Single-piece wheels have been mandatory for a long time -someone with even a shred of patience more than me will find it in the eCFR. Belt Railway might have grounds for waiver given large local and interchange traffic at restricted road speed and locomotives never straying far from shops or people watching treads and flanges for wear.New power couldn't be built with tires, and as the old power 'wore out' even used replacements would come with one-wear wheels... my doubts about how long they could recycle the old axle and wheel sets in any event.
Really good question and at first read I would have said they didn't have tires on diesels and just changed the whole wheels out. Then the Belt article! Very neat and very understandable in their situation. I knew the G-motors used tires so I wonder about the P5's and other older Penny motors?
oldline1.
I'd be very surprised if they still did this today. Modern diesel trucks with their various 'steering' mechanisms are much better at reducing flange wear than the early designs, so this may not be an issue like it once was.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
A 1966 article in Trains, which can be found here as a PDF
https://trn.trains.com/~/media/files/pdf/belt-railway.pdf
has a wonderful John Gruber photo showing the process of changing a tire on a Belt RR of Chicago switcher. Perhaps they still do this? But at some point the costs of special ordering wheels with tires could grow so as to make it uneconomical. Off-the-shelf is always cheaper. But it remains an intensely busy railroad.
Dave Nelson
The only railroad I have ever heard of to have wheels using tires on diesels was the Belt Railway of Chicago, in their early days of dieseldom. Today??????????
Hi, Paul
The newer locomotives you mention have single piece, wrought steel wheels.
EMD_traction-motor by Edmund, on Flickr
The tread and flanges can be turned several times until at the "condeming limit" per the standard stamped on the back side of the wheel or the railroad's standards.
Some freight car wheels are "one wear" wheels and can not be turned once past the condeming limit. A car or locomotive inspector carries a gauge to measure flat spots, flange and tread wear and will mark the car or locomotive "bad order" to be shopped.
Rails_0006 by Edmund, on Flickr
The most "recent" locomotive I can think of that has separate tires and hubs was the GG1 electric locomotives built by and for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Good Luck, Ed
Do modern North American Locomotivess, ie SD-70 ACe, AC4400 ect. have tires on their wheels? If not how many times can they be reprofiled berore replacing (and yes I know that will vary somewhat.)
Thanks
Paul