I am rather disappointed in my new Lionel Legacy Shay (6-11295 - Elk River, 2011 Vol II catalog).
It appeared to be perfect out of the box.
Took two hours of checking and wondering this afternoon when it just would not behave right.
In spite of what the catalog says (rated O-31) this particular Shay does not like O-36 curves at least not when its cylinders and drive shaft are on the inside of the curve.
It runs very sweetly - very slow yet very smooth, on all my loops that have only 84, 72, 60 or 48 inch Fastrack curves. But on the 36" mountain/logging loop I bought it for, with cruise control turned on it randomly stalls completely. With it turned off, every once it a while it stutters badly (abruptly slows a lot, then seems to recover its composure again). Either way its not doing this always at the same locations. But it never stalls on straights -- only when well inside 36" curves, and only when the drive mechanism is on the inside of the curve.
I'm not saying all Lionel two-truck Shays do this - maybe its just mine. I'm convinced it has a drive mechanism that occasionally almost locks up in curves.
I'm not going to try to find or fix the problem either -- I can't see or feel any problems with the drive when I look and I have a feeling trying to fix it would be an exercise in frustration -- even to try.
And its certainly not going to be a shelf queen - this is one uuuggglllyyyy locomotive.
So its into the (thankfully rather small) box I keep under the layout, labeled "Mistakes I've made."
I put a WBB Baldwin 10-wheeler in its place and ran trains all afternoon to ease the frustration. The Baldwin has no cruise, but its gearing means it runs nearly as slow as the Shay and also that it doesn't really jackrabbit that much going down steep slopes. Great little engines - I have three. As I watched this one chugging away I was thinking all three of my Baldwins cost less than that . . . ah . . . mistake.
