Traction for Lionel General 1862

IMHO before I'd  permanently epoxy rubber bands to the wheels I'd coat the wheels with Bullfrog Snot as many forumites have lauded the successes they've had with it.

Rubber bands are too uneven for a smooth operation.

Try "large steam" traction tires stretched over the wheels.  Use a drop or two of regular(non-gel) CA/Eastman 910/SuperGlue to secure the tires once placed on the wheels... it will seep around the circumference by capillary action very quickly and cure fast.

CA has excellent tensile strength, but poor shear strength, allowing you to remove or replace the tires quite easily by breaking/chipping off the old tire & glue.  Easiest done upside down in a cradle with the loco running using an appropriate sharp tool(good screwdriver, eg.).

If you can't find Frog Snot, much the same can be done using the plastic dipping material you buy at the hardware store, to plastic-coat the handles of pliers, etc.  It helps to apply it evenly and not it too thick a coating: I get the loco upside down on a test bench with the drivers just barely moving and use a small brush to apply it as the wheel turns slowly.  Works well.

I don't know this particular loco but its a fairly small loco and weight also could be an issue - you might look to add a few ounces of lead weight.

I found "Bull Frog Snot" on Amazon for about $18 (plus shipping), so I think I will give it try.  I think weight may also be a factor since this loco is fairly light, and adding weight will be my backup plan if "Bull Frog" doesn't work out.  I only need the engine to pull 4 to 5 cars up an incline, so if the temporary rubber bands I installed worked I am sure all your other suggestions will work as well.  Thank you everyone for the help.

TravelMan1:  Your General 1862 does not have smoke. To aid in traction, Lionel Corp. added a weight inside the boiler housing. It was secured by a press pin under one of the steam/sand domes. This weight comes in two sizes: a short one if the unit has smoke like in the 1872 or the longer one due to the fact that - no smoke unit, hence a bellows air piston was not needed so a larger weight could be installed. Check to see if your unit has the weight installed inside of the boiler body. It would be about over the front driver axle. Usually they are silver/lead, but a blackened one is also possible.

          The newer General loco's use a can motor and have a weight nested under the motor/bracket assembly. The most newest units also have a weight positioned inside the lower section of the wheel frame, between the axles. A newer pick-up assembly was designed years back for the new units and that allowed a room so a weight could be added. You may want to investigate this and see if weight can also be added to this older general in that area. The new generals also have a grooved drive wheel/wheels, depending on the model and year of production. The groove allows for tire traction to help the locomotive pull the train load. Unfortunately, these grooved wheels are not interchangable with the older generals without a lot of retro-fit to other items so it all works together.  Hope this helps.  Dennis M.

The #1872 version of the "General" had both smoke & Magnetraction; it was cataloged from '59 - '62.