They've been around a long long time. As other have stated - low speed, enormous pulling power. Shays also tend to have very short wheelbases, resulting in the ability to go around pretty sharp curves. Not any more than other steam locos. Lots of moving parts! If you think Shays are odd, look up Garratt locomotives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garratt ---- Unfortunately, steam locomotives are so inefficient and maintenance-hungry that they had to be abandoned by US railroads - otherwise they'd have all gone bankrupt in the 1960s. Then there were the gas turbine locomotives......UP was big on them, but as diesel-electric technology matured, the gas turbines couldn't compete. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_GTELs ---- The very best performing locos are electric - but the enormous capital cost of electrification limits the expansion of electrification in the USA. Sadly, we have less electrified mainline railroad track and route milage today than 70 years ago. 73 de Jim, N2EY
I got one of these in my backyard. When they fire up the old cog steam engine, we get smoke investigation reports from all over town. The "Cog" as it's called, ran for about 125 years before being shut down this year as they evaluate how to update the equipment got the next 50+ years. The main cars were diesels frome the 50's and 60's, but they still fire up the old Engine #4 now and then.
I remember seeing an "Australian Standard Garratt" stopped just outside the old Mt Helena Railway station when I was about 6. it was so weird looking, that over the years, I began to believe I had imagined such a thing, but a few years back, I picked up a book at the local library, & there was the very thing!
Interesting explanation of "The Real McCoy". What the Sam Hill did Sam Hill have to do with Stonehenge? Google it. Very interesting place.
I read a very large book on the use and maintenance of steam engines, designed to train people to become a licensed RR mechanic.(??) After seeing the problems of, and the maintenance needed on steam engines I wondered how they ever made it out of the roundhouse. Tidbit: The early US railroads had to import the steel rails from the UK cause no factories here could make (extrude?) the rails. TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo
