Legacy Shay broken again!

Luckily so far the drive shaft is working great. Maybe they ought to change it with a new one since it's the second time for the same thing.

Time to send an email to Ohio.

maybe something is binding in the front truck causing too much torque and that causes the repeat failure?

 

Achim.

It's funny Trainland told me when I picked it up that if it happened again I would have to call Lionel directly. To be honest minor loving the service from Trainland lately. A few weeks ago I purchased a new Lionel culvert unloader from them. Got it home and it had obviously been opened as the inner packages had been opened and the culverts were loose. It worked fine and didn't have and noticeable use or wear. They are going go to sell but seem like they have better things do do when it comes to helping or service. I purchased the MTH GE Evolution a few weeks ago as well. It had issues out of the box. Sound cutting out, couplers not firing, ditch lights not working. They spent almost two hours "testing" the engine before they agreed to swap it out. I think I'm kinda done with Trainland. I purchased a Legacy EM-1 two days ago. I got it from Nassau Hobby. Not only were they pleasant to deal with, their price was well below Trainlands on this engine. __Gromet

To begin, it looks like no parts are BROKEN on yours but like the shaft just came out/off/whatever you want to call it, right?  

 

I have the same problem with the rear drive shaft on mine.  I have not returned it, I simply fix it myself.  However, if I fix it so it does not fall apart, I have to reassembly it with the shaft telescoped far enough inside that it binds on O-31 and even slightly on  O-36 curves (it sort of varies speed and stutters just a bit).  I could live without the O-31 but not the O-36 - I bought it just to run on 36.  anyway, I can set it so it will not bind on O-36, but only by leaving the shaft barely inserted, and then, after a while, it comes loose.  

 

Set far in (so tight it binds on O-36), it will run all day on my loop with O-54 without a hitch.  The cruel irony is when I got it I actually spent a lot of time cutting down the top of the cab by 3/16 inch and repainting it, so it would go under a low, low overpass on my O-36 loop, only to then discover the binding.  Now it can't run on that but runs only on my bigger diameter loops on which I will never run it much.  Default shelf queen, it is.  

My layout is 100% o72 & o84 curves. So this should not ever be an issue...

I've never even run my Shay on the loops I have that are all 72 and bigger curves.  I'm sure it would run there, but that is not where it should be -those loops are for big locos, not Shays.

This was discussed a while back.  It looks like a design issue.  I would definitely call Lionel.

 

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/5230909882832831

The prototypical curve radius for a shay of this size  is close to 36 inches

That is why I am so very disappointed with my Shay.  They were designed to run on tight, tight curves and that is the only place they should be.  I realize that it the real world they ran on "tight" curves which prototypically were what we run as big daimter (72" curves).  But its a matter of comparison.  On my layout "wide" curves are 72, 84, and 96, and 31 and 36 are the "tight" curves.  As far as I am concerned, if it can't run on 31 and 36 it just won't be run . . . 

 

This is one of the few problems I ever had with a Lionel.  I suppose I could try to send it back but I've looked at it and I just don't have much confidence they could do a lot better fixed it that I could.  I've thought about trying to make a slightly longer shaft part and replacing that - but not sure I could, or that it would work, or that it would solve the problem of it slipping out.