The Steamboating Forum

The loco in the next post. All I know about its description is it was used by a logging company.

It looks like the boss's whole household is on the train.

A large version can be seen here:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i_AovfzNXgQ/S ... 13044a.jpg

I would like to say it's a Shay but a three cylinder ,two truck Shay is bigger than that. The boiler is sitting very low,there is no frame-the boiler is mounted directly to the front truck. Maybe someone built it out of a wreck.I could not find any Shay photos that resemble this and Shay had the patent on this set-up.When the patent ran out Willamette produced similar engines but much bigger than this so it's gotta be a Shay! Den

farmerden wrote:I would like to say it's a Shay but a three cylinder ,two truck Shay is bigger than that. The boiler is sitting very low,there is no frame-the boiler is mounted directly to the front truck. Maybe someone built it out of a wreck.I could not find any Shay photos that resemble this and Shay had the patent on this set-up.When the patent ran out Willamette produced similar engines but much bigger than this so it's gotta be a Shay! Den

Good evening,

I'm pretty sure it's not a Shay, because of the position of the cylinders steamchests facing outward. But this loco is clearly built alongside the design of a 2 trucks Shay. The boiler is also very special. This could be a very early Shay, a kind of "proof of concept" for the side-transmission?

Regards.

Wouldn't it be for the curious boiler, this could be a Willamette (a late clone of Shay with outward facing valve chests):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_locomotive

Den sent me an Email from a friend of his:

Hello Dennis:

That appears to be Ephriam Shay's Hemlock Central locomotive. The Engineer in the picture has a strong resemblance to Ephriam Shay himself. Here is a link. Scroll down and you will find the same loco. I am no Shay expert, but consider them the best darned locomotives ever built! Can you send a link to your forum? Let me know if you think it is the same loco.

Thanks.
Jack Hudson

http://www.shaylocomotives.com/shaypage ... imShay.htm

Jack says he's no expert on Shays but how does he explain making this from scratch??[/img]

Interesting engine. My guess is it's a Shay, the components look similar just rearranged. I have a Mich-Cal 2 cylinder Shay from Accucraft. I was at a friends house and seen it in a showcase, and had to have it. He sold it to me.

Anyways, it would be fun to know that pic was taken in Northern Michigan, there were a lot of Shays up there, Shay being from Northern Michigan.

-Ron