Anyone run the Vision PRR 0-8-8-0 on Atlas O-54 track routinely

Are the drive wheels binding where they are climbing up the rails?

get traction tires back on those wheels.  (they were designed to have tires on them, who knows what the difference in flange contact is having)

I'm curious if there could be a discrepancy between Atlas o-54 and Lionel o-54. While technically there shouldn't in this "lack of standards" model railroading we are in it has been mentioned that Lionel fastrack runs wider than Lionel tubular. The measurements are taken fro the center rail of one and outer rail of the other.

Having said all that if o-72 is "recommended" thats probably why.

It doesn't seem to need traction tires.  It runs sweetly, smoothly, and very, very slowly now without any traction tires, as long as I ask it to go through nothing sharper than Atlas O-63curves. There may be a slight difference between the diameters or one track brand or another, but it doesn't go through the O-54 I have, which is all that matters.  So, I've just decided that I'll run this puppy only on my 72+ inch loop.  I am about to find out how many cars it will pull with no traction tires. 

Edit a few minutes later:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  I do appreciate all the advice about traction tires, but it is often good to check and, on this puppy traction tires are unnecessary:

1) It negotiates my big loop smoothly, steadily, and without drama, with all traction tires removed.

2) Again, without any drama and no wheel slip at all, it pulls twelve scale reefers and a scale caboose up my "Raton Pass" - twelve feet of 2.5% upward straight followed by 90 deg of 72 inch circle at 2.5% into a roundabout of 250 degrees of a circle of 72 inch curve at that same 2.5 % slope and into a 22 foot long straight of that slop gradually decreasing to 1.5% slope.  Furthermore, it will pull this train from a standing start up to cruising speed, from a stop anywhere on this uphill sloped track,  for that matter.  

This is, now that it is de-bugged, one very, very sweet locomotive.  Great sound, good looking detail and lights, LOTS of wheels and valves moving, and it cruises with a load smoothly at as little as 12 mph - and looks grand at about 22 scale mph just chugging uphill dragging its load through the layout.  Instantly it is among my favorites. 

Here is starting at the beginning of that uphill grind and going through most of it.

"It doesn't seem to need traction tires."

yet, it derails. Put tires on it mr. licensed professional engineer. You are running the engine out of spec. 

i wasn't suggesting reapplication of the tires for traction purposes, but to change the way the wheels interact with the rails.  is it still derailing in that spot? if yes, then not fixed.  right?

I appreciate your suggestions Forest, but I don't think traction tires would help at all.  This loco, without any traction tires at all,  runs perfectly on my "big" loop, which has 72 inch and larger curves (video above shows it).  It is superb there.  Rock steady and smooth, pulling that 12-car+caboose train with no problems at all, just perfect.  Likewise it runs through almost allmy slightly tighter loop, which is mostly Atlas O-63 but has three curves that are O-54.  It de-rails when it hits the Atlas O-54 curves, and only there.  I'm convinced traction tires would not help - it just not like O-54 curves, at least mine.  I intend to leave it without traction tires, and just run it only on my big loop.  This is one very, very sweet loco.  I love it!

I would try adding some grease to the front truck that swings. I try to stick with 072 on all the big engines, this one included.

Lee,

I think the suggestions to add the traction tires is the correct one.  It may run perfectly on your big loops, but without the traction tires, there is a groove in the driver that could be catching on the sharper curves, thus causing the derailment. 

What is probably happening is that on the sharp curves, the groove on the driver without the traction tire is catching on the top of the rail and thus preventing the rest of the drivers to swivel with their normal "play" on the curve which is needed to negotiate the tighter curve.

The 0-8-8-0 is finicky. I had some obstruction problems which prevented smooth running on O-72 and larger. Eventually, the obstructions (part of the frame) were cleared.

Scrappy

Mine is now one of my half dozen "runners" - the locomotives I like and keep ready to run and run a lot.  It is going to continue to have no traction tires.  I understand all the advice, but why.  It runs perfectly, and so smoothly, steadily (great cruise even at very low speeds) and so slow on my "big" loop, pulls hard (now have it pulling 13 reefers and a caboose with no wheel slip, and looks sooooo good.  And since it will never run anywhere else, it actually seems counterproductive to me to put traction tires on it.  They can't improve anything since there is nothing to improve. 

I had skipped the initial two Vision offerings, but this puppy makes me think maybe I should reconsider the 2-10-10-2 even though it is a bit smallish.

I have this locomotive and it has no problem going through my Atlas 0-54 curved switch (the only 0-54 on the layout) but it does have the traction tires.

Alan

I did some testing.  Mine had problems only when it goes through a section of all O-54 curve longer than it is:  I have some curves that are O-63 - O-54 - O-63 - O54, etc. (tried to hold to a layout track route designed for O-60 curves).  The loco tracks through them perfectly.  But in three places I have three sections of O-54 in a row and it de-rails because the front driver set will not pivot quite enough to bend to all O-54 curve rate along its entire length.  It's its ability to "bend" that is the problem with mine, not anything having to do with wheels themselves.

I'm content now with it on my big loop.  Lovely little loco.

Did you try taking the front set of drivers off, adding some grease to the washers and elongating the spring a bit? My CC II tracked a little stiff so this helped it out. 

I had issues with my EM-1 on 072 and this completely solved the problem

Thanks - no I had not.  I will look into this.  It might help. 

Come to think of it I remember mine having a slight burr on the driver casting slot to the collar of the bolt, I had to slightly file this parting line line edge off so it would rotate smoothly.