Issues & Problems<\/span><\/h2>\nIt should perhaps be no surprise that over the years its been in production there have been some issues with the Shay. Think about it, if the Shay was an easy prototype it would have been modelled ready to run much sooner instead of remaining the domain of expensive kits and brass models.<\/p>\n
The links below will take you to sections on each of the problems and how to deal with them. Initially there wont be much on the links as it will take time to populate them.<\/p>\n
\n- Motor Meltdown<\/a><\/li>\n
- Valve Gear<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pickup Problems<\/a><\/li>\n
- Splitting Gears<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I hope this doesn’t end up like a page knocking the Shay. That is not my intention but in detailing the issues and adding notes on how to deal with them it may end up looking like that. Perhaps I’ll have to add some pictures of conversions and customisations to balance it out.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Motor Meltdown<\/span><\/h3>\nPlease Note: as of May 2022 we now have a re-motor kit for the Bachmann On30 Shay that replaces the original motor with a powerful and smooth coreless motor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Ordering here:<\/span> Buy Motor Upgrade<\/a><\/li>\n
- Instructions here<\/span>: Re-motor Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"8011A-00L02\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/8011A-00L02-181x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEarly in the history of the Shay there were tales of motors burning out. The cause was over enthusiastic oiling of the top bearing of the motor in the factory causing the motor to burn out when the commutator got contaminated with oil.<\/p>\n
I guess part of the problem may have been the unusual arrangement of the motor being vertical so that gravity did its stuff.<\/p>\n
There is another issue though when it comes to lubrication. Most of the gears in the gearbox get some oil if you oil the final drive gear on the outside of the loco by trailing it through the gear chain. However there is a layshaft in the gearbox that means the worm and spur gear get dry.<\/p>\n
To fix it you have to drop the motor out as shown but its a once in a lifetime job if you use the right lubricants.<\/p>\n
Lubricating the gearbox – Access<\/span><\/h5>\n <\/p>\n
I hope this doesn’t end up like a page knocking the Shay. That is not my intention but in detailing the issues and adding notes on how to deal with them it may end up looking like that. Perhaps I’ll have to add some pictures of conversions and customisations to balance it out.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Motor Meltdown<\/span><\/h3>\nPlease Note: as of May 2022 we now have a re-motor kit for the Bachmann On30 Shay that replaces the original motor with a powerful and smooth coreless motor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Ordering here:<\/span> Buy Motor Upgrade<\/a><\/li>\n
- Instructions here<\/span>: Re-motor Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nEarly in the history of the Shay there were tales of motors burning out. The cause was over enthusiastic oiling of the top bearing of the motor in the factory causing the motor to burn out when the commutator got contaminated with oil.<\/p>\n
I guess part of the problem may have been the unusual arrangement of the motor being vertical so that gravity did its stuff.<\/p>\n
There is another issue though when it comes to lubrication. Most of the gears in the gearbox get some oil if you oil the final drive gear on the outside of the loco by trailing it through the gear chain. However there is a layshaft in the gearbox that means the worm and spur gear get dry.<\/p>\n
To fix it you have to drop the motor out as shown but its a once in a lifetime job if you use the right lubricants.<\/p>\n
Lubricating the gearbox – Access<\/span><\/h5>\n <\/p>\n
- \n
- Ordering here:<\/span> Buy Motor Upgrade<\/a><\/li>\n
- Instructions here<\/span>: Re-motor Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nEarly in the history of the Shay there were tales of motors burning out. The cause was over enthusiastic oiling of the top bearing of the motor in the factory causing the motor to burn out when the commutator got contaminated with oil.<\/p>\n
I guess part of the problem may have been the unusual arrangement of the motor being vertical so that gravity did its stuff.<\/p>\n
There is another issue though when it comes to lubrication. Most of the gears in the gearbox get some oil if you oil the final drive gear on the outside of the loco by trailing it through the gear chain. However there is a layshaft in the gearbox that means the worm and spur gear get dry.<\/p>\n
To fix it you have to drop the motor out as shown but its a once in a lifetime job if you use the right lubricants.<\/p>\n
Lubricating the gearbox – Access<\/span><\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
- Instructions here<\/span>: Re-motor Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"under1\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/under1-258x300.jpg\")
<\/td>\n![\"Under3\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Under3-300x278.jpg\")
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n![\"under4\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/under4-233x300.jpg\")
<\/td>\n![\"Under5\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Under5-233x300.jpg\")
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n![\"gear1\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/gear1-233x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Conrod\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Conrod.jpg\")
Check the valve rods don’t some loose. As you can see from this diagram they aren’t a complete \u00a0circle and only clip around the eccentric on the crank shaft. If they come loose try to gently give them a squeeze closed.<\/li>\n![\"vgear\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/vgear-300x86.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Truck1\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Truck1-235x300.jpg\")
<\/a>If the first two items in my “care and feeding” list were incidental and things to keep an eye on we now get down to the two big ones. Power collection on the Shay is, theoretically at least, quite clever as it uses split frame pick ups and wiper contacts to transfer the power from the wheels, through the trucks and up to the body.<\/p>\n![\"Truck2\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Truck2-300x215.jpg\")
<\/a> In practice it leaves something to be desired in a silent model and a lot to be desired in a sound fitted model. It is the dodgy power collection that makes for stuttering sound. Split frame is fine and applied properly works very well but not when you expect current to flow from the steel axle ends in to mazak (not noted for its conductivity) frames and then flimsy wipers to the body.<\/p>\n![\"PU-Etch\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/PU-Etch-300x194.jpg\")
<\/a>We have a solution to the pick up issue though with a set of etched phosphor bronze pick-ups. \u00a0Credit where credit is due something like this was available in the USA not long after the![\"TMC_grip\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/TMC_grip-300x252.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"PU-bend\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/PU-bend-300x223.jpg\")
Next task is to bend them to shape and solder on the wires as shown in this picture. If you can solder neatly you can solder the wires near the main body of the pickup and snip the surplus tag off.<\/p>\n![\"PU-truck\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/PU-truck-300x195.jpg\")
Next task is to fit them to the trucks. Remove the two screws on the top of the trucks and pull off the original wiper wires.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230214_192503-300x195.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230214_192603-210x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230214_192732-217x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230214_192802-300x195.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230214_192820-300x168.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Gear1_0001-233x300.jpg\")
<\/a> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Gear1_0002-226x300.jpg\")
<\/a> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ngtrains.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Gear1_0003-238x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n