20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
Moderator: Harold_V
20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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)
- JBodenmann
- Posts: 3866
- Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
- Location: Tehachapi, California
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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
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
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
Many people use drive screws, aka screw nails, in place of decorative rivets.
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga, TN
-
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
- Location: Marietta, Georgia
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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
Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay
Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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?
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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.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
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)
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)
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
The castings came from Narrow Gauge Shay. Web Site at http://www.ngshay.com/.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?
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)
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)
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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.
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)
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)
-
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:24 pm
- Location: Marietta, Georgia
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
$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.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.
-Tristan
Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay
Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Projects
-2.5" scale Class A 20 Ton Shay
Steam Siphon: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/leavitt ... tive-works
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
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.
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
Chattanooga, TN
Re: 20 Ton Narrow Gauge Shay
7" pipe is most likely oil field drill pipe. There are several odd ball pipes made for drill pipe.
JB
JB