Somers Lumber Company #4,
a 124 ton 4-truck Shay,
crosses a trestle high in
the mountains on the way to “Camp-6” or “Camp-7.”
| 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. |
