Large Scale Central

Frustrated with my Accucraft 2Cyl Shay

Electronics Live Steam
#1

I don’'t run my Shay in the garden often. Today I reminded myself why.

While it does fine on my grades running light, if I try and pull one car and a caboose up the hill it will slip all the way up. It’s worse after a few runs and the rails get oily - can’t even get the cars up the hill at all.

It also doesn’t like my Aristo No. 6 switches and derails quite often on a switch. When it does it usually separates the drive-line linkage which is a royal pain to reconnect on the ground; especially when the loco is hot.

I ran for several hours today; taking fuel, oil and water breaks. When I was done I was just tired and didn’t feel like I had any fun. I suppose I could build an elevated live steam track as I have the room, but that type of operating doesn’t excite me at all.

One problem may be that I run stainless steel rail which is extremely smooth. I could try cleaning the tires on the Shay to remove any oil build up and/or run a cloth track cleaner on the grade between runs. I could also finish my log bunks to supply a lighter train to pull.

Can the Shay trucks be gauged at all or are they fixed? My other locos and cars generally do fine on my switches.

Maybe I’m just a wanna-be live steam guy and should stick to my sparkies.

#2

I noticed that at the national, a 2 cylinder mich cal #2 was slipping at a 1/4 of the load I was pulling on same track with my Roundhouse Lady Anne. I was supprised to say the least. Track was oily but my guess the Shay doesnt have enough weight to gain proper traction. Not sure what the solution is, more weight, track cleaning ect. Kind of why I went back to sparkies. I tried the raised line and it lost the appeal of running in the garden. I will eventualy get back into live steam when I find a Frank S from LGB. Good Luck. Mike

#3

John - this is passing strange. You may or may not know that a couple of years back here in yUK, a 2-c Shay, using the handy ‘gap’ between the British and Eastern US 7.25" and 5" track, actually hauled a ten YO boy on a car built for the purpose. Sure, it’s not the immense hauler that the 3-c version is, but there seems to be something seriously amiss with yours - remember that I’ve seen it in action, and it looked just fine to me.

Write me with all the details of pressure gauge setting, blow-off setting et al, and let’s see if we can bring you back into the fold again. Have you inadvertently gotten some raw steam oil into the the boiler? It CAN happen, and has a seriousy reducing effect on the boiler efficiency that can only be fixed by a couple of good boiler clean-outs using a domestic radiator system cleaner like FEROX or similar.

Besp

tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Gleep Mountain boys

#4

Thanks Terry. I don’t think it’s s steam issue as it runs fine light; but rather an adhesion issue as it will just spin it’s wheels on the grade with a load behind it.

Appreciate your offer to help. I don’t know the data you seek without steaming her. Doubt that will happen again for a while.

#5

Ah, OK. Just a thort. Whinemeal, have a look at this -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYDLj6rwz_E

tac

#6

Jon do you have a summerlands chuffer in it? Sometimes accucraft engines tend me messy with oil. My Forney is like that. The chuffer cuts down on the oily mess and might help keep the oil from getting on the tracks and wheels. Bring it with you in July and we can play with it.

It shouldnt slip like that unless its a really steep grade.

#7

Adreeg.

tac

#8

Yes, it has a chuffer. It is a really steep grade and the cars I was hauling are pretty heavy.

I’m pretty sure it’s oil on the track. My sparkie Shay which normally will pull stumps had the same trouble later the same day after the steam Shay was run. I ran my cloth cleaning pad over all the rail, and ran the sparkie shay over some paper towel a few times and the problem with the sparkie cleared up.

I say sparkie, but it is on-board battery sparks.

#9

Jon Radder said:

Yes, it has a chuffer. It is a really steep grade and the cars I was hauling are pretty heavy.

I’m pretty sure it’s oil on the track. My sparkie Shay which normally will pull stumps had the same trouble later the same day after the steam Shay was run. I ran my cloth cleaning pad over all the rail, and ran the sparkie shay over some paper towel a few times and the problem with the sparkie cleared up.

I say sparkie, but it is on-board battery sparks.

I thought you had one. I think the problem is the steep grade and not the Shay. Thats the one disadvantage with live steam. A little oil on the track and a steep grade will give you trouble. You should pull one car at a time going up that grade. That shoud add to the operations some. Why not sprinkle some sort of grit on the rails in that section.
Is there anyway you can creat a small loop that can be incorperated into your layout? You can use that as your live steam track.

#10

Shawn Viggiano said:

Jon Radder said:

Yes, it has a chuffer. It is a really steep grade and the cars I was hauling are pretty heavy.

