I didn’ want to hi-jack the other “80 3 Trk Shay - Problems” thread so i thought I would start my own. After reading the other post on Shay’s I became interested and did some research using info from the thread. Now I have never even considered buying a Shay. Had no reason to. Well the more I researched it the more intriging it became. I started looking to purchase one. The cheapest I could find was for about 145 bucks. Yesterday as luck would have it I got a “Special” email from Micromark and found they had the 3 Trk Shay on sale for 114 bucks so I bought it.
Now I need to figure out what to do with it. I can make a logging or coal mini-layout connected along my main somewhere I am sure.
I found allot of Hon30 stuff for Bachman? WIll Hon30 (I hope I got that right) run on HO track? And what size would be approprite for a 1950’s northeast Logging or coal mine as far as length of hoppers, log flatcars etc? Sorry if this is too generic, but I am not really sure what to ask.
Terry
The Bachman narrow gage trains that run on HO scale track is On30. This is built on the 48:1 scale rather than the 87:1 scale of HO. You would use O-scale structures with these trains.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the Bachmann product is On3, not HOn3. On3 runs on HO scale track, but is larger than HO scale because it is supposed to represent a narrow gauge Shay. It’s 1:48 scale, which is O, but has HO-spaced wheels.
A member of our local HO scale club has one. They run excellently, but won’t fit through an HO scale tunnel, clear any buildings with loading docks that have been placed according to an NMRA clearance gauge, or clear a passenger train platform that is placed according to the NMRA gauge, because they are too wide and too tall.
I just received a catalog from Micro-Mark that has the Shay priced at $128.95, and it is available from St. Aubin’s Station, a G-scale dealer, for $119.89 – and it is a 2-truck Shay, not 3-truck. Bachmann doesn’t claim that it is an 80-Ton Shay, either. The St. Aubin’s advertisement, which is data provided by Bachmann, doesn’t even mention a tonnage rating for the On3 2-truck model.
If you go to Bachmann’s web site at http://www.bachmanntrains.com you will find a picture and other data about it by clicking on Search, On3, Steam Locomotives. The Shay is on Page 3.
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cacole - Actually the Shay I bought says it is standard HO gauge. I was asking about the other On30 because I saw lots of rolling stock for that size and was confused. If you go to the Micromark website you will find the 80 ton 3 trk shay listed for 114.00 HO scale. I think I confused the whole issue with the ? concerning Hon30 (which was wrong). So now I am really confused. I assumed when it said “standard HO gauge” it would be HO, is that a correct assumtion.
Terry
Sounds like a great deal–go for the logging setup, I found it gives a lot more leeway in equipment as almost anything was used in logging, new, used, old, steam, diesel, passenger cars and a lot was home made to fit the use of a particular logging operation, etc etc etc. Isn’t it fun with the difference in scales? ? I went through the narrow guage scene using ordinary HO as narrow guage but all the buildings etc. have to be proportionately adjusted (larger) It’s a great learning experience.
Well let me ask you guys something? I am getting the funny feeling this Shay is not HO scale. It says it is standard HO scale. If it is not HO then I probably don’t want it. I was pretty excited about this now I am not so sure. Confused as usual???
Terry
Phone and confirm, but if it says that it is HO, and not On30, then you have an HO coming to you. IF…it says…“runs on HO track…”, then you might have problems.
I sent an email to Micromark asking and double checked the site. It says HO Standard Gauge for the one I bought. So I think I am ok. Just above, it has a On30 Shay and it says Narrow gauge. Whew! Thought I made a boo boo there for a time. I guess i should stick with what i know. Well hey I’m excited again. Doesn’t take much to amuse me. Tks for everyones help.
Terry
MicroMark confirms the one I bought is HO. Sorry for all of the confusion but it was a learning expierience for me. Can’t wait to put it on my layout. Maybe I can use it as a yard switcher until it gets its own little Diarama. Tks for all the folks who put in some input.
