Quote from: WallyM on March 26, 2026, 11:33:16 AMWell, just received an email from a vendor offering the new Shay, basically preorder.

I immediately called Bachmann USA, spoke to a very nice lady and have some info.

They are waiting to receive samples and will make a determination as to parts compatibility.

If the trucks are compatible they will be offered for sale and we can get them through the parts department.

Did the lady give any idea of a date that we will see these? I have two of the originals and got screwed with a NWSL gear install. Sent them to a shop that was recommended by NWSL. Paid a fortune, and when they came back none of the gears are in the correct position to mesh with the gears on the wheels. So only one or two axles drive each locomotive.

In my 80 ton 3 truck shays I used a SoundTraxx decoder. Decoder part number 884006 and speaker, part number 810112. I removed the circuit board in the tender and direct wired the decoder. I have found that this eliminates a lot of headaches that could show up with the board left in. I cut some of the oil tank bottom off and drilled some holes in the bottom of the bunker to let the sound out, and installed the speaker in there.

Hope that helps.

As anyone who has ever had a Bachman 80-ton 3 truck Shay knows, the driveline components crack and split. Also, the bearing blocks are difficult to remove without breaking the small tabs that hold them on.

I found a fellow on Ebay selling 3D printed parts for these. Specifically, the bolsters and the bearing blocks.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/305444954879?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=irzUYn5vTGi&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=ulh9LFj1Sh6&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

If the link doesn't work, just search "Bachmann Three Truck Shay Driveline Repair Parts" and they should come up.

They aren't cheap, that's for sure. But I ordered two sets just to see if they were any good. And they fit perfectly. In the photo below the bearing block on the left is a factory one. The one on the right is the 3D printed one from Ebay. This fellow did an amazing job recreating these.



I'm not the guy making these, nor am I getting any kind of commission or anything like that. I just wanted to put this info out there as I am sure others are looking for these as well.

Found this old Thomas the Tank Engine while digging around in some old totes today. I forgot I even had it. It's from back when my kids were little (20 years ago or so). So I had to throw an old decoder in it for my youngest grandson. I think it has a cracked gear somewhere because it's kind of clunky. But It runs, and my grandson is going to love it. Heck, it's already one of my favorite loco's already.

Quote from: trainman203 on March 25, 2024, 04:08:58 PMIf the Bachmann Shay is ever reborn, I'm good for one, but I'm not going to get a used one and go through all the twitching it takes to get it running right.

Unfortunately I don't see Bachmann ever bringing back the Shay. Or any of their Spectrum steam loco's for that matter. It is a shame because they were beautiful locomotives and ran great. I have two of the Shays running now, with sound, and hope to get a few more.

As we all know, the truck assemblies on the 80 ton 3 truck Shay left something to be desired. NWSL solved the gear problem by offering metal ones, but the problem with cracked bolsters and broken bearing block remain. I have found some 3D printed replacement parts for sale, but they are quite expensive for what you get. In my opinion anyway.

So I am looking for some of these to experiment on. I want to either find an economical way to do a good, lasting repair, or maybe even design a 3D printed replacement that I can share with fellow 3D printing nerds. If you have any that you would not mind getting rid of, please let know.

Or better yet, if you already have a repair or 3D print file you would like to share, please do so.

Thanks all.

I found these on Ebay. I messaged the fellow who is selling them and he assures me that there is no fitment issues with them. I have ordered two sets just to have on hand, I have a weakness for these locomotives and I am sure I will eventually be purchasing more that need to be repaired.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/305444954879?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=irzUYn5vTGi&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=ulh9LFj1Sh6&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The only drawback is that they certainly aren't cheap.

Quote from: trainman203 on March 18, 2024, 08:14:19 AMIs it free?

Yes it is.

Quote from: trainman203 on March 17, 2024, 01:17:48 PMMy kind of layout.

How are you getting photographs to post?  I have a ton of stuff I'd like to show.

I upload them to Flickr. Then Flickr will give you what they call the BBCode. That's a link that you copy and paste into your message. When you post your message, the photo will show.

Wanted to show you all the three latest Spectrums to join my fleet. I enjoy fixing these Spectrums up, adding sound, and giving them a new lease on life. The latest is a 4-6-0 with the 52" drivers, a 4-6-0 with the 63" drivers, and a 2-8-0. All now equipped with Soundtraxx decoders and re-lettered for Canadian Pacific. The numbering isn't prototypical of the CPR, but neither is most of my railroad.

Quote from: VTBob on March 11, 2024, 11:20:29 PMI ended up hunting down a master modeler (some years ago) that was repairing the shays, & he gave me a plan to make a steel bar jig to lightly tap the NWSL gearings on to the shaft. That's the easy part. The troublesome part is getting the drive shaft itself out of the truck without damaging the small plastic bearing caps that hold it in place.

Rob

Those bearing caps are a real pain alright. I found the easiest way is to push them out from the back. But even then those small tabs don't always survive. Thank God for adhesives.

Would you be willing to share that plan? I've tried almost everything, and finally gave up and had someone else do it. I have 2 Shays now and would like to build a fleet.

Jeff

Quote from: Ken Clark on March 17, 2024, 11:00:26 AMPM "private message" to 686 shooter, re replacement truck for his SHAY.

Good morning Ken. I sent you a PM this morning with some very important info in it. 

Bachmann no longer sells parts for these unfortunately.

The good news is Northwest Shortline sells metal replacement gears.

The bad news is that I found them almost impossible to get on the shafts. There are videos online that make it look really easy. It's not. I ended up sending my two Shay's to 7th Street Shops in Hamilton, Montana. Derrell Poole there does amazing work. His work does not come cheap, but it's worth it.

I didn't make out well at all I'm afraid. I got the gear secured to the axle just fine. But it was cracked and clunked each time the crack got to the worm gear.

I posted on the HO Swap group on Groups.io and managed to find a set of drivers with a good gear. So with that and a Soundtraxx decoder, the old girl looks, runs, and sounds great.

Quote from: trainman203 on February 28, 2024, 08:10:45 AMYou want to search for gold ... try finding a 63" driver ten wheeler.

I'm lucky enough to have one of those too.