Stickers and Thanks! (Patreon)

Hey Patrons! It's that time again. Stickers are in the mail for all new Rockstar Patrons who joined in July and credits have been updated on the videos and blog. I'm so grateful for all of you who stick with me month after month and make it possible to produce this content. As always, never hesitate to reach out with questions or comments!

This month's book feature is Kozo Hiraoka's The New Shay. If his Pennsylvania A3 Switcher project was too easy for you, then step up to The New Shay. It's a revised version of his earlier Shay model and continues his tradition of amazing drawings and build instructions. What's great about the Shay is that zero castings are required. The Pennsy does use castings for the drivers (which can be bought from some foundries online) but the Shay is entirely fabricated from bar stock. Quite a remarkable achievement. Personally I love geared logging locomotives. They are the off-roaders of the railroad, handling steep grades, tight corners, uneven roadbeds, and unforgiving conditions. The Shay is the king of logging locomotives in my opinion, so I do hope to build this some day. The side-mounted pistons drive a complex crankshaft which powers the wheels through articulated drive shafts and the iconic bevel gears. This layout means the turning radius and suspension travel are not limited by the slop in the piston rods and flange tolerance on drivers, as is the case on traditional locomotive geometries. Furthermore, side-mounting the cylinders makes room for a third, and the cylinders are in contact with the boiler (which keeps them hot). A brilliant and hardworking design that pulled logs out of the woods for 100 years!