Terry
The problem I have had with the various (non-brass, brass prices being out of my league) Shay models in HO scale is that they all are models of very large prototypes (both the Roundhouse and Bachman, as well as the Atlas N fall into this category). The Rivarossi Heisler similarly is a model of a very large and modern prototype. The one exception I know of is/was the Keystone Shay kit (I am building one in HOn3) which has a 20 ton prototype. While I don’t have Shay production figures, I would guess from various prototype books I have looked at that most Shays were in the 20-50 ton range, and well less than a third were of the 3 truck variety. Certainly very few of the smaller logging operations would use the modern, heavy geared lokies - both the intial and operating costs could not be justified. I guess we modelers are still suckers for the “bigger is better” myths, or these wouldn’t sell as well as they do. Now I realize that because of the engineering mechanics, it’s actually more expensive to produce a nice model of a small prototype in HO and smaller scales. And modelers/manufacturers still seem to pay/charge by the size of the prototype which means large prototypes are much more profitable - look at the number of articulateds hitting the market recently.
Please can we have some sanity and return some production to the smaller, more numerous prototypes so those of us without a basement for a large layout can have something that looks right on our smaller layouts with shorter trains (recognizing the price of the locomotive doesn’t vary much with size)?
fwright
Well I can certainly agree with you on one point…We like bigger the better. When i was shopping I went straight for the 3 trk not really considering the smaller 2trk. On top of that as I said in an earlier post I had no idea what I was doing. I knew very little if nothing about Shays. The low price is what I bought more than the Loco. (that’s pathetic). After mulling over your post it would probably have been better if I had gotten one of the smaller ones. It will take a bigger area now to really make this one look right. But thats OK… this whole situation has opened up a new area of MRR that I had not considered before. We will be moving out of the FLorida Keys in the next couple of months and heading back up to the Continent. My major consideration selecting and buying our new home will be based allot on a nice big RR room so maby I will have the room to justify the newest member of my Loco livery. Tks for your insight.
Terry
Not really. Even though your Shay is 3-Truck, it’s still only as big as a GP diesel. It should look fine on a 4’ by 8’ layout, if that’s what you’re going for.[:D]
Darth
Tks wasn’t sure how long it was. Currently my layout is around the roomish 13 X 9 with two yards so I will maybe just use it as a switcher until we move and I can make a dedicated side area for it.
Terry
fwright, I hear you. I would love to have a smallish 2-8-2T, or even a 2-6-2T, but no one makes them for the mass market. I haven’t even seen one in brass, although I am sure they exist.
I think the manufacturers are just providing what sells. Buyers prefer the heftier, more-mass-to-the-eye larger Shays, especially most older modelers whose eyesight is warning their managing brains that it might be time to step up a scale. The more you can lay your eyes on, the happier you are with your trains. The 20-tonners just don’t have a market.
If your model is really the Spectrum 3-truck standard gauge Shay, you got a bargain. I have three of these engines with SoundTraxx sound systems in them and they are some of the smoothest running engines ever made.
I also have the Spectrum 1:20.3 G-scale 38-ton 2-Truck Shay, and it is so quiet, even with 2 motors, that you can’t even hear it running.
All told, I have close to 20 Spectrum models of HO and G scale, and have been very pleased with all of them. But steam only – I have known people who have had problems with Bachmann diesels.
cacole
Yes it is in fact a Spectrum standard gauge. I emailed the tech guy at MicroMark this morning. Glad you mentioned sound. Before I bought the Shay I checked the Soundtrax website and saw they do have a 3 trk shay sound module. That is probably what you have installed. How well does the sound work. I have soundtrax in several of my diesels and every dirty spot seems to make the sound sputter briefly and sometimes reset? So what I do now is put in a regular deoder for the engine and a DSX for sound so at least the loco keeps moving along if the sound decides to burp.
Glad to hear I did good. I may feel obligated to accumulate several more of these bad boys. And thanks for your interest.
Terry
The Shay is so small that only the special SoundTraxx system will fit into it. It comes with a 3/4" speaker that doesn’t produce very good volume, and dirty track or dirty wheels will cause it to sputter, too. Clean track and wheels are a must for good sound, but it does run as smooth as the proverbial Swiss watch.
If you’ve never had a Shay before, don’t expect it to burn up the rails – it is geared for a scale 11 MPH tops, just like the prototypes.