I’m pretty sure it’s oil on the track. My sparkie Shay which normally will pull stumps had the same trouble later the same day after the steam Shay was run. I ran my cloth cleaning pad over all the rail, and ran the sparkie shay over some paper towel a few times and the problem with the sparkie cleared up.

I say sparkie, but it is on-board battery sparks.

I thought you had one. I think the problem is the steep grade and not the Shay. Thats the one disadvantage with live steam. A little oil on the track and a steep grade will give you trouble. You should pull one car at a time going up that grade. That shoud add to the operations some. Why not sprinkle some sort of grit on the rails in that section.
Is there anyway you can creat a small loop that can be incorperated into your layout? You can use that as your live steam track. I can even come up and help you with that.

#11

I must have deleted from my original post this thought 'cause I don’t see it now…

I have plenty of room to build an elevated steam track that could be connected to the main line before it goes up the worst of the grade. I really have no interest in watching an engine go around in circles.

I would like to use the Shay in regular operations as an alternative to the sparkies, but with my grades that doesn’t look probable.

Having serious thought of selling or trading for a Bachman C19 or two or maybe a K. Not sure how the bride who was very proud when she gifted it to me would feel about that though.

#12

Jon - I’m sure that a good home could be found for it. Sadly, not here. I’d never get it back to the UK from Canada, with ‘security’ being what it is.

Shipping it would cost a fortune, too. I’ve just paid $67.50 to get six H0 cars to UK from a well-known dealer not far from Ottawa.

tac

#13

Jon can you build a switchback in that steep section? That would make for some really fun logging operations. Im sure you will have no problems selling it if you decide to go that route.

#14

How about “sanding” the grade?

#15

Steve Featherkile said:

How about “sanding” the grade?

I’ve thought of that, but a bit worried that the grit would find its way into the drive line gears and bearings. That would be very bad.

#16

Shawn Viggiano said:

Jon can you build a switchback in that steep section? That would make for some really fun logging operations. Im sure you will have no problems selling it if you decide to go that route.

You need to get over here and do some surveying. I won’t say it can’t be done, but I’m not seeing it :slight_smile:

I do have a place where a switch back would be great to get down to the level of the back yard; but I think if I ever expand in that direction it will be on table tops like Richard Smith has done.

Now that both of my kids are West of the Mississippi I’m reluctant to do and major permanent construction here. There’s a good chance (better if grand children materialize) that we’ll be heading out west in a few years.

#17

Jon, what you REALLY need is a cog line!

tac, as full of bright ideas as a barber’s cat

#18

I have to get my a_ _ up their and take a look and run some trains of course. After this week my wife is off for the summer. Should be easier to get up their on a saturdaay that im off.

West of the Mississippi? Where abouts.

#19

Aaron, my oldest - 37 and still single, has been in Portland, OR for about 4 years. Matthew is 22. Just graduated from Keene State, NH in May, got married a week ago and is moving in a few days to a suburb of Denver CO along with his new in-laws.

We have thought about following them - probably CO or AZ, but it will take me 3-4 years of continuous work to get my house in shape to sell. It was a fixer-upper when we bought it 13 years ago and much of the fixing up remains to be done. Lately, when I get home from job #2 I’m having trouble motivating myself to get out of the easy chair to do anything so that 3-4 years could be 10 unless I win the Lotto and can have a contractor do the work.

I shouldn’t complain. I’m not putting in anywhere near the hours you are. I wouldn’t last a week at that pace.

#20

Hi Jon!

Reading this Thread, with a transalation-Programm English into German. As far as i unterstand, is your Problem that oil comming out the chuffer gets down the chimney on the tracks, where the oily film makes the tracks slippery. Hope i understand/translated this right.

I also own a 2 Cylinder Accuraft-Shay. I’ve made a oil-trap, simple brass tube covered with silver soldered covers on every end and a drain-screw. Mounted the oiltrap under the longboiler, in line of the exhaust pipe, between the machine and pipe to the smoke stack.

The only manko of my oiltrap is the place under the longboiler, in this Position there is not so much heat to evaporate the oily steam coming from the 2 Cylinder-Machine, so i have sometimes to empty the oiltrap with the drain-screw.

Hope you understand my english.
For more Details take a look at the Thread of this modification in the Austrian-Livesteamforum "Schienendampf.com., Side 2.
http://www.schienendampf.com/34487225nx30160/vorstellung-test-und-fahrberichte-f23/accucraft-2-cylinder-13-ton-open-cab-shay-t901-s24.html

Greetings from Austria, Gerald