Traction Tires

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, I am fairly new to these forums, but a long time O guage railroader. I wonder if some of you can give me advice on how to solve a small problem. Well, on my layout I have grades that are not really planned, but since I was too young to help my dad build it about 10 years agom it has stayed the same. Well anyway, usally when I am even pulling a short frieght train, pulling around 10 to 12 cars, the wheels begin to slip, lol. My question is on replacing the tires should I order them from a local Lionel dealer and pay the small fee for a dozen of them. I also heard about using silocon and puting small amounts on the drivers that had a traction tire on it and smooth it out. I am asking if this is the best way, is it safe to use on the locomotive or can it cause any damage to the track. This throwing of tires only happens to my steam locomotives, as I never lost one on a diesel yet. Thanks for the help any one can give. [:)]

[Jumijo]

I'd suggest getting the new traction tires at the Lionel dealer. If you have to buy a dozen, at least you'll have spares.

Some people adhere the traction tire to the wheel with double-sided tape or carpet tape. Another solution that might work is a small amount of automotive weatherstipping cement applied with a toothpick. I've never actually tried the cement, but it might be worth a shot. It's black, too!

Jim

[ChiefEagles]

Follow Jim's advice adn get the Lionel ones. I have used "plain old" rubber cement from the office supply store to hold them on. Worked great. Don't know how you could do it but weight helps with traction on pulling grades. I have weighted diesels [I have just about all diesels] and gotten great traction. Might not have room in a steamer shell.

[cnw1995]

I've actually experimented with not replacing them when they come off - trading off the maintenance for reduced pulling power - I like the excuse to add a helper engine ;)

[Roger Bielen]

I've used silicon on a Thomas engine, it takes a bit of time to get it smooth. If you don't suceed its easy enough to remove.

Chief - where do you have grades on your carpet railroad?[:o)]

[ChiefEagles]

Roger [smarty], I use to have a half basement lay out with 60 foot double main line and two table levels. The climb to the second level was a little steep as I built it early on from am 8' table to an 8' table. Then things grew. Moved in 85 and stored everything until spring of 04.

[ole1]

In an emergency (well it was an emergency in my mind) I put a little two part epoxy on the wheel, put the traciton tire back on, rotated the tire around the wheel a few times to make sure there were no bumps and let the glue set. About five minutes later I cleaned off the little bit of squeeze out (a little goes a long way) and was back running. It has worked fine ever since but if I had a prefference it would be to go with the new tires

[samplingman]

Threw a tire on my 1776 MPC U36 this morning. I just glued it back on with a drop of crazy glue and it ran without a problem for the rest of the day.

[3railguy]

The silicone method you mention works best with RTV Black gasket maker available at automotive stores. RTV Black has the highest strength and the highest temperature rating of the silicone gasket makers. It just happens to be black. It can be troweled on with a screwdriver or utility knife.

If you want to continue using traction tires (fake-a-traction), industrial contact adhesive such as Hybond 80 (available at home centers) is probably a better choice than super glue because it is easier to remove than super glue should you blow a tire again. Hybond 80 is thinner, stronger, and less stringy than the department store variety.

God forbid who-ever invented fake-a-traction. I feel your pain.

[mackb4]

Use super glue ,using a very small amount.I thru a traction tire on a MPC 8351 Alco when I was a kid (I got the engine when it was new).A local Lionel service center checked the engine out,replaced the traction tire and the next time I ran it, off goes the new traction tire.So my dad took the same tire,put a very small amount of superglue on it, and it's been on the same engine for about 20+ years now.The tire almost looks dry rotted and gives alittle shake when taking off,but it's hung right on there. I do know a man who put a small grove in a wheel with a very small lathe and managed to find a tire that fit the grove tight and had some success,but that sounds like alot of work to me.

[Jumijo]

Eventually traction tires wear out and need to be replaced. You want to adhere the tire to the wheel with something that won't make it a permanent bond. Strong, yes, but not permanent.

Jim

[ben10ben]

I would not use super glue to secure any traction tire at all. Not only will it eventually need to be replaced, but traction tires also have a sort of safety mechanism built into them that you will compromise.

When the motor is applying too much torque to the wheels, three things can happen. The wheels can slip, the motor can burn out, or the gears can strip. The best option, of course, is to have the wheels slip. This is relatively easy with bare steel or magnetraction, but traction tires offer much, much greater adhesion than either of the two. Rather than the wheels slipping, then, the tires fall off, thus saving the motor and the gear train. If you force the tires to stay on by glueing them, you could be forcing the gears to strip or the motor to burn out rather than the easier option.

[3railguy]

Yes the tires do eventually wear out so super glue is not a good idea. When you peel off the old tire, you are left with crud that is practically welded on.

If you bog down the motor to it's limits, you can tell by the way the engine behaves. Slow speed, dim lights, lurching, etc with a high throttle setting. Then you know to back off.