Source for driver tires

You might talk to Harry at Henning's Trains.  They make all the MEW wheels, many of them have pressed on steel rims.  I know how they make them, and you'd need dies to stamp them out.  They also make them by the thousands, I've seen buckets full of rims for one size wheel!  However, they might have some ideas on alternative methods.

I machine driver tires from heavy wall steel tubing (not pipe)  in my shop to fit the driver centers removed from 3 rail scale models that I convert to 2 rail operation.  I use 0.010" "fish paper" to insulate the driver tires on the left side of a locomotive. This work requires the use of an accurate metal lathe.  I have machined many drivers over the past 12 years.  Not to be pain, but the correct term for this kind of work is "machining" not "lathing".   Using that terminology tells me you have no experience with machine work. 

Joe

I would think you would want to replace the whole wheel. The 3 rail  drivers are undersize to accommodate the large flanges. The get the OD to the proper diameter the tires would have to be extremely thick.

Stevenson Preservation has driver wheels.

Pete

Thanks for the information!

rrjjf posted:

I machine driver tires from heavy wall steel tubing (not pipe)  in my shop to fit the driver centers removed from 3 rail scale models that I convert to 2 rail operation.  I use 0.010" "fish paper" to insulate the driver tires on the left side of a locomotive. This work requires the use of an accurate metal lathe.  I have machined many drivers over the past 12 years.  Not to be pain, but the correct term for this kind of work is "machining" not "lathing".   Using that terminology tells me you have no experience with machine work. 

Joe

This whole 2R process is new to me. I’ll try to pick up the lingo. 

Do you heat the tire before placing in onto the driver, like the prototype?

Thanks. 

Centralfan; Give Joe a call  [rrjjf]     his info is in his profile.  Buy the time you pay a machine shop to machine the tires and figure out how to press and insulate the wheels, you still have to quarter them on squarely.  Do yourself a big favor. CALL JOE

Franky-Ogee 

Franky-Ogee posted:

Centralfan; Give Joe a call  [rrjjf]     his info is in his profile.  Buy the time you pay a machine shop to machine the tires and figure out how to press and insulate the wheels, you still have to quarter them on squarely.  Do yourself a big favor. CALL JOE

Franky-Ogee 

Joe, email sent. 

I do not do this kind of stuff for others - it is boring and repetitive - but I have machined quite a few driver tires and taught my machinist brother how to 2-rail stuff.  We did maybe ten Williams T1 locomotives, and I still have finished drivers for one more.

Joe and I do this differently.  Joe machines an annulus, presses it on the driver, then machines the contour.  I finish and polish the tire, then press.  Joe's way results in a slightly more accurate and concentric tread; my way is how Lobaugh and Pearce did it.

For Lionel drivers, or Williams, etc, you need to make them skinnier, by machining a lot of metal off the inner face.  Most of the time, the HiRail flange is offset by the adjacent blind driver, and the main source of incorrect driver diameter is a desire to use the same dies for different locomotives.  Scale locomotive drivers are often slightly undersize because all drivers are flanged, and even 2-rail flanges are oversize.

Driver tires from screw machines exist.  Not sure which sizes Bob Stevenson stocks, but 70" are common, because All Nation made a gazillion of them.

To machine a tire from steel or iron takes a good size lathe.  My opinion is a minimum size is a 9" South Bend, and I mostly use an 11" Sheldon.  An Unimat just won't cut it.

If you buy the tires, and just want to trim up the Lionel drivers to match, a 6" Atlas lathe will do.  I use the Unimat only for quartering.  Joe has an elegant way to quarter drivers.

All experienced opinion.