THE CLISHAY PROJECT
Chapter 1
The original CliShay has been located in a barn in Kansas!
The original CliShay as found in a photograph on the internet.
The
CliShay is the brainchild of Bob Maynard. Among other things, Bob was
instrumental in the forming of Cinder Sniffers. His hobby began with
a track in his backyard and evolved into the track located in Dover,
Indiana. He was a talented machinist and built many steam engines and
train related items.
Bob’s
idea was to build a steam powered locomotive that could be built by a
hobbyist with limited machinery and limited skills. It was also
intended to be operated by a novice engineer with little operating
experience. By all accounts, he succeeded! But one must be warned, a
CliShay is a gateway locomotive.
Don and Dave’s
Big Adventure
It’s
mid May 2023. Kids are counting the days until school is out and
parents are preparing to batten down the hatches.
Don
and Dave, set out to bring the Original CliShay home to Cincinnati.
Its May 15, 2023 8:00 am. Don is the President of Cinder Sniffers,
Inc. and Dave the corresponding secretary.
The
return of the CliShay to Cincinnati
spans 2
countries, 6 states, 170 years, 7 Cinder Sniffers members and 5
owners. It’s a story of unimaginable coincidence, luck and
perseverance. The CliShay is a steam powered 7-1/2” gauge
locomotive designed and built by Bob Maynard in the late 1970’s.
Follow
along as we track Don and Dave’s big adventure aka The CliShay
Comes Home.