Shay locomotives are ingeniously designed for use on isolated forest railroads. Ephraim Shay invented a steam motor locomotive to reach a high gear reduction and thereby a best possible power transmission for steeply graded rail lines. He arranged the cylinders vertically on the right side of the locomotive. There he guided the power from the steam machine via crankshafts to cardan shafts whose gears drove the bevelled gears on the trucks. Another advantage of this design was the uncomplicated maintenance. All the running gear parts were easily accessed and could be repaired or replaced without large locomotive shops and without large crews.  The characteristic look of the Shays was based on the “offset” to the left of the boiler to guarantee a balanced weight distribution.

Locomotive No. 7 of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad is a class C Shay from 1911. It ran during its active forest railroad career on various timber companies in California. Since 1986 it has been the star on the Roaring Camp & Big Trees RR, an approximately five kilometer / 3 mile long line laid at some cost in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 100 kilometers / 63 miles south of San Francisco. The model has heavy metal construction with many separately applied details. It is equipped with an mfx/DCC decoder with many light and sound functions. The model has a built-in smoke generator. Length over the step boards 67 cm / 26-3/8“.

26701 RC & BT RR Shay Steam Locomotive No. 7

Gauge / Design Type: G /
Era: VI
Type: Steam Locomotives

• Length over the step boards 67 cm / 26-3/8“
• Completely new tooling in metal construction
• High-end model with heavy metal construction
• Many separately applied fine details
• Extensive light and sound functions
• The model has a built-in smoke generator
• Smoke box door can be opened
• Smoke generator
• Firebox flickering
• Removable roof
• Detailed modelling of the prototype
• Running sounds will also work in analogue operation
• Side windows as sliding windows
• Striking drive system included
• Prototypical spark arrestor and steaming synchronised with the unit's motion
• Prototypical drive system using a crankshafton cardan shafts and rack gears
• Mounting locations for flags included with the locomotive
• Power storage unit installed at the factory
• Delivered from the factory with link & pin coupler installed