WIP: MDC 2-Truck Shay


I

ianacole

Well-Known Member
Picked up this kit from a fellow forum member, along with the MDC Shay Handbook. The book, along with this site: http://www.modelrailroading.nl/ProjectShay/ShayIndex.html, have proven invaluable so far.

I've gotten the main bunker just about ready for paint ... a couple of more details and it'll head off for a coat of flat black. Now I'm starting on the driveline. The bull gear (main large gear) seemed a little oversized and was binding in the case. I put the gear in a drill and used a file to turn it down.

Progress pics:
 
I bought one of these kits when it was first released. It's been on my 'To Do' list ever since. Looks like I will need to find a copy of the MDC Shay Handbook.

I'm looking forward to seeing how yours turns out.
 
So, more learning opportunities ;) Working with brass rod (.020 in this case) is not as easy as I had originally expected. I expected the metal to be softer and more pliable. Trying to bend to a 90 degree turn is rather difficult - I'd get to ~88 degrees, then the joint would snap to 90 degrees. Sometimes enough connection in the metal would remain to keep it useable, other times it would break through the bend altogether. I must have created at least 6 front truss bars (?) in order to get two useable ones. And of course it would only be the last couple of bends that would present problems.

Oh, and one thing the instructions or the handbook didn't mention in creating the trusses, bend up one side first, then slide the stanchions on, then finish bending the rod. Perhaps this should have been intuitive, but my first successful truss ended up not being successful as I couldn't put the stanchions on. Oh, well ... at least I was able to reuse the brass rod.

Here's a picture of the front. Camera battery died before I could get any more progress pics. I'll have another update tonight.
 
Were you trying to bend the brass rod cold?, it might work out better if you put some heat to the bend first.
Ron
 
Ronzzr11 said:
Were you trying to bend the brass rod cold?, it might work out better if you put some heat to the bend first.
Ron
Click to expand...

I thought about this ... and wondered what the best approach for heating it would be? Would using a lighter to slightly heat the area to bend be sufficient or too much? Or would warming it with a light bulb or between two fingers be better?

Thanks!
 
A little out of order, but...

Here's what it looked like prior to paint. It even ran on a DC track for a few lengths. Now to figure out how to mount the can motor...
 
Hey looking good!
There's a certain satisfaction when you run something you toiled over for many nights as opposed to throwing a RTR unit on the rails!
 
Thanks Rico! Yes there is. It's been just under a year that I've been back in the hobby since taking a ~30 year break, and it's quite satisfying to be able to actually accomplish things that I could only admire of others when I was young.
 
Final paint is done! Have number decals to go, then securing the motor and wiring in the decoder. I was thinking of double-sided sticky tape for the motor ... yay or nay?

Pics!
 
Rtv

ianacole said:
I was thinking of double-sided sticky tape for the motor ... yay or nay?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use double sided tape. Lots of people use RTV (room temperature vulcanizing - AKA adhesive caulk) to mount motors.

Congrats on the shay. I am working on converting a Bachmann Shay to a heavier version. An MDC shay kit is on my project list.
 
It's done!!

It's done!! (save some rope I'm still trying to find). Finished up with the decoder install, a TCS MC2, applied decals, and some stray bits of detail I had laying around. I fussed for a couple of days with what to do for the wood, then it dawned on me I had the perfect source in my front yard :D Took my scale ruler out and found a branch the appropriate size, made my cuts, and viola!

Pics for now ... I'll have video in a few minutes.
 
And video! This beast is loud, even with the NWSL gear replacements. Perhaps some run-in time will help it out. I set the lights to have the front one always on and the rear on when only backing up. DCC control was odd. The unit was, of course, set to short address 3. When I first put the loco on the track it would run just fine but the lights weren't on. Unfortunate, I was a bit bummed, but glad it actually moved back and forth. I tried to change the short address to 4, but it wouldn't take. The loco would move the little bit it's supposed to when address change occurs, but I'd still have to select address 3 to get it to move. I finally changed the long address to 0004, and then it started responding to 4. Oddly enough, once this happened, the lights started working as well. Very, very odd.

But, here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtaO4rY6zyQ

I need to work on the pickups, a bit, me thinks ;)
 
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