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LIVE STEAM CASTINGS
1½" = 1'-0" Scale 7¼" or 7½" Gauge
Now Featuring Two of the Largest Shays Ever Built!
Western Maryland Railway #6
The last Shay built (1945) by the Lima Locomotive Works and
Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk RR #12
A 150-ton 3-Truck Shay that became the largest Shay when re-built into a 196-ton 4-Truck Shay
Why Build a Shay? The Shay locomotive has captured the attention of railroad enthusiasts for over 100 years with its geared power transmission system. The Shay became the favorite locomotive among the logging and mining industries because of its great power and agility to traverse steep inclines and rough trackage. Among live steamers, the Shay has been popularized by the writings of Kozo Hiraoka. However, Kozo’s Shays and other Shay castings commercially available for the live steam builder from Ken Schroeder, are for the lighter duty Shays. Many live steam builders have wanted to build a Shay that can pull more and be large enough to ride. LocoGear is offers castings for two of the largest Shays ever built! The parts listed in this catalog can be used to build two prototype Shays: the Western Maryland Railway #6, and the Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk Railroad #12. Both Shays are about eight feet long and weigh in at about 800 pounds each. The GC&E #12 can also be built as a four-truck Shay, adding two additional feet in length and another 150 pounds in weight.
Historical Background
These two Shays are noteworthy because of their shear size. The GC&E #12 was originally built as a 150-ton three-truck Shay in 1921. That was very large Shay back then. In 1933 it was enlarged at the Cass, West Virginia shops of the GC&E into a four-truck Shay, probably becoming the heaviest Shay ever. The WM #6 was built in 1945 as a 162-ton three-truck Shay, also one of the largest ever built at the Lima Locomotive Works. The WM #6 only operated in service for five years and then in 1953 was placed in the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore for 30 years. The GC&E #12 was scrapped at the Cass shops in 1955 following a wreck in 1942. Ironically, the WM #6 is currently operational at the Cass Scenic Railroad. Not only are the operational histories of these two Shays tied together, but they have mechanical ties as well (see comparison chart on page 5). When Lima designed the WM #6, they drew heavily upon their experience with GC&E #12. Many of the drawings for Order Number 510 (WM #6) are revisions of earlier drawings for Order Number 329 (GC&E #12). The trucks on these two locomotives are virtually identical. Many of the parts that were common to both WM #6 and GC&E #12 were made by Lima from the same casting patterns. Comparing the Master Index of Drawings of these two Shays finds a total of 110 casting patterns that are common to both, although some had minor revisions made to the them when used to cast parts for WM #6. These two Shay locomotives were literally fashioned from the same molds.
LocoGear Castings
Although the LocoGear castings were originally intended for WM #6, many of the castings can also be used to build GC&E #12, just as Lima used many of the same casting patterns for both Shays. However, not all of the castings necessary for GC&E #12 are currently available. Most notably absent are the slide valve cylinders and cylinder frames. Many other parts, however, if not exact, can still be used with confidence to make a good replica. The castings available from LocoGear are designed for 1½" scale. All of the castings can be used for either 7¼" or 7½" gauge. On a Shay, the difference in gauge can simply be made in the axles. The iron used for LocoGear’s castings is ductile iron. This is the same formula that is used for casting the beds of lathes and milling machines. This is not just “Gray Iron” which is the bottom of the ladder in iron castings. LocoGear castings are a couple of steps up from there. At LocoGear we believe that a live steam model locomotive should be built following the prototype as closely as possible. Great care has been taken to research the parts in this catalog before the patterns were made. We have followed traditional pattern making practices, which have added greatly to their integrity. Every attempt has been taken to follow the original engineering drawings.
Resources from LocoGear LocoGear has developed several avenues to provide additional information and technical support for the builders of WM #6 and GC&E #12, which we hope will help you successfully make this live steam model. These include the LocoGear web site, the LocoGear Technical Bulletins, and LocoGear scale drawings. LocoGear Website
The LocoGear web site has much information about its castings as well as the prototype Shay locomotive. There are also photos provided by builders of their live steam Shays under construction. We invite you to visit the LocoGear website at: http://www.LocoGear.com
LocoGear Scale Drawings
In a effort to provide scale drawings for the model builders, LocoGear has created these drawings with 1½" = 1'-0" scale dimensions. Although the prototype drawings available from Allen County Historical Society (ACHS) and California Railroad Museum (CSRM) are extensive, not all drawings used to build the WM #6 or the GC&E #12 have survived to the present. See LocoGear Technical Bulletin-05, a list of all known original drawings for both the WM #6 and the GC&E #12 held by both ACHS and CSRM. See LocoGear Technical Bulletin-07 for list of all scale drawings offered by LocoGear . Most prototype drawings can be used by simply dividing the dimensions by eight to build the model. However, LocoGear has reengineered many of the parts for the model builder to make the model part stronger or simpler to make without compromising appearance or functionality. With such modifications, the scale drawings for the castings offered by LocoGear may be necessary for the model builder to understand the manufacturing intent when the casting patterns were made.
LocoGear Technical Bulletins The LocoGear Technical Bulletins are designed to provide critical information and step by step instructions for machining the many parts needed to construct a live steam model of the WM #6 or the GC&E #12. Each LocoGear Technical Bulletin includes pictures of the part being made and also photos of the prototype part, and in some cases plans of the part and any jigs or fixtures necessary to make the part. Several LocoGear Technical Bulletins also provide prototype information about the Shays. LocoGear Technical Bulletins are provided free of charge to anyone requesting them. You may also download copies of each LocoGear Technical Bulletin from the LocoGear web site. Also, available for download on the LocoGear web site is a 55-page Master Index of all parts used to build the original WM #6 listing the drawing or card number, quantity and production notes.
