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Dominic Mazoch posted:

There was a discussion on the 4014 thread about tires.  I read somewhere that the Belt Railroad of Chicago's first diezel switchers had tires.  Is that true, and did any other diesels have tires?

True, i.e. the Belt Railway of Chicago did indeed SPECIAL ORDER pretty much ALL their EMD units with tired wheels, right up into the 1980s. No other railroads in the U.S. ordered tired wheels on their diesels except the BRC, to my knowledge. The first big order of diesels (GE Units) for China were ordered with tired wheels.

Nick Chillianis posted:
Wyhog posted:

Before anybody gets confused... we are talking about steel tires like steam locos had, not rubber.

Correct.

 

Here is a link to a pdf of a Trains Magazine article on the BRC. On page 7 there is a photo of a worker applying a new tire on an axle set. The reason given for the use of replaceable tires is the high flange wear experienced in switching service.

I think there is a more "recent" article about the BRC in TRAINS.  That said, the tire picture is in both.  Thanks.

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