I have modeled a 3-truck Roundhouse Shay to my delight with NWSL parts. I bought a 2-truck and it is missing a truck/drive line parts. Athearn/Roundhouse cannot supply the parts any longer. Ebay isn’t much help either because I only need those few parts. Any ideas where to turn and how to locate and purchase those pieces? Thanks!
Yosemite Mules;
Welcome to the forum; you have come to the right place to try to get your problem solved.
I am in N-Scale but I seem to recall that that old MDC 2-truck Shay went out of production many years ago so it is not surprising that Athearn and their Sancho Panza, Roundhouse, can’t come up with a replacement part. There is always the chance, however, that someone will see your post here on the forum and be able to help you out.
There are two things you can try, both of which, however, might turn out to be a mite expensive - sometimes, however, the question might be less “Can we afford it?” than “Can we get what we want at any price?” What you are trying to do is find a “basket-case Shay” which you can cannibalize.
I don’t use ebay so I don’t really know how they work - to me ebay looks suspiciously like a Great American Train Show where dozens of vendors are trying to get rid of thirty years accumulation of junk. If ebay solicits purchase ads you might advertise looking for a “basket-case Roundhouse 2-Truck Shay. Email condition and response to …”
Barring that you could take out a similiar ad in the classifieds of MR and RMC looking for the same thing. The only trouble with both this and the ebay procedure is that it flags to someone with a “basket-case” locomotive that there is a (potentially) desperate buyer out there.
Rots of Ruck!!! as Mr Moto used to say!!!
I have a 2-truck MDC Shay and have no need for it. It is complete and I think it runs, (it’s been sitting at the back of a shelf collecting dust for about 7 or 8 years). E-mail me and I’m sure we can work out a deal. Jay.
You may find that you can substitute parts from other engines. For internal stuff like drive linkages, you might be able to replace the entire linkage easier than replacing just one part in the middle. Outside stuff on a shay might be a bit more difficult. However, as a last resort you can go to the hardware store and get brass rods and fabricate some stuff like this on your own.