Building WCNG Shay No9

        Mid winter I got the itch to build another locomotive, I had a pristine Bachmann Pardee-Curtin Shay and a few extra trucks. I had been toying with the notion of building a "last locomotive" for the Western Conslidated. I figured why not make it the most modern machine Lima had to offer. Something purchasd on the eve of the Great Depression, and only lightly used thereafter until the coming of the World War II traffic boom? Steel girder frame, piston cylinders, superheated, yeah a real beast of a locomotive.   And while I'm at it, I got a two spare trucks, one powered one dummy lets make it a full fledged Class D! YEAH!!!

Fig 1      I began by stripping the trucks and engine assembly off the PC Shay, Figure 1 and trading the discared reamains for some other valuable Shay parts for future projects. From there I had to figure out eactly what dimensions I wanted to work with, and just how long overall this unit was going to be. I discovered early on that I was going to have to make extentions to the sliding sleeves on the drive line.
     Another challenge was to upgrade the stock Bachmann Arch bar trucks to a cast steel simulation. Actually this was a lot easier than I originally thought it would be. One simple resin casting (master shown in Figure 2) took care of most of the problem, wth one additonal casting for the gear covers.

Fig 2
Fig 3

     I laid the shape of the frame girders out in CAD and printed it off on cardstock to make a pattern.   I used the pattern to cut the actual members out of 1/16 poplar I milled on the table saw, and 3/8" cross bracing. Figure 4   Using the same patterns I cut out the styrene overlays from .040 styrene. The girders were simulated by using 3/8 inch styrene angles then rivets applied by the "Fletch" method. Figure 5 The supports for the cab floor, running boards and the air reservoir were fabricated from stryrene. Figure 6

Fig 4

Fig 5
Fig 6

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Fig 1	I began by stripping the trucks and engine assembly off the PC Shay, Figure 1 and trading the discared reamains for some other valuable Shay parts for future projects. From there I had to figure out eactly what dimensions I wanted to work with, and just how long overall this unit was going to be. I discovered early on that I was going to have to make extentions to the sliding sleeves on the drive line. Another challenge was to upgrade the stock Bachmann Arch bar trucks to a cast steel simulation. Actually this was a lot easier than I originally thought it would be. One simple resin casting (master shown in Figure 2) took care of most of the problem, wth one additonal casting for the gear covers.
Fig 2	Fig 3
I laid the shape of the frame girders out in CAD and printed it off on cardstock to make a pattern. I used the pattern to cut the actual members out of 1/16 poplar I milled on the table saw, and 3/8" cross bracing. Figure 4 Using the same patterns I cut out the styrene overlays from .040 styrene. The girders were simulated by using 3/8 inch styrene angles then rivets applied by the "Fletch" method. Figure 5 The supports for the cab floor, running boards and the air reservoir were fabricated from stryrene. Figure 6	Fig 4
Fig 5	Fig 6