| S. L. Co. #4, a 124-ton 4-truck Shay,
began as a Westside “Hassenger” Shay model. This was an absolutely HORRIBLE
model, way out of scale and proportion, and fitted with an abomination
of a drive using many soft metal gears. I rebuilt it in stages, starting
with the drive. A new motor was installed, and an entirely new gearbox
was made and fitted. The drive is now rather like that in a PFM Shay, and
applies power directly to the driveline rather than one axle as was originally
done in the WSM version. During the conversion I added Lambert DC sound.
The undersized trucks with the soft metal gears were then replaced with
PFM Shay trucks. Several new universals and slip shafts had to be fabricated.
The frame and boiler were shortened, and most all the boiler fittings and
domes were moved. The engine was rebuilt with a longer crankshaft, larger
cylinders, and taller cylinder pedestals. Many details were added or improved.
All that remains unmodified from the original model is the cab and tender
shell. It’s still not an accurate “Hassenger” Shay, but far closer than
it was, and it’s now a fine running model. |
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