by Chris Bird

I puchased this loco unseen from a well known member of another forum. It was beautifully packed, but the weight in the centre resulted in some bowing of the frames in transit. Luckily a quick strip down and a simple jig soon had it sorted.


Here is the loco soon after re-assembly.


Now my problem was is that the loco is 45mm gauge and all my track is 32mm. Then I remembered that the gap between the 5" and 7 1/4" rails on my test track was just about 45mm. So I made this video.
It starts with a before and after Chuffer bench test and then is out onto a serious gradient.


My mind turned to other modifications. The early Shays on the Gilpin Tramway had a more conventional chimney stack top, so I turned this one from brass, with a bit of an extension to raise it up a bit.
I also degreased and sprayed the lubricator satin black.

Because I plan to visit some steep lines, I installed single channel radio control. This is simply in a plywood box in the rear log bunker. It is the very cheap and effective 2.4 ghz kit from Giantcod and operates on the reversing lever. The box is then covered with logs to disguise it.

Here is the result so far:





















In case anyone wondered how powerful these locos are........


And here is the Shay hauling 20 kg at the Cathedral Mountain Railway



Here again at The Cathedral Mountain Railway - this time pulling heavy US stock.