I have enjoyed your video and it really helps me with my recovery from my brain tumour and stroke as I try to get back to my modelling I have one of these kits in my Kits to build store thank you 😊
Thanks Roger. The Shay design is for a person that affords what a real little hard working steamer is all about, in small scale and big! Thanks for your well produced and explained video. The hobby is better with your expertise and know how. Best regards, Doug
Thanks mate for your video , I've been given a Bachmann 3 truck shay to replace all 6 drive gears for someone else's shay & I'm just about ready to go into a "Mental Home" for the average model railroader as following the NWSL instructions has led me to much frustrations with this particular loco's repair work , I only wish that I'd found your video sooner , your video has helped me in a big way so Thanks again.
Overall, I think this is a very helpful video for anyone about to replace the pinion gears on the HO Bachmann Shay... but there's a better way to remove the drive shaft retainers and lower the chances of breaking the pins that hold them in place. If you look at the axle journal (where the wheel sets ride on the inside of the truck) you should be able to see the holes just above and below the journal bearing that the pins are pressed into. Support the outside center of the side frame on a block of wood and allow a retainer to clear it. Use a Phillips head screwdriver a little larger than the diameter of the pin hole (0.095" works for me) and press firmly on the pin until you feel it "pop", then repeat on the other pin above or below the same journal. Do NOT try pushing the pin through all at once... you are just trying to get it moved a wee bit to start (and that's why we're using a Phillips larger than the hole). Then, using a sacrificial round tooth pick, gently push a little alternately on each pin until the retainer falls free... just a little push at a time should do it... If you are mashing the tip of the tooth pick, start again with a new one on the other pin. (You are actually aiming to use 4 to 6 tooth picks per each cover) Before final reassembly, you might want to ream the pin holes a tad oversized and add a drop of ACC to hold the retainer if you think you might have to ever repeat this surgery on your Shay. Hope this helps... it's just that I have read a lot of disappointing comments from folks that have broken pins trying to remove the retainer covers as described in this video.
Thanks heaps for this info buddy , I've had a very "shitty" time trying to replace the original gears with the NWSL gears onto the front bogie ( & reading their 4 pages of instructions ) - so far & I've had to search for any video on You Tube just to see how someone else has done it , lets hope that I have some success now.
That was an elegant process, much easier than other installations disassembling the trucks. Good point about filing down the knurls to fit the gears. I don't have a block of steel, I think I can use a thick metal plate normally used for freight car weights, on top of a block of wood.
This is a very good video. I have done many Shays using similar methods. I would only add that sometimes even after the metal gears are installed, there is still some play in the gear mesh. The .645 measurement is critical and very difficult to get exact. I have found that adding a thin sliver of styrene in the opposite side axle hole will take care of this. Make certain it does not bind. I use a razor blade to shave a thin sliver off of a styrene rod.
I just received my gears from NWSL, I ended up breaking the gear over, I was very gentle while trying to just bend it up. The gears cost me just over $40.00 , so after breaking the gear cover I stopped everything and I am thinking about sending it out to the Shay fixer... but he wants $185.00 to just put the gears on. I think it might be worth the frustration though.
Wonderful video but can you tell me If anyone offers the universal joints for sale? i bought a used shay and that piece broke on me first thing.i thought about gluing it if i had to but rather not. Any help would be great thank you.
Just installed my first two gears on the rear shay axle using the NWSL Sensipress and created metal shaving totally removing the universal joint knurls. Wish I had seen this video earlier ;-( Thanks for the tip to file down the axles slightly. Does applying a little oil to the axle help before installing the gears? I was thinking of epoxying on the universal joint but was not sure if that would work. Any ideas on how to address this issue? Thanks Harry BTW: TSG has a good video on disassembly of the shay trucks and gears. czcams.com/video/mspLRpXIlYI/video.html
Harry... Glad it worked for you. I was remiss in not adding that after the gears were installed, I use sharp wire cutters to slightly pinch the ends of the axles where the universal joints attach to provide minor "splines" for the universal joints. My preference would be for a tight slip fit rather than epoxy. Roger
@@siminoffsvideos8161 Well I completed my first Spectrum shay NWSL gear upgrade your video and the TSG videos where both helpful. The approach using plyers that NWSL sent with their gears looks very difficult. First key thing is to work on the axles separate from the trucks. Second having a press (or DIY jig) to install the gears greatly helped. Filing the axles down also avoided the metal shavings I experienced when I did my first axle. Not knowing how much to file off the axles I didn’t remove too much and still slightly bent the axles each time but was able to straighten them out. Your idea to use plyers to squeeze the end of the axles worked great to create new knurls to press fit the universal joints. I found using the plyers I could make a square end with four knurls/splines for the U-Joints. Location and spacing of the gear is critical to ensure proper gear engagement. When I reassembled everything the engine ran great. Now to fix my second shay ;-) Again thanks for the tips. Harry
I have enjoyed your video and it really helps me with my recovery from my brain tumour and stroke as I try to get back to my modelling
I have one of these kits in my
Kits to build store thank you 😊
Thanks Roger. The Shay design is for a person that affords what a real little hard working steamer is all about, in small scale and big! Thanks for your well produced and explained video. The hobby is better with your expertise and know how. Best regards, Doug
Thanks mate for your video , I've been given a Bachmann 3 truck shay to replace all 6 drive gears for someone else's shay & I'm just about ready to go into a "Mental Home" for the average model railroader as following the NWSL instructions has led me to much frustrations with this particular loco's repair work , I only wish that I'd found your video sooner , your video has helped me in a big way so Thanks again.
