I have a quick question about the HO-scale Bachmann 3-truck Shay…
I just purchased one “gently used” and it does seem to be in very good shape, no complaints there. And it seems to run reasonably well-- supposedly it has only had a very short run-time to-date (but who really knows, right? I know shays are geared locomotives and designed to have more power over speed-- but it seems like it has a somewhat limited upper end, and it has a slight “growl” when it runs. Not loud, just noticeable. I didn’t clock the speed yet-- haven’t had a chance yet-- but I’d say its probably 15-20 scale MPH… just a guess.
I’ve never owned one of these before, nor seen one in real life (the model I mean) so I’m not sure if what I’m seeing/hearing is normal for the loco or if there’s a problem of some sort. I know these locos are famous for stripped gears and such. How would I know? Also there could be the possibility of insufficient lubrication-- if it is “brand new with short run time” it may simply be an issue of never having been lubricated out of the box or broken in.
Does anybody have experience with this loco and could offer me some perspective?
Also I know about the NWSL replacement drive train and will probably get around to performing that upgrade sooner or later.
Is the growl in the lineshaft and axle gears? If so, I wouldn’t worry. I have NWSL’s replacement gears on mine, and it makes a very faint growl. No signs of gear wear.[:)]
If none of the gears are cracked or split, there’s no need to get the NWSL upgrade. They have the exact same shape as the Bachmann gears, and run exactly the same. The only difference is that they’re made of metal.
The top speed of a real Shay was only in the range of 12-15 MPH, so the Bachmann Shay is geared realistically. Run it slower than full throttle and the noise will go away.
Yes, the growl is in the driveline / lineshaft. I don’t think anything is cracked and it sounds about the same under load (pulling a weighted 5 car train).
The growl is not very loud, just more than I expected. And as I replied elsewhere, it seems to pull a weighted train okay with no change in performance or noise. It doesn’t “shake” at any speed, its actually a very smooth runner, ignoring the growl. And the noise doesn’t get much louder-- a little perhaps but not a lot-- at top speed.
That’s a good idea to check YouTube, I’ll do that.
I know shays are geared locomotives and designed to have more power over speed-- but it seems like it has a somewhat limited upper end, and it has a slight “growl” when it runs. Not loud, just noticeable. I didn’t clock the speed yet-- haven’t had a chance yet-- but I’d say its probably 15-20 scale MPH… just a guess.