# Detailing a Shay



## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

The front fenders on my B'mann 2 truck Shay have a wood grain. 
Looking at some Kinsley photos it looks like they were wood. 
Has any one replaced these with real wood? Painted to look like wood? I took the plastic "wood" boxes off and will make wood ones. How about the grease bucket? is that prototypical?


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

It's not a Shay, but it is a Bachmann K-27 and I put real wood beams. Check 'Detailing a K-27' in this forum. 

John


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## Snoq Pass (Jan 2, 2008)

Chrisb, could you put up a photo cause I think I know what you are talking about. But the front and rear pilot end beams on the shay were made from wood. I know a guy who has replaced his with wood, not sure how he did it though.


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## Sourdoh (Jan 6, 2008)

On my 3 Shays I didn't remove the plastic Pilot Beams. I simply cut a piece of wood to the same size as one of the stacked simulated wood ones and added it to the bottom of the Pilot Beams fore and aft. It is a lot less work and, after painting (I used red as most Shay PBs were) they look just like they belong. If you are stickler for exact detail, you can replace the whole shebang with wood, but, unless you are going to a rivet counter show, I wouldn't bother. Mine look good from average viewing distance.


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## digger (Jan 2, 2008)

Kinda like this..... 










I also added a wooden "kickboard" behind the foot board, and lowered the coupler pocket.


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## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Chris, 
Here is a shot of my #7, not as pretty as the previous one, but runs very well. The bottom timber is real wood placed below the existing plastic ones. It was extended just enough to lower the coupler pocket to the correct height for my rail line. 










I just assume by the other responses that you are referring to pilot beams not wheel fenders. 
Later. 
Rick Marty


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I used Bragdon chalks on my Shay. Gray ones on the wood areas, browns on the metals. 








It was a parted out shell when I got it. Made the cab roof and the tender and stack. Put on the air tank/etc....Jerry


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice detail, what red did you use? Is it the oxide red (brown) or a red red? Was the link pocket lowered?


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## digger (Jan 2, 2008)

The red is Floquil "Boxcar Red", brush-applied. The lighting on the previous pic (incandescent, in my basement) made it look a little bit more red than it appears in daylight, as shown here... 










Since that first shot, I've also added cut levers, modeled after a style I saw in several Shay photos in the Kinsey "Locomotive Portraits" book. The locomotive still awaits some mild weathering and a smattering of clutter. The link pocket was lowered "one pocket's worth" so that a modified Kadee #835 would line up with the height gauge.


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## chrisb (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice work. Does the coupler pocket detach easily from the pilot? I've wondered about making a 3 or for pocket coupler 
our of brass and solder it together.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I used Light Medium and Darnk Rust, Old Yeller and Dust Bowl Brown. A soft watercolor brush about size 6(short handle) works great. Front beam and pocket is stock, back one was gone, I made a new one out of wood. See my web site for more pix of the shay weathering. Jerry


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## digger (Jan 2, 2008)

Chris, The pocket is very easy to remove. Pull out the vertical pin and you'll find a small phillips-head screw in the center slot. Back it out of the pocket and you can pop it right off. The way I lower the pockets is by drilling a hole centered in the top slot, and after removing the protrusions on the back side, screw it back on through the new hole in the top slot, into the original hole in the end beam.


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