0-8-0 traction tire alternatives?

[victor miranda]

Walthers seems not to have traction tires for the 0-8-0. no one seem to have them.
If I bought some, they are hiding.

I just tried a kato mike set and... they are better than nothin'
and leave a good deal to be desired.

has anyone had any luck with a tire from an alternate source?

i know bullfrog snot is around and at 25 bucks...
I may try it buuuut  I'd prefer less fuss and lower cost.

victor

[nkalanaga]

Orthodontists (braces) rubber bands?  You might get some very strange looks asking for them, but they come in various sizes, so might work.

[strummer]

Victor


I've got a whole slew of those dental bands from when my son needed 'em. 1/8" and 1/4" wide. They are (both) approx. 1/32" in "thickness".

Lemme know if you want some.

Mark in Oregon

[mmagliaro]

What's wrong with using Kato Mikado tires on the 0-8-0? 

[victor miranda]

hi Max,

the ones I have are not as snug as I'd like are a little wide and
are a little thin once installed.

victor

[peteski]

How about dozen of different tires available for Fleischmann, Minitirx, Roco, Hobbytrain/Lemke/Kato, Piko or Arnold European N scale steam/diesel/electric locos?  Most of them have tires.

I have many European models and also the Walthers 0-8-0, but I'm so swamped with project that for sevral months (or longer) I can't even promise to try to see which fits the best.

[mmagliaro]

hi Max,

the ones I have are not as snug as I'd like are a little wide and
are a little thin once installed.

victor

Hmmm... my 0-8-0's have replaced tires.  I can't remember what I used, but it would have to be Kato Mikado or Bachmann tires.  I did have to carefully stand them on end, then squish them down with steel ruler so I could slice off just a little because they were too wide.  I can see from one of the tires on there right now that one of my slices wasn't perfect, but close enough (as long as it isn't horribly crooked, it seems to work fine).

Did you try a Bachmann 2-8-0 tire, sliced narrower?

[Doug G.]

When I needed replacement driving bands for my Treble-O-Lectric stuff recently, I went to local orthodontists and asked if I could buy some of their bands. I didn't get any strange looks at all and, in fact, most of them were really nice and gave me their soon to expire bands. So now, I probably have a lifetime supply.

They seem to probably be a bit thick for traction tires unless you can use small enough ones and stretch them to be thin.

Doug

[nkalanaga]

Doug:  Thank you for the experience.  I've often heard orthodontist bands suggested, but have never actually tried them.  Nice to know that someone did, and that they work for something in model railroading.

[victor miranda]

ok... I did a little chassis wittling.

I have a bunch of mike tires.
I found an  Atlas assortment... none work.
the calumet tires are decidedly big.

and I still have not found the 0-8-0 tires I am pretty sure I purchased
'cause I knew this day would arrive.

and I will hunt dental braces because a lifetime supply of Kato Mike tires
will not fit everything.

my solution for this day; I filed at the bearing pockets of #2 and #3 drivers
and used the lightly trimmed Kato tires ....

the loco will pull 7 cars with authority.
I didn't test for maximun pulling power
I expect it will equal a GP9.

victor

[Mark5]

Ugh. This Walthers commitment (lack thereof) to backing their N scale locos is making me consider selling my 0-8-0 ....

[davefoxx]

This is one reason why I detest traction tires.  There will inevitably be a problem with the tires one day, whether they're thrown or dry rot.  If the parts are unavailable the locomotive might have to become a shelf queen.

Hmm, this reminds me that I still haven't gotten around to ordering the replacement wheelset to remove the traction tires permanently from my BLI E7.

DFF

[jdcolombo]

I used the double-sided tape technique on mine.  If you cut the strip of tape precisely enough, it fits perfectly in the "slot" for the TT, and the thickness is about right.

I've found that the double-sided tape wears out after about 10-15 hours of running time on my Berks.   This may or may not be a problem depending on how much you run your 0-8-0.  In my case, 15 hours of running time is a few years' worth, since I run my steamers mostly only during operating sessions (4-6 times a year).  Because I alternate between the 0-8-0 and an RS3 for switching duties, the actual running time doesn't add up very quickly.  But even if you run them a lot, it only takes about 10 minutes to replace the tape.

And it sure beats no TT tire at all . . .

John C.

[victor miranda]

Hi Mark,

ummmm there is one other 0-8-0 model available.

of the two the lifelike unit is far better looking.

I am grabbing a tall soapbox here.
for I am frustrated.

the folks at Walthers can make good money in N-scale.
and to explain how I have to start with HO.

to succeed in HO you need only sell one unit to half of the HO-ers in our world.
more or less you can sell a lot of JUNK and never have to consider a second sale to
get to "profit from that project"

k... so from that, you may want to think HO equals easy path to profits.

to expand a little on what I consider junk...
If you shrink the so-so HO locos into n-scale, I seriously doubt
the n-scale version would run without problems.

and Since n-scale has about a quarter of the number of HO-ers
and we may find we can agree that the same proportion
of people who will buy any'ole JUNK that a HOmanuafcturer
creates for the n-scale market...

you have a quarter of the distance required to get to "profit from that project"

this next line is where profit in N-scale happens
You must make a loco that you can sell at least two to the average n-scaler.

I'll give you an idea of how to do that....
make something that is worth buying.

onward.
Not too long ago there was the offer to make more,
if the tale is to be believed, there was a lack of interest.
somewhere in there is an out and out falsehood.

b-mann makes steam models I assume they are being sold to
people who have an interest in buying steam engines.
I have heard the EM-1 sold well...

so it was not a lack of interest on the part of the n-scale world
for a steam engine...

perhaps the HOmanufacturer lacked interest?
if that is so, then the offer to make more is a falsehood.

my intrepretation on the lack of interest...
what the HOmanufacturer got from wholesellers in respone was
"If you IMPROVE them, we can sell them."

so the lack of interest could be more correctly stated:
the HOmanufacturer lacks an interest in improving the model in order to sell it.

I find it hard to believe they think n-scalers want
a superdetailed loco, with handrails seperately applied to the back of a cab
with the flywheel hanging out...

hohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho!

The kick in the head is that the same outfit that thinks they have a premium line loco,
that needs no improvements....?

can't figure out how to keep traction tires available for a premium price...
They have competition for the 0-8-0 tire market?

victor

[mmagliaro]

This is one reason why I detest traction tires.  There will inevitably be a problem with the tires one day, whether they're thrown or dry rot.  If the parts are unavailable the locomotive might have to become a shelf queen.

Hmm, this reminds me that I still haven't gotten around to ordering the replacement wheelset to remove the traction tires permanently from my BLI E7.

DFF

Try Atlas part 420017, the traction tires for the RS-3.   I used something like that on my Kato E8 after I cut a groove for a tire.  I bet those will fit on the BLI E7.  The wheel diameters are similar.