Re: Shay #1 Hillcrest Lumber (changing gauge)

Clyde Putman Wrote:
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> What is involved in changing the gauge on a Shay?


Quite a bit, really. You have to put longer bolsters on the trucks to widen or narrow them to the proper gauge.

Then the steam bracket/manifold where the cylinders attach to the boiler needs to be changed to correct the alignment of the cylinders. In addition, the bottom bracket where the crank shaft ties into the bottom of the boiler needs to be changed also.

At one time, Lima sold all the parts to do this.

The only Shay I have ever worked on that had its gauge changed was the "Dixianna" at Roaring Camp. When the Coal Processing Corp in Dixianna,WV bought the engine and re-gauged it from standard to 3-foot (don't know when) Lima supplied the parts. The only problem was the steam bracket/manifold was designed to fit on an extended wagon top boiler, not an old style wagon top that the engine had. Coal Processing solved that problem with buckets of washers between the bracket and the cylinders to get the alignment right. Later overhauls-reboilerings, and so forth had the washer inventory replaced by a fabricated steel spacer.