The Chaffee Branch
Description of a day’s work for Western Maryland Shay #6 Here is a simple summation of the work of the Big Six.
The following conceptual map will help.
Start at engine house at Vindex.
Go downhill nose-first to the interchange yard at the Potomac River. Pick up 11 empty 55-ton hoppers.
Running reverse, loco first (on the uphill side), nose to the hoppers, pull 11 cars uphill to the yard.
At the yard, break the train and continue in the same orientation, pulling 6 of the cars up to Vindex (so we are still running backwards, loco first, uphill side, nose to the hoppers).
Enter the switchback (which has max limit of 6 cars + Shay).
Throw the turnout and move forward. Head up the mountain.
Same coupling to cars, but now the loco is on the bottom side and is pushing the 6 cars uphill. This is where the 9.1 % grade is.
At the top, at the mine. Drop off the empties.
Pick up 6 loaded cars. Same orientation. Loco is first, on the downhill side, nose to the cars.
Ease down to the switchback at Vindex. Do the switchback.
Continue forward on to the small yard below the switchback. Now the Shay is on the uphill side easing the cars down.
At the yard, drop off the loads and pick up the remaining 5 empties.
Repeat procedure, taking 5 empties up to the mine and returning with 5 loads.
We are now at the small yard with 11 loads. Run around the 11 loaded cars and couple to the cars, loco first (downhill side), tender facing the cars.
Ease the cars down to the interchange at the river.
Go home back up to Vindex. (actually, there was one or two other smaller mines below Vindex which might have produced 2 or so cars a day).
So when I build a layout, while I will need to use some selective compression, this will be the pattern of operation.
