Iroquois Falls in Cochrane District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

1. The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive Marker

Inscription.

The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive. . , The year is 1880 when Ephraim Shay (1839-1916), a man with inventive and mechanical ability, developed a powerful and agile locomotive that could climb, turn and operate on uneven ground. On February 27, 1926, the SHAY 70 rolled off the assembly line and immediately went to work moving rock and materials to build hydro dam projects in Tennessee, Quebec and the Abitibi Canyon. Purchased in 1947 for 12,650 dollars, it began a new life for the Abitibi Woodlands, hauling logs out of the bush during the winter months. The SHAY ran on temporary spur lines roughly laid on logs on top of frozen swamps and muskeg. The SHAY would then haul massively loaded logcars to the main rail line leading to the paper mill. In 1954, rail lines to the mill were replaced by roads, leaving the SHAY to begin a new career switching and assembling boxcars in the mill yard. Sadly, she was retired and in 1979 proudly donated to the Town. , The SHAY, Special and Indeed Vintage. From the front you will see the boiler offset to the left. The driveshaft on the other side was equipped with universal joints with power to each wheel. The SHAY could turn on a 75 foot radius. There were also airbrakes on each wheel. It could also drop a wheel in a hole off the track and the other wheels could pull it out. , The SHAY was rugged and dependable and easily worked 23 hours a day., SHAY Stories. Train crews had to carry emergency repair bolts and screws to plug holes in the tubes. It is said that there was always a pot of beans, a rabbit or a beaver stewing on the boiler. The women of Iroquois Falls could hear the SHAY whistle for miles belching great quantities of coal black soot, often knowing their laundry came off the line dirtier than when it was put out to dry. Families looked forward to the annual blueberry ride, compliments of the SHAY. The Shay Locomotive Works Company manufactured only 2761 such locomotives in Lima, Ohio with instant success. It became the most famous locomotive and contributed immensely to the logging empires of North America. , The SHAY 70 is truly part of our local history.

The year is 1880 when Ephraim Shay (1839-1916), a man with inventive and mechanical ability, developed a powerful and agile locomotive that could climb, turn and operate on uneven ground. On February 27, 1926, the SHAY 70 rolled off the assembly line and immediately went to work moving rock and materials to build hydro dam projects in Tennessee, Quebec and the Abitibi Canyon. Purchased in 1947 for 12,650 dollars, it began a new life for the Abitibi Woodlands, hauling logs out of the bush during the winter months. The SHAY ran on temporary spur lines roughly laid on logs on top of frozen swamps and muskeg. The SHAY would then haul massively loaded logcars to the main rail line leading to the paper mill. In 1954, rail lines to the mill were replaced by roads, leaving the SHAY to begin a new career switching and assembling boxcars in the mill yard. Sadly, she was retired and in 1979 proudly donated to the Town.

The SHAY, Special and Indeed VintageFrom the front you will see the boiler offset to the left. The driveshaft on the other side was equipped with universal joints with power to each wheel. The SHAY could turn on a 75 foot radius. There were also airbrakes on each wheel. It could also drop a wheel in a hole off the track and the other wheels could pull it out.

The SHAY was rugged and dependable

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and easily worked 23 hours a day.

SHAY StoriesTrain crews had to carry emergency repair bolts and screws to plug holes in the tubes. It is said that there was always a pot of beans, a rabbit or a beaver stewing on the boiler. The women of Iroquois Falls could hear the SHAY whistle for miles belching great quantities of coal black soot, often knowing their laundry came off the line dirtier than when it was put out to dry. Families looked forward to the annual blueberry ride, compliments of the SHAY. The Shay Locomotive Works Company manufactured only 2761 such locomotives in Lima, Ohio with instant success. It became the most famous locomotive and contributed immensely to the logging empires of North America.

The SHAY 70 is truly part of our local history.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is February 27, 1926.

Location. 48° 46.046′ N, 80° 40.607′ W. Marker is in Iroquois Falls, Ontario, in Cochrane District. Marker is on Anson Drive just west of Cambridge Avenue, on the right when traveling west. The marker and Shay locomotive are located at the southwest corner of Anson Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 Anson Drive, Iroquois Falls ON P0K 1E0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 kilometers of this marker, measured

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

2. The Historic Shay 70 Locomotive & Marker

The marker is on the far left - near the back of the tender. Anson Park is in the background.

as the crow flies. Frank Harris Anson Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Historic Gibbens and Davis Boats (within shouting distance of this marker); Iroquois Falls Public School (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Iroquois Falls (approx. half a kilometer away); The Founding of Iroquois Falls / La fondation d'Iroquois Falls (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Sergeant Aubrey Cosens, V.C. (approx. 11 kilometers away).

Also see . . .
1. Shay Locomotive (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The Shay locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive. Shay locomotives were especially suited to logging, mining and industrial operations and could operate successfully on steep or poor-quality track. 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.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

3. Shay 70 Locomotive
The strength of these engines lies in the fact 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.

(Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Ephraim Shay (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

Ephraim Shay (1839-1916) was an American merchant, entrepreneur and self-taught railroad engineer who worked in the state of Michigan. He designed the first Shay locomotive and patented the type. He licensed it for manufacture through what became known as Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio; from 1882 to 1892 some 300 locomotives of this type were sold.

(Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Lima Locomotive Works (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

In April 1880, Lima rebuilt Ephraim Shay's original design, using vertically side-mounted pistons mounted on the right, connected to a drive line on the outside of the trucks. The Shay was geared down to provide more slow-moving, pulling ability for use in the lumber
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

4. Shay 70 Locomotive Drive Motors
industry. The first Shay locomotive was built in 1880; it was such a success that many people in the lumber industry wanted one. To accommodate the new demand for the locomotive, Shay licensed the right to build his locomotive to the Lima Machine Works, which expanded and began to ship Shay locomotives to lumbermen across the frontier.

(Submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Shay 70 Locomotive Drive Truck image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

5. Shay 70 Locomotive Drive Truck

Shay 70 Locomotive & Tender image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2022

6. Shay 70 Locomotive & Tender

The historical marker is located on the far left.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 45 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.