# Bachman 3 truck Shay trucks



## Crusty Old Shellback (Jun 3, 2013)

I all. I've got a Bachman 3 truck Shay that I picked up and am enjoying. However I have noticed on my Christmas layout, That it did not like going thru my turnouts. The coal tender would always seem to jump track. Now at first I just thought that it was the switch and that the track was not in gauge. So I just didn't run the Shay thru the switches on the layout during Christmas. Well now that I have some time to play, I set up some track and switches in the garage to play with. Well today I took down the Shay and started running it. Sure enough, when going thru the switches or even an "S" turn, it would jump track. So I started looking at it. Well come to find out, the truck on the coal tender does not pivot like the two on the engine. At first I thought something was wrong but the more I looked and started taking it apart, the more I found out that it was made like that. But I think I can make it pivot and not have any issues. So I've got some pictures and wanted to run my idea by you guys. Here is a picture of the tender upside down. Next is taking out the two screws that hold the trucks to the tender. And then you can see the top of the trucks with the power connection points.


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## Crusty Old Shellback (Jun 3, 2013)

next there is a wafer plate for lack of a better word. This makes contact with the trucks and another plate on the tender. From the design of it, it looks like it was once made to pivot, but they have since added in two tabs that keep it from pivoting. There is a screw in the center that holds it on.  The other side of it. Notice the 4 "buttons" that make contact with a wafer in the tender. They are spring loaded.  Pointing to the tab with the center "wafer" in place.  And the tabs with the wafer removed.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

If you are using a starter set 4' diameter curves and turnouts your 3 truck shay and Gramps tank car aren't going to be happy campers. The 4' diameter curves are sold in many sets, but they operate best with short engines and cars. Two axle engines and cars work best on those tight curves. The Gramps car is best operated on curves greater than 8' diameter. With truck mounted couplers you might be able to go smaller. I don't have a three-truck Shay so I don't have a feel for its minimum diameter, but I suspect thar it is greater than 4'. Chuck


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## Crusty Old Shellback (Jun 3, 2013)

Now in the last photo, you can see 4 distinct contact patches where those brass buttons would ride on if the center wafer was to pivot. So I turned the wafer to the point that they were on the edge of that contact point.  And the same position but with the truck on the wafer. Notice that the coupler is just outside of the tender corner.  Now here's why I think this will work. If I cut the tabs, and allow the truck to pivot, it cannot turn as far as the last picture because of the foot step that I reinstalled in the following picture.  So do you think it will work? This would allow the loco to make tighter turns. The only thing I have not checked yet is to make sure that the shaft from the gear drive does not come out of it's coupler when full turned. I'll still have to check that part. Thanks for any comments.


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## Crusty Old Shellback (Jun 3, 2013)

Chuck, The current turns probably are 4 foot, I haven't measured them. But I'm also having a problem with the switches I have. My F1's and all of my 40' reefers with truck mounted couplers go thru just fine. It's only because of the last truck on the Shay not pivoting that it will not make the turnouts.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Crusty, truck mounted couplers will work in many shorter cars on tight (4' diameter) curves. It is a longer car such as your 1:20.3 GRAMPS with body mounted which won't. Length and coupler type is important. At the other extreme I have some engines that derail truck mounted couplers on my curves (10' diameter) and body mounted couplers don't. Chuck


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## Crusty Old Shellback (Jun 3, 2013)

Ok I figured it out and got the Shay to work on smaller turnouts.

After watching the Shay go thru the turnout a few more times, I found the problem. there is a very small pocket that the draw bar sits in. because of the small opening, the draw bar is not allowed to pivot very far. So instead of modifying the truck on the tender, I just cut the opening on the Loco and tender a little wider. this gives the draw bar more room to pivot and you can't see the cut from the side. So problem solved.

On a side note, I took off the rear truck on the loco to get at things while I was figuring this out. seems that all of the trucks are the same. The only difference is that the tender truck has an extra frame bolted to the bottom of the tender, as shown in my pictures, that has the tab on it to not allow the truck to pivot. So my first thought of removing the tab would have worked and made it similar to the loco mounted trucks.


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