20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

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Pipescs
Posts: 2194
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:16 pm
Location: Lester Alabama

20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Pipescs »

This build is on the 20 Ton, Narrow Gauge Shay, that was designed by John Buckwalter

While I understand He may be selling the design and company at this time, He assures me that the castings will continue to be available in the future.

Looking forward to this build as it is my first real attempt a building an engine from plans. The American was a fifty year old LE project that had not run in 35 years. More of a learning tool than anything.

The Forney has been built as a Freelance project with no plans to work from and only guidance from people in my club and on this forum.

John's Engine.
2012-SpringRun-Shay.jpg
His web site is http://www.ngshay.com/

I have purchased the casting set over the last three years. I had promised myself I would not start this project until the Rustbucket /Miss Ann was on the track. She has 11.5 miles on the GPS so the Shay kicked off yesterday and today at our shop work day here in Alabama.

I have cut and started the two main frame rails. Might not be the best time to start with the cost of steel (Channel was $112.00 for two twenty foot sticks.
DSC_6486.jpg



The frame beams are fabricated out of 2 x 1/2 inch Channel. Each side rail is 76 inches long being built into an I-Beam by welding the channels back to back. I still have a little more grinding to smooth out the weld and then there will be 84 holes drilled and riveted. Drawings call for 3/16 shank rivets. They look too large and I will go with 1/8 instead. Primarily for looks and they are really buried under the engine out of sight.
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
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JBodenmann
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Cool locomotive! I am looking forward to watching your progress. Are you planning a built up crank shaft, or machining it from one piece.
Jack
jcbrock
Posts: 508
Joined: Tue May 22, 2012 7:50 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by jcbrock »

Charlie, I may be nuts but I didn't rivet my frame, I put it together with 8-32 cap screws so I could take it apart if I had to. I've probably done it twice. The rounded head of the screws doesn't look too bad, the hex hole kinda fades into the blackness.
John Brock
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Fender
Posts: 3084
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:33 pm
Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Fender »

Many people use drive screws, aka screw nails, in place of decorative rivets.
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Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
Soot n' Cinders
Posts: 983
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

Fender wrote: Sat Jul 23, 2022 8:03 am Many people use drive screws, aka screw nails, in place of decorative rivets.
Thats what I used on my smokebox.
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
L3652
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:56 am

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by L3652 »

I live in the UK and would like to build a Shay loco. I have emailed to try a find out if the castings and drawings are still available and if it was possible to have an idea how much shipping would cost me. I was also wondering what people thought was the most difficult part of building the 20 ton shay was?
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Pipescs
Posts: 2194
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:16 pm
Location: Lester Alabama

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Pipescs »

Cool locomotive! I am looking forward to watching your progress. Are you planning a built up crank shaft, or machining it from one piece.
Jack
Hey Jack, Sorry to take so long to come back on this. Getting the kids ready to go back to college and getting the Forney ready for the Night Run at MSLS this next weekend.

The plan is to do a built up crank. Somewhat like you would do on a Stuart engine kit.
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
User avatar
Pipescs
Posts: 2194
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:16 pm
Location: Lester Alabama

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Pipescs »

I live in the UK and would like to build a Shay loco. I have emailed to try a find out if the castings and drawings are still available and if it was possible to have an idea how much shipping would cost me. I was also wondering what people thought was the most difficult part of building the 20 ton shay was?
The castings came from Narrow Gauge Shay. Web Site at http://www.ngshay.com/.

There is an issue with the owner, John Buckwalter is putting the company up for sale and I am unsure where they are in the process of it changing hands. I tried to order a casting for the smokebox door a few weeks back and John told me I would have to wait till the company changed hands, as he was not going to do a run on castings before it sold.

I have no idea about the shipping although I understand there are a group of builders building a number of these in Australia
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
User avatar
Pipescs
Posts: 2194
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:16 pm
Location: Lester Alabama

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Pipescs »

As I say I have been delayed on the frame due to family and getting ready for the last two runs of the club with the Forney.

I did get one lesson on the rising price of steel pipe though. I asked my local supplier to find me a piece of eight inch, seamless pipe for the boiler. the quote came back at $750.00 for a three foot piece. Told them to hold for now.
Charlie Pipes
Mid-South Live Steamers


Current Projects:

Scratch Built 3 3/4 scale 0-4-4 Forney
Little Engines American
20 Ton Shay (Castings and Plans Purchased for future)
Soot n' Cinders
Posts: 983
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Soot n' Cinders »

Pipescs wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:01 pm As I say I have been delayed on the frame due to family and getting ready for the last two runs of the club with the Forney.

I did get one lesson on the rising price of steel pipe though. I asked my local supplier to find me a piece of eight inch, seamless pipe for the boiler. the quote came back at $750.00 for a three foot piece. Told them to hold for now.
$750 for the barrel is insane! Might see if anybody has a drop laying around you could get for cheap. Thats what I managed to do with my boiler, everything but the mud ring and stay bolts were drops.
-Tristan

Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay

Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
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Fender
Posts: 3084
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:33 pm
Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by Fender »

Might want to check with Tioga Pipe (Kenneth Volk
kvolk@tiogapipe.com) for A106 grade B pipe. I bought six feet of 7 inch pipe from them about three years ago, and paid far less than this. BTW, everyone said it would be impossible to get this size, but I have it sitting in my basement.
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
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FLSTEAM
Posts: 1571
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 10:55 am
Location: Central Florida

Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay

Post by FLSTEAM »

7" pipe is most likely oil field drill pipe. There are several odd ball pipes made for drill pipe.
JB
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