogie frame and I will look at this on my 3 cylinder version too. I do find once up to steam both seem to run well with minimal flame. Next move i guess is to have a go at fabricating the flimsey pot metal bits of the bogies as the rest look quite substantial.

 

[musket the dog]

If no spares can be obtained from Accuraft, could this possibly be another candidate for a 3D printed replacement? Providing you can salvage the mechanicals from the existing truck.

Shapeways can offer metal sintering services or wax casting from 3D designs. You would just need someone to make you a CAD drawing. Some of the materials on offer include steel, aluminium and brass. They even stretch to gold and platinum if you're feeling really fancy .

It might not be the cheapest solution, but it could possibly get you a result quicker than waiting for a replacement that might have the same flaws.

Shapeways Materials

 

[Fred2179G]

could this possibly be another candidate for a 3D printed replacement

Ricky, it certainly could be done that way, and as I'm sure Accucraft charges $00s for a truck so it probably would be comparable.
However, as the rear trucks usually are fine, and there are planty of 2-syl shays around, wouldn't it be easier to take a resin/silicon mould from one and cast some new sideframes in brass? I can think of several shops that have the capability, including Triple R Services.

 

[maxi-model]

What I was suggesting too Max

Edit - My old castings/moldings supplier in the UK used to have a cast metal potato chip (UK version) as proof you did not need to provide a metal master for casting purposes - this was 20 years ago. They are still around, one of the top prototyping and model supply service companies in the UK WCM |

 

[Fred2179G]

I was answering a similar question on LSC, did a search of Accucraft's site and found this:
AP26-100S Single Truck - 1:20.3 Shay, Live Steam (1) SKU: AP26-100S $200.00

They are marked 'pre-order' so I don't know when you would see one. Nor do I see anything that says '2-cylinder' shay.

Edit: After some questioning, I found out these are from the latest 3-cyl Shays and have a different gear ratio than the 2-cylinder. Theoretically you could buy a pair to replace the ones you have, but the driveshaft couplings, etc., may be slightly different.