MDC SHAY TOO NOISY & SLOW

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I receved a MDC Shay as a gift and finally got a chance to run it. It is very loud and very slow. If anyone can help me fix it I’d be very grateful
Thanks
Brad

2

I have two MDC Shays. One is about 10 months old, the other new. They are noisy but as it is broken in a little, the whiney gear noise reduces somewhat. As for the speed, this model is very prototypical in that the real Shays were very slow but powerful engines with a typical top speed of 10-12 mph.They sounded like they were going a hundred but they produced a tremendous amount of traction.Speed was not the main criteria.Do not try to oil it to reduce the noise.It will get better…

3

So was the prototype! 15MPH was flying for this baby and the cylinders looked like a hyperactive monkey. Your model is more prototypical than you think. It is, after all a geared locomotive.

4

Shays are supposed to be slow–if your Shay goes fast, something is seriously wrong with it! They also tend to be noisy…I’d suggest applying a little Labelle oil to the moving parts to cut down the noise. But the slow part you won’t be able to fix…

5

Shays are slow and noisy in comparison to other steam locomotives, but there is a design issue with the MDC Shay.

Each axle worm gear is driven by the electric motor and driveshafts, and each axle wheel gear drives the valve and running gear too. That creates numerous “gear loops” where imprecise meshing impedes forward movement.

In extreme cases, you can crack the axle worm gears, so that those axles will not spin under load, and then those wheels are sliding while the others have to work harder to push them.

First step is to break the gear loops. I removed the individual (small) pinion gears on the running/valve gear, all except one. This is quite easy to do, they just slide off the running gear axles. Now only one axle wheel gear drives the running gear, and there are no gear loops to contend with.

Next, check your axle worm gears. They should friction fit on the axles. If you can spin them while the axle remains stationary, they are probably cracked and need to be replaced. North West Short Lines sells replacement axle worm gears for the MDC Shay. I have been advised to replace the bull gear at the same time, YMMV.

6

I’d replace the motor as well. NWSL has a one. The open frame pitman motor is quite noisy. Replace the idler gear (bull gear). As someone else mentioned, pull all but one of the “wheel” gears.

7

Don’t think the motor makes the noise. I assume it was, and took mine apart, the motor was quiet as can be when not attached to the gears. So it has to be the bull gearing setup. NWSL has (or had) replacement gears, but I’ve never heard if they are any quieter. I stopped using my MDC Shay when I got my Bachmann 3-truck one, a whole world of difference!

8

Hey guys, we’re being had. The OP was from 7 years ago, and the troll who bumped the thread has been removed by the mods.

Not to say it’s not an interesting topic - it is. The MDC Shay is always worthy of discussion because it’s a Shay, and because of its modest size and price point. And that it generally doesn’t run well unless the closed gear loops are broken, the electrical pickups improved, and the flash cleaned off the gears. The RTR versions were apparently not assembled with any skill, and so suffer the same flaws as the uncorrected kits.

But a Shay is always worth the effort to get it to run right [;)].

Fred W

9

It is an interesting topic and many new comers to the hobby might not realize a Shay has a top speed of 15mph on good track. Most of the lumber companies laid track in the forest with no ballast and very little grading. Those track conditions were at best temporary and the speed was very extremely slow.

10

I replaced the motor and bull gears on my MDC shay and it still is noisy. I didn’t know about the gear loop thing. I have the shay rebuilders guide book and I tried doing the things in there but I guess I need more practice. Probably need to go to the Bachmann rig if I want piece and quiet. However,I still have two more kits to build. Train show specials.[:I]

11

If it bothers you, order a bottle of La Belle lube, and a few sets of ear plugs…

Phil

12

Thanks Jeffers, that is the first time Ive heard the cause of this engines totally miseable running. I have one and I got so frustrated with it I used it as a stored engine. I like shays and have a number of them in various scales and this one is the worst runner I have ever seen. Might take it apart and try to fix it now.

Dave

13

A noisy and slow Shay? Sounds pretty realistic to me…

14

I have seen some MDC’s that ran exceptionally well, but obviously the owner spent alot of time and money to get it to that point. This was common procedure if you wanted a affordable HO scale Shay, before Bachmann released their gem. Replacing the motor, bull gears and the like with NWSL parts (which I don’t believe they offer any more) wouldn’t make a whole lot of financial sense, since you can purchase the Bachmann Shay from around $90-$125.00, and they run sweet right out of the box. I still appreciate those MDC’s though, it was MDC that made having a shay a reality, for folks who couldn’t or purchase brass.

MHO

EDIT: There is a person on E-bay that regularly sell a motor "upgrade kit, which consists of a can motor, 14.95 plus frt. I’m not sure the quality and have no experience with his product. Search onder Roundhouse. Also FYI, the MDC Boxcab / Climax Loco uses the same motor and bullgears and the MDC Shay. Ron LaFever (google) has created a cottage industry on modifying these locos into sweet runners, at a resonable price. He also has a book for sale on doing this, you might pick up some hints on tweaking the bullgear.