Wooden Replica Of Shay Steam Locomotive

Wooden Replica Of Shay Steam Locomotive AG WORLD “I recently built this 22-in long wooden replica of a Shay 2-truck 28-ton Class B narrow gauge engine locomotive which was the most widely used gear steam locomotive of its time It’s built in many different pieces and constructed almost entirely from white ash and walnut ” says Joe Rishel of Alanson Mich He says that Ephraim Shay the man who invented the famed locomotive lived nearby in Harbor Springs Mich The locomotive stands on cherry wood tracks that are fastened to a maple wood base It has battery-operated headlights on front and back and a coal box water tank and sand box on back “On the real locomotive sand could be dropped onto the wheels whenever the locomotive was going uphill to improve the traction ” says Rishel The firebox chamber is made from white ash and the smokestack that extends up from it is made from cherry and has inlaid wood made from thin sheets of maple and walnut A stainless steel screen on top of the smokestack serves as a fire catcher to keep sparks from flying out just like on the real locomotive There’s a hitch on front where the locomotive hooked onto railroad cars to move them around in the railroad yard A pair of “timbers” extend horizontally across both the front and back of the locomotive Each timber is fitted with a pin box “You dropped a pin down through the pin box to hook up to the railroad car so you could push or pull the car down the track ” says Rishel He says he started building the locomotive 2 years ago and still isn’t finished “I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent on it but it’s a lot ” notes Rishel Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Joe Rishel 3499 Sunnyridge Rd Alanson Mich 49706 ph 231 529-6216

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