Overall, I think this is a very helpful video for anyone about to replace the pinion gears on the HO Bachmann Shay... but there's a better way to remove the drive shaft retainers and lower the chances of breaking the pins that hold them in place.
If you look at the axle journal (where the wheel sets ride on the inside of the truck) you should be able to see the holes just above and below the journal bearing that the pins are pressed into. Support the outside center of the side frame on a block of wood and allow a retainer to clear it. Use a Phillips head screwdriver a little larger than the diameter of the pin hole (0.095" works for me) and press firmly on the pin until you feel it "pop", then repeat on the other pin above or below the same journal. Do NOT try pushing the pin through all at once... you are just trying to get it moved a wee bit to start (and that's why we're using a Phillips larger than the hole). Then, using a sacrificial round tooth pick, gently push a little alternately on each pin until the retainer falls free... just a little push at a time should do it... If you are mashing the tip of the tooth pick, start again with a new one on the other pin. (You are actually aiming to use 4 to 6 tooth picks per each cover)
Before final reassembly, you might want to ream the pin holes a tad oversized and add a drop of ACC to hold the retainer if you think you might have to ever repeat this surgery on your Shay.
Hope this helps... it's just that I have read a lot of disappointing comments from folks that have broken pins trying to remove the retainer covers as described in this video.
Good idea. I will try that if I have to replace the gears.
Thanks for the information. Just broken one pin getting it off. Hopefully Super Glue will hold it 🤔
Thanks heaps for this info buddy , I've had a very "shitty" time trying to replace the original gears with the NWSL gears onto the front bogie ( & reading their 4 pages of instructions ) - so far & I've had to search for any video on You Tube just to see how someone else has done it , lets hope that I have some success now.
Thank you for including an image of the packaging for this item!!! That helped me find it for my own 3 truck Shay I recently purchased used.
That was an elegant process, much easier than other installations disassembling the trucks. Good point about filing down the knurls to fit the gears. I don't have a block of steel, I think I can use a thick metal plate normally used for freight car weights, on top of a block of wood.
Baldwin???? All shays where made by Lima Locomotive Works.
I wish there was a gear replacement video for Bachmann's 1:20.3 scale Shay
This is a very good video. I have done many Shays using similar methods. I would only add that sometimes even after the metal gears are installed, there is still some play in the gear mesh. The .645 measurement is critical and very difficult to get exact. I have found that adding a thin sliver of styrene in the opposite side axle hole will take care of this. Make certain it does not bind. I use a razor blade to shave a thin sliver off of a styrene rod.
I just received my gears from NWSL, I ended up breaking the gear over, I was very gentle while trying to just bend it up. The gears cost me just over $40.00 , so after breaking the gear cover I stopped everything and I am thinking about sending it out to the Shay fixer... but he wants $185.00 to just put the gears on. I think it might be worth the frustration though.
wonder how sticking the driveshaft in a drill to sand the splines will make that part easier
Anyone know where I can get a replacement driveshaft for front axle? Or just a front truck in general? Was doing this repair and bent the shaft.
Wonderful video but can you tell me If anyone offers the universal joints for sale? i bought a used shay and that piece broke on me first thing.i thought about gluing it if i had to but rather not. Any help would be great thank you.
How do you get the gears spaced right?
Definitely not modeled after the Baldwin lol
Just installed my first two gears on the rear shay axle using the NWSL Sensipress and created metal shaving totally removing the universal joint knurls. Wish I had seen this video earlier ;-( Thanks for the tip to file down the axles slightly. Does applying a little oil to the axle help before installing the gears? I was thinking of epoxying on the universal joint but was not sure if that would work. Any ideas on how to address this issue?
Thanks
Harry
BTW: TSG has a good video on disassembly of the shay trucks and gears. czcams.com/video/mspLRpXIlYI/video.html
Harry... Glad it worked for you. I was remiss in not adding that after the gears were installed, I use sharp wire cutters to slightly pinch the ends of the axles where the universal joints attach to provide minor "splines" for the universal joints. My preference would be for a tight slip fit rather than epoxy. Roger
@@siminoffsvideos8161 Well I completed my first Spectrum shay NWSL gear upgrade your video and the TSG videos where both helpful. The approach using plyers that NWSL sent with their gears looks very difficult. First key thing is to work on the axles separate from the trucks. Second having a press (or DIY jig) to install the gears greatly helped. Filing the axles down also avoided the metal shavings I experienced when I did my first axle. Not knowing how much to file off the axles I didn’t remove too much and still slightly bent the axles each time but was able to straighten them out. Your idea to use plyers to squeeze the end of the axles worked great to create new knurls to press fit the universal joints. I found using the plyers I could make a square end with four knurls/splines for the U-Joints. Location and spacing of the gear is critical to ensure proper gear engagement. When I reassembled everything the engine ran great. Now to fix my second shay ;-)
Again thanks for the tips.
Harry
Baldwin didn't build Shay's. Lima did. Just saying.