Tires cracked on new MTH switcher

I have not purchased an MTH engine in a long time,but when I did years ago I had the same problem. The spare set in the bag would be pristine , but the one on the engine would either be cracked or lacked elasticity. Often they came off after short usage.

Dale H

I own many MTH Engines and I have never noticed that problem. I recently purchased a Proto 1 Pennsylvania T-1 that was never run but displayed. The tires came off when running for the first time. They stretched but did not break. I guess it depends on the environment it was displayed or stored in.

Boy - me neither..... Very interesting.....

That's a very common issue at my house, whether Lionel, Atlas, or MTH. They don't last sitting on the shelves for long periods of time. Even if they look good when I take them down to run, they are all cracked after a bit of run time. I replace traction tires all the time, and I haven't figured out a way to stop them from drying out and cracking.

The dry warm air doesn't help I know...but you live in PA 

It really doesn't matter where you live. It's how high the piece is stored. In the LHS it was probably around 7'. In years passed I always mailed reminders to my customers telling them that it was time to service their engines. If I performed their service, I would install their new tires no charge. IMHO You should change your tires at least once each year, depending upon how much you run the piece.

Could be too how the item was shipped. Perhaps the temperature in those shipping containers gets very hot. Perhaps a containers sits on a dock or on a ship for a long time.Sometimes shipping is delayed by U boat patrols,anything is possible.

LINK

Dale H

You think model train traction tires are cracked because of delays by U boat patrols?Seriously?Really?

Lehigh

You stated that the train was on a shelf. was it subject to or near your heating? if so that could add to the drying out

Thanks Steve and Pappy, but I think Dale nailed it…U BOATS!  From now on, I’ll try to make sure whatever I get wasn’t shipped via the North Atlantic in the early 1940s.

Seriously, I was wondering if maybe there was a batch of bad tires in 2013, but it sounds like the storage environment might be more of an issue.  However, this one was on a shelf about five feet high, not in direct sunlight and not particularly hot or dry.