Atlas - 40 002 566 - Locomotive, Steam, 2-Truck Shay - Portland Railway Light & Power - 1

Model Information: First announced in 2003 and first released in 2004, these models feature: a die-cast frame and boiler; drive shaft detail; operating drive-shaft; directional lighting; all wheel drive and all wheel pick-up; separately-applied grab railings; prototypical painting and lettering; DCC capable-motor isolated from frame. They are models of the 2-Truck Shay that was produced in the 1920s for use in the lumber, mining and quarry industries. They best operate on a curve with Minimum radius: 9-3/4 inches.

Assembly instructions from Atlas: Shay Steam locomotive N scale

DCC Information: This model does not have any provision for easy DCC installation, but several examples of successful installations of wired decoders, including sound decoders are available. A few below:

- TCS M1 Decoder Installation for N-Scale Atlas Shay (Method 1).
- TCS M1 Decoder Installation for N-Scale Atlas Shay (Method 2).
- CT Elektronik SL76 Sound decoder installation for N-Scale Atlas Shay (in German).
- N scale Atlas Shay ESU Lokpilot Micro DCC decoder installation with new LED, by AK Crazy Russian with DCCTRAIN:

Prototype History: The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive. Although the design of Ephraim Shay's early locomotives differed from later ones, there is a clear line of development that joins all Shays.

Shay locomotives had regular fire-tube boilers offset to the left to provide space for, and counterbalance the weight of, a two or three cylinder "motor," mounted vertically on the right with longitudinal drive shafts extending fore and aft from the crankshaft at wheel axle height. These shafts had universal joints and square sliding prismatic joints to accommodate the swiveling trucks. Each axle was driven by a separate bevel gear, with no side rods.

The strength of these engines is that all wheels, including, in some engines, those under the tender, are driven so that all the weight develops tractive effort. A high ratio of piston strokes to wheel revolutions allowed them to run at partial slip, where a conventional rod engine would spin its drive wheels and burn rails, losing all traction.

Shay locomotives were often known as sidewinders or stemwinders for their side-mounted drive shafts. Most were built for use in the United States, but many were exported, to about thirty countries, either by Lima, or after they had reached the end of their usefulness in the US.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: In 1924 Stephan Schaffan, Sr. founded the Atlas Tool Company in Newark, New Jersey. In 1933 his son, Stephan Schaffan, Jr., came to work for his father at the age of sixteen. Steve Jr. built model airplanes as a hobby and frequented a local hobby shop. Being an enterprising young man, he would often ask the owner if there was anything he could do to earn some extra spending money. Tired of listening to his requests, the hobby-store owner threw some model railroad track parts his way and said, "Here, see if you can improve on this".

In those days, railroad modelers had to assemble and build everything from scratch. Steve Jr. created a "switch kit" which sold so well, that the entire family worked on them in the basement at night, while doing business as usual in the machine shop during the day.

Subsequently, Steve Jr. engineered the stapling of rail to fiber track, along with inventing the first practical rail joiner and pre-assembled turnouts and flexible track. All of these products, and more, helped to popularize model railroading and assisted in the creation of a mass-market hobby. The budding entrepreneur quickly outgrew the limitations of a basement and small garage operation. Realizing they could actually make a living selling track and related products, Steve and his father had the first factory built in Hillside, New Jersey at 413 Florence Avenue in 1947. On September 30, 1949, the Atlas Tool Company was officially incorporated as a New Jersey company.

In 1985, Steve was honored posthumously for his inventions by the Model Railroad Industry Association and was inducted into the Model Railroad Industry Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, Steve was nominated and entered into the National Model Railroad Association Pioneers of Model Railroading in 1995.

In the early 1990s, the Atlas Tool Company changed its name to Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc.