I ran across this picture and I’ve never seen an engine like this. Can anyone shed some light on it? It looks to be some form of geared locomotive but I can’t figure out how it operates. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I really don’t know any answers to your questions, but it sure does look like something ‘Rooster’ would model! 
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Looks like a “Henderson Shay” built by Michigan Iron Works.
Shay granted manufacturing rights to a second machine works, this one in Cadillac Michigan. A relatively new company, Michigan Iron Works, then under the ownership of J. W. Cummer and James Henderson in 1882. The locomotive they would produce differed a great deal from Shay’s design but again, Shay’s patented 'concept ’ covered their design. It would be referred to as the “Henderson Shay”. This Shay design was very different indeed. The drive shaft line was off the left center and under the engine and the pistons were under the horizontal boiler. This design actually proved to be more powerful than the Lima Shay’s and in fact set a record of hauling 47 fully loaded log cars with 393 logs to a sawmill. Ephraim Shay’s exact financial arrangement with the Michigan Machine Works is not know, however it had to be similar to that of Lima’s as Mr. Shay would advertise and promote Shay Patent Locomotives sales for both companies.
More here https://www.shaylocomotives.com/shaypages/EphraimShay.htm
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Great information, Dan. Many thanks. I’ll certainly do some more reading on the webpage you linked.
Neat stuff indeed! I can not find anything about James Thomas (other than the OTHER Thomas locomotive. 
). Nor anything about the C.L.Co.R.R. Any ideas?
The new Shay book covers this information prettty well.
Rick, that looks like a great Shay resource. I’ll be getting a copy as soon as they have them back in stock. Thanks for pointing it out.
Dan,
I expect to see one in the next few months
Depends on your definition of “few” 
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Few equals more than it takes for Devon to turn all colors of the rain bow holding his breath.
I find the design interesting in that it reminds me more of a Climax than a Shay. The cylinders slope high at the head of the cylinder to low at the main rod and they drive a cross shaft to two straight bevel gears. The two axles of the truck are connected by a connecting rod, same as a Heisler. I see far more similarity to a Heisler or Climax than a Shay.
I could see maintenance being difficult with all the moving parts tucked up under the boiler and over top of the truck.
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A few is one month longer than it takes Devon to stop Devoning and finish one of his own projects. . . So anytime before the second coming should be sufficient
Very interesting find!
It has a cylinder located between the boiler and the front wheels on this side, and presumably another cylinder on the other side. I can see a piston rod or something, which apparently turns a gear. That gear turns another gear at a 90 degree angle, which is on the end of the drive shaft.
The drive shaft disappears behind the wheels, where it must connect to either a gear on the axles or gears on the back of the wheels.
The lettering on the frame says “Michigan Iron Works - Cadillac, Mich.” I googled this and found the following page:
http://www.michiganrailroads.com/locomotive-builders/5499-locomotive-builders
That site lists a Michigan Irons Works in Cadillac, MI that made 7-8 locos including a “Henderson Shay”.
I found some more info at this site:
https://www.shaylocomotives.com/shaypages/EphraimShay.htm
“Shay granted manufacturing rights to a second machine works, this one in Cadillac Michigan. A relatively new company, Michigan Iron Works, then under the ownership of J. W. Cummer and James Henderson in 1882. The locomotive they would produce differed a great deal from Shay’s design but again, Shay’s patented 'concept ’ covered their design. It would be referred to as the “Henderson Shay”. This Shay design was very different indeed. The drive shaft line was off the left center and under the engine and the pistons were under the horizontal boiler. This design actually proved to be more powerful than the Lima Shay’s and in fact set a record of hauling 47 fully loaded log cars with 393 logs to a sawmill. Ephraim Shay’s exact financial arrangement with the Michigan Machine Works is not know, however it had to be similar to that of Lima’s as Mr. Shay would advertise and promote Shay Patent Locomotives sales for both companies.”
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Naah…it’s not ugly enough or have any historic value (to me) . Besides it looks to complex and time consuming.
Rooster, if something is too complex, too time consuming, and too ugly that means you won’t model it?
Does that mean you won’t model yourself? 
Sorry couldn’t resist my friend
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I’d like to see a model of a rather more popular take on the original Shay design - namely the Willamette Shay built by Willamette Iron and Steel Works of Portland OR. Unless you have sharp eye it will be hard to tell that you are not looking at an ordinary Shay, until you notice that unlike the usual three-cylinder layout, with two cylinders and gear sets leading and one trailing, Willamette Shay has all three cylinders and their attendant gear sets in line. See - Willamette locomotive - Wikipedia
In this way the casting of the three identical cylinder blocks, rather than two and a mirror-image version,- was much easier, as was maintenance of the gears, all of which faced the same way.
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