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Re: DCC Fitting to Bachmann large scale shay

 

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Hi Martin,

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Thanks for the info on the Shay trucks.? I also had a Bachmann Spectrum Climax and external-frame Consolidation.? All broke fairly quickly.? The Consolidation was a trip because it claimed to be DCC ready (unlike the Shay), but all the wires inside the boiler were too short.? It was very difficult to solder inside the boiler. I think it came with some sort of wiring diagram.

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G-scale locomotives were all very challenging, regardless of who the manufacturer was.? And if they were not DCC ready, they were even worse.? They often had lots of circuit boards inside of them and lots of screws that held things together.? I had an LGB Sumpter Valley logging mallet that I took pictures of me taking it apart so that I could get it back together. ?I spent about 20 hours doing this and deciding what wiring changes I was going to make before I cut the first wire and started the install.? Once I had it figured out, it wasn¡¯t so bad.? But still, it was a $2,000 locomotive that I didn¡¯t want to damage and ruin.

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Allan Gartner

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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of martin.gliddon via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2025 5:48 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [w4dccqa] DCC Fitting to Bachmann large scale shay

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Hi Alan,

Many thanks for the reply. Yes, the TSU4400 will fit into the Shay tender.

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Some basics on the Shay trucks¡­

Early types had 8 screws to the baseplate. These were exceptionally prone to cracked gears.

They were then modified to 6 screws to the baseplate¡­which weren¡¯t much better. Both of these types had plastic frames and the loco was classified as a 36 tonner. It can be identified as having a wooden cab, ie wooden panel under the cab side windows.?
Somewhere along the line, Bachmann got their act together and produced the final version of truck. Identified by only having 4 screws to the baseplate, these have a cast metal frame, better gearing and pickups and are the ones to go for and can still be obtained from those outlets that have sold out. They can be classed as DCC ready as the pickup wires are entirely separate from the motor wires making DCC conversion that bit easier. The model was classed as a 38 tonner and had a ¡®metal¡¯ cab, ie the panel under the cab windows was plain and represented a metal panel. The tender height was also taller. These are really the ones to go for. However, as in all good tales, Bachmann did produce 36 ton locos with the 4 screw truck, and there have been many conversions by owners since then, the 4 screw truck having the availability to be retro fitted to all models of Shay. So, it pays to look at the truck underside when buying a s/h Shay to determine which type of truck is fitted. With proper maintenance, there is no reason why a 6 screw truck shouldn¡¯t last a long time.

I¡¯ve fitted many decoders to locomotives, but none as complex as the Shay or Climax. Tbh I haven¡¯t really had an in depth look at the wiring yet, but it seems to be a lot of spaghetti consisting of coloured wires that have no real relevance to NMRA standards, on top of a PCB with lots of multi plugs that seem to connect to the front of the boiler and nowhere else.?
Why oh why cannot manufacturers standardise and make their products truly DCC ready, as in Plugnplay, or at least use NMRA coloured wiring. ?

Now which wire goes where?

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Cheers

Martin Gliddon

Mohawk Valley Railroad

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