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Oh Shay Can You See

DanH | Posted in Photo Gallery on November 12, 2006 08:20am

Visited the Sacramento area to see our #2 son in late Sept/early Oct. Did a day trip to Tahoe and along the way the wife had to stop at a quilt show in Placerville. (Quilters LOVE the Internet — they can find every quilt show/shop within a 100 mile radius in minutes.)

Anyway, my son and I wandered over from the county fairgrounds to the adjacent historical museum where we discovered they were in the process of rehabbing a Shay locomotive. They expect to steam it up in another couple of years.

First picture is of an old-fashioned link-and-pin coupling — incredibly dangerous. Last two are of the plaque outside the building. Unfortunately they lose most legibility at low res — I suppose I could post them hi-res if anyone’s interested. The pictures of the locomotive itself were inside a rather dark, cramped building, so it was hard to get really good shots. But they turned out better than I expected.

I’d heard once but forgot that the Shay was named for the inventor, Ephraim Shay. They were popular on logging runs because they drove all wheels, while still allowing the wheel trucks to turn on short-radius tracks.

Also got some shots in and around the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento. I’ll maybe get around to posting them later.


People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. –Otto von Bismarck
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  1. DanH | Nov 12, 2006 08:34pm | #1

    In case anyone's curious, the grid on the side of the boiler is markings to do ultrasound checks. The rust was ground away at each intersection to allow the ultrasound probe to read better. (All this is necessary to get the thing licensed to carry passengers.)

    The view from the front of the boiler is with the steam tubes (fire tubes?) removed. Apparently once they install the steam tubes the clock starts ticking, and the tubes have to be replaced again in something like 9 years, even if they don't steam it up for several years. So they're waiting until the last minute to get them installed. (Also, the steam tubes cost a lot of $$, and they don't want to spend the money until they're sure everything else is a "go".)

    IIRC, the fire comes through the tubes from the back and exits into the front smoke chamber, then up the stack on front. The water is outside the tubes and behind the baffle you see.

    People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
    1. mrfixitusa | Nov 12, 2006 08:37pm | #2

      cool^^^^^^

       

      S N A F U (Situation Normal: All Fouled Up)

    2. WayneL5 | Nov 12, 2006 09:38pm | #3

      If the fire is within the tubes it is a fire tube boiler.  If there is water withn the tubes then it is a water tube boiler.

  2. WayneL5 | Nov 12, 2006 09:44pm | #4

    Here is Oliver Wendell Holmes' famous poem about a shay.  People who build things can appreciate it.

    http://www.grg.org/OneHossShay.htm

  3. vintage1 | Nov 13, 2006 12:30am | #5

    Dan,

    I used to live in the Sacto area.  I have fond memories of going to the railroad museum with my Dad and Grandfather.  Grandpa "rode the rails" during the Great Depression to find work, and would tell us some of his stories during our visits to the museum. 

    I would love to see your photos.

    1. DanH | Nov 13, 2006 01:14am | #6

      OK, I'll have a shot at it, without too much comment.As warmup, some shots of the new Sacramento/Folsum light rail line:

      People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

    2. DanH | Nov 13, 2006 01:21am | #7

      And the Sacramento rail depot. The construction will allow the light rail to come into the depot. Also a couple of shots of the Sacramento Locomotive Works.
      People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

    3. DanH | Nov 13, 2006 01:33am | #8

      Finally the museum --
      (701 is the the interior of a dining car kitchen)
      (703 is a "cab-forward" locomotive. The cab is placed in front so the crew doesn't suffocate in tunnels.)
      (708 is the turntable behind the museum, which itself is an old roundhouse)
      People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

    4. DanH | Nov 13, 2006 01:46am | #9

      Bonus material: From the museum we walked out to the new Sacramento water intake, which has a walkway around it allowing you to view the river from the middle, more or less. Watched a swing bridge swing.(First shot is the weathervane on top of the water intake building)

      People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck

      1. ruffmike | Nov 13, 2006 02:32am | #10

        Nice thread.

        We take the train up to Sac. every couple of years with our kids to visit the museum.

         Here is another rail museum about an hour outside of Sac. in Rio Vista featuring working electric trains and trolleys and worth the visit.

        http://www.wrm.org/

        About ten years ago we took our old boat up the river and under that bridge to visit Old Sacramento. She fit right in, a vintage 1938 navy built wood hull w/ single screw Detriot Deisel 671.

         Here is a picture of the trip up, docked in Locke, an old Chinese town on the Delta.                            Mike

            Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.

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