MDC Shay Make-Over

MDC Shay Make-Over - 30 July 2009

I really like the old (USA Made) MDC Shay Kits. I have a small bunch of them, some built and some waiting. I started a Four-Truck Shay and decided I would see how much I could up-grate the kit.

I am installing Radio Control with Battery Power and sound in all my trains. With small Locomotives like the Shay finding a place to hid everything is a real job. The motor for the MDC Shay is installed about half in the Cab and about half in the small Tender behind the Cab. This is a problem if you are trying to install DCC with sound as well as if you want to install Radio Control.

The first modification I made to my Shay was to mill out the metal in the boiler. I am going to install the motor in this new space. The new space is large enough for a new NWSL Can motor. I will turn the gear box around and connect the motor to it. This is modification will free up space in the Cab and small Tender for some of my Radio Control stuff and a good speaker for the Sound Module.

When I installed the NWSL replacement Bull Gear set-up it made a little more noise than I was happy with. I know this gear set will get quitter in time but I have thought about a modification for a O-Ring Belt Drive for some time. I made that modification this afternoon. I found a O-Ring that fits at a local Auto Parts Store. I connected the gear case and motor to my modified frame and everything works fine. When the power is full on I get a hum but when the speed is about "scale speed" for a Shay Locomotive there is about "0" noise. The only cost for this modification was about $0.50 for the O-Ring. Everything else is modified from stock MDC Shay parts. In have a couple of ideas for a slight modification to this first setup and I will be working on that over the next few weeks.

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3a. This picture shows the new arrangement of the motor. The motor is the white looking tube forward of the gear box and now inside the front of the boiler. This change will free-up space in the Cab and small tender for my Radio Control equipment and speaker.



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8. This shows the modification to the gear box to replace the gears with a belt. I have an idea for a much better system and some new parts are about to be ordered. It will still be a belt drive but one made special for trains.


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