Historical Background
These two Shays are noteworthy because of their shear size. The GC&E #12 was originally built as a 150-ton three-truck Shay in 1921. That was very large Shay back then. In 1933 it was enlarged at the Cass, West Virginia shops of the GC&E into a four-truck Shay, probably becoming the heaviest Shay ever. The WM #6 was built in 1945 as a 162-ton three-truck Shay, also one of the largest ever built at the Lima Locomotive Works. The WM #6 only operated in service for five years and then in 1953 was placed in the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore for 30 years. The GC&E #12 was scrapped at the Cass shops in 1955 following a wreck in 1942. Ironically, the WM #6 is currently operational at the Cass Scenic Railroad. Not only are the operational histories of these two Shays tied together, but they have mechanical ties as well (see comparison chart on page 5). When Lima designed the WM #6, they drew heavily upon their experience with GC&E #12. Many of the drawings for Order Number 510 (WM #6) are revisions of earlier drawings for Order Number 329 (GC&E #12). The trucks on these two locomotives are virtually identical. Many of the parts that were common to both WM #6 and GC&E #12 were made by Lima from the same casting patterns. Comparing the Master Index of Drawings of these two Shays finds a total of 110 casting patterns that are common to both, although some had minor revisions made to the them when used to cast parts for WM #6. These two Shay locomotives were literally fashioned from the same molds.
LocoGear Castings
Although the LocoGear castings were originally intended for WM #6, many of the castings can also be used to build GC&E #12, just as Lima used many of the same casting patterns for both Shays. However, not all of the castings necessary for GC&E #12 are currently available. Most notably absent are the slide valve cylinders and cylinder frames. Many other parts, however, if not exact, can still be used with confidence to make a good replica. The castings available from LocoGear are designed for 1½" scale. All of the castings can be used for either 7¼" or 7½" gauge. On a Shay, the difference in gauge can simply be made in the axles. The iron used for LocoGear’s castings is ductile iron. This is the same formula that is used for casting the beds of lathes and milling machines. This is not just “Gray Iron” which is the bottom of the ladder in iron castings. LocoGear castings are a couple of steps up from there. At LocoGear we believe that a live steam model locomotive should be built following the prototype as closely as possible. Great care has been taken to research the parts in this catalog before the patterns were made. We have followed traditional pattern making practices, which have added greatly to their integrity. Every attempt has been taken to follow the original engineering drawings.
Resources from LocoGear LocoGear has developed several avenues to provide additional information and technical support for the builders of WM #6 and GC&E #12, which we hope will help you successfully make this live steam model. These include the LocoGear web site, the LocoGear Technical Bulletins, and LocoGear scale drawings. LocoGear Website
The LocoGear web site has much information about its castings as well as the prototype Shay locomotive. There are also photos provided by builders of their live steam Shays under construction. We invite you to visit the LocoGear website at: http://www.LocoGear.com
LocoGear Scale Drawings
In a effort to provide scale drawings for the model builders, LocoGear has created these drawings with 1½" = 1'-0" scale dimensions. Although the prototype drawings available from Allen County Historical Society (ACHS) and California Railroad Museum (CSRM) are extensive, not all drawings used to build the WM #6 or the GC&E #12 have survived to the present. See LocoGear Technical Bulletin-05, a list of all known original drawings for both the WM #6 and the GC&E #12 held by both ACHS and CSRM. See LocoGear Technical Bulletin-07 for list of all scale drawings offered by LocoGear . Most prototype drawings can be used by simply dividing the dimensions by eight to build the model. However, LocoGear has reengineered many of the parts for the model builder to make the model part stronger or simpler to make without compromising appearance or functionality. With such modifications, the scale drawings for the castings offered by LocoGear may be necessary for the model builder to understand the manufacturing intent when the casting patterns were made.
LocoGear Technical Bulletins The LocoGear Technical Bulletins are designed to provide critical information and step by step instructions for machining the many parts needed to construct a live steam model of the WM #6 or the GC&E #12. Each LocoGear Technical Bulletin includes pictures of the part being made and also photos of the prototype part, and in some cases plans of the part and any jigs or fixtures necessary to make the part. Several LocoGear Technical Bulletins also provide prototype information about the Shays. LocoGear Technical Bulletins are provided free of charge to anyone requesting them. You may also download copies of each LocoGear Technical Bulletin from the LocoGear web site. Also, available for download on the LocoGear web site is a 55-page Master Index of all parts used to build the original WM #6 listing the drawing or card number, quantity and production notes.
At LocoGear we want to respond to your needs and are interested in providing the castings for your locomotive project no matter what locomotive you choose to build. If you need castings for other geared locomotives, including other Shays, Willamettes, Climaxes, and Heislers, please let us know. We are always looking to expand our product line of live steam locomotive castings.
John D.L. JohnsonLocoGear6111 Walnut Hill DriveLake Worth, FL 33467-6182www.LocoGear.com www.LocoGear.net
John D.L. JohnsonLocoGear6111 Walnut Hill DriveLake Worth, FL 33467-6182www.LocoGear.com www.LocoGear.net