Overview: PBL’s S Scale 60 ton 3 truck Shay

Or…. "I Tawt I Taw a Klickitat!"

OK, I’m not into logging. I’m just a flatlander and Midwest city boy. So, why would an Shay from the Pacific Northwest be on my “holy grail” list.

Well, first of all Klickitat Log and Lumber/St. Regis Paper #5 wound up in the most unlikeliest of places, the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

But wait, there's more. That’s not the only reason…

#5 was the first steam locomotive I ever got a cab ride on as a teenager, way, way back in 1969. Later in the 1980’s, as a member of IRM’s Steam Department, I learned the fine art of firing a steam locomotive on #5, by then relettered back to J. Neils Lumber Co. While I learned my engineer skills on IRM‘s Frisco Russian decapod 1630 (another “holy grail,” if ever... ) I had also been an occasional engineer on #5. And, even though you could watch snails go whizzing by as you trundled down the track, she was none the less a blast to run…

Quite simply, #5 got into my blood and was also quite possibly the LAST locomotive I ever thought would be manufactured by anybody in any scale.

#5 Tibits:
Here’s how #5 looked straight out of the box from Lima Locomotive Works:

Image: IRM

#5’s length is 49’ 9”, width is 9’10”, height 14’10”, weight (as built) 120400 lbs, (current) 140500 lbs. The extra weight probably comes from the change to piston valve cylinders from slide valve cylinders, the tender extension, addition of a flanger and other modifications.

#5 was built in 1929 for the J. Neils Lumber Co. in Libby, Montana. The locomotive was moved to the company’s operation in Klickitat, Washington in 1939. The J. Neils operation was merged with St. Regis Lumber in 1957.

Photos of #5 in her natural habitat are virtually impossible to find. Here’s the one used by PBL for advertising in the Narrow Gauge Gazette and on their website:

Image: PBL website: http://www.p-b-l.com/ © Dan Ranger

In 1964, the locomotive was purchased by enthusiast and philanthropist Elliot Donnelley of R.R. Donnelly & Sons Publishing Co. for operation on the Black Hills Central tourist line in Hill City, SD. However, #5 was never operated there. In 1965, #5 moved briefly to the Mid Continent Railroad Museum in North Freedom WI and moved again in 1967 to the budding Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL, where she currently resides.

Shortly after arrival, #5 was converted to coal by the then loose knit steam crew at IRM and was the museum’s first operable steam locomotive. #5 is currently out of service undergoing extensive restoration.

Here’s #5 as she looked in operation during 1979 at IRM:

#5, The Model:

The last time a standard gauge Shay was available in S, it was the year 1983. It’s been over 2 years since PBL first announced their model of #5. It was worth the wait, so without further adieu:

In a word: Magnificent.

There were eight prototype Shays built by Lima to the same erection card as #5. PBL has imported six of the eight, both standard and narrow gauge. These models were built by Boo-Rim of South Korea, the same folks that build for River Raisin. So there is already a built-in standard of excellence.

Detailed cab interior, operating cab doors, solid construction, the works. PBL also includes a bag of extra detail parts (tool boxes, tools, oil cans, etc.) to further trick out the locomotive if desired. Finish is smooth and free of blemishes.

Although #5’s appearance has changed somewhat since she left Washington state, given PBL’s dedication to get things right, I’m well satisfied this is an excellent and accurate representation of her.

We’ll start with “the boring side.” The ladder on the side of the tender is a little weird, but that’s where either KL&L or St. Regis put it. #5 was built with the ladder originally in the back and IRM also relocated back it there:

Now, the “business side:”

The model has a vertically mounted Faulhauber MicroMo motor with integral gearbox mounted in the tender driving the tender’s lead axle. From there, the power is driven to all the wheels via the bevel gears and drive shafts.

Operationally, it runs (a) smooth as silk, (b) like a Swiss watch, ( c) like on rails, (d) insert your favorite phrase here. Watching the piston rods, valve gear, crankshaft and drive shafts in action is watching poetry in motion. Slow speed operation is wonderful, there‘s no such thing as high speed on a Shay. It takes a full 2 minutes, 40 seconds running at full tilt to circumnavigate my modest 12’ x 18’ plywood glacier.

Slower speed operation is even better. The model will run at a crawl if you’ve got all day…

There is practically no mechanism noise, except for a slight whine at “higher” speeds in reverse, due to the nature of the motor’s integral gearbox.

My model is DCC equipped with an ESU LokSound decoder using sounds recorded from prototype Shays. Once moving, the open cylinder cocks sounds then stop a second or two later and the chuffing begins. With six chuffs per driveshaft revolution, she sounds like she’s doing sixty as she ambles on down the track. When the throttle is cut off, as the locomotive drifts and decelerates, the chuffing stops and there’s nothing but the sound of the line shaft coasting sounds (rattling and clanking. ) Just like the real thing. There’s also brake squeal as the loco stops.

There’s bell, playable whistle and turbo generator sounds, plus secondary sounds like air compressor, pop valves, etc. all sound off at what appears to be appropriate times. Secondary sounds can also be selected by function keys.

And surprise, there’s a function key selectable radio chatter. However, it’s actual radio chatter of calling for a flagman to protect a crossing, complete with all its distortions, garbling and static, not anything like the usual made up studio stuff used by other manufactures. Refreshing…

So, rather than typing several thousand more words, more pictures...

A thinly veiled attempt to mimic an above photo taken at IRM: