Traction Tires

FWIW I would not run my trains without tractions tires my gosh there not that expensive only a few bucks each if I remember and usually MTH has them it stock plus some ASC techs have them also!!!

What is the item number of your MTH engine?

No harm, but it might wobble a bit.

 The   groove edges will round off slowly (years) and it may not hold tires as well once worn. 

   Track can sink into the grooves and cause wheel to bind on rail in curves. 

    I ran a 4-4-2 without a tire for about a year and one day it acted like it hit a brick wall it stopped so fast.   It even needed  a little wiggle to get it off the 0-27 track as the rail really wedged itself into the groove nicely .  Tube track too; I imagine on flat rail or even full O, it would be even more prone to doing that.  

Other engines had narrower grooves and so wedging was impossible, tire not really important except to give traction. 

Also, it will tilt like a table with a short leg.

When my tires wear out, I haven’t been replacing them. My MTH Premier Hiawatha Atlantic runs a little bumpy through the club’s GarGraves switches, but I haven’t had any problems on flat grades.

Adriatic posted:

 The   groove edges will round off slowly (years) and it may not hold tires as well once worn. 

   Track can sink into the grooves and cause wheel to bind on rail in curves. 

    I ran a 4-4-2 without a tire for about a year and one day it acted like it hit a brick wall it stopped so fast.   It even needed  a little wiggle to get it off the 0-27 track as the rail really wedged itself into the groove nicely .  Tube track too; I imagine on flat rail or even full O, it would be even more prone to doing that.  

Other engines had narrower grooves and so wedging was impossible, tire not really important except to give traction. 

...wow...   

Mark in Oregon

Well let's see...they were designed to have traction tires on them so.........

Would you run your car/bicycle/whatever on the rims if it was suppose to have tires, didn't think so.

Read/heed what other said, either the wheels will wear down or the track will.

They're not that hard to put on.  IF you need another pair of hands, ask a friend.

Actually I did ride an old "airless" bicycle until the tire slapped my a** with every turn, and then till the sidewalls wore away. "Old Sparky" 😍

I got tired of wiping out eventually 🤔

Jim R. posted:

When my tires wear out, I haven’t been replacing them. My MTH Premier Hiawatha Atlantic runs a little bumpy through the club’s GarGraves switches, but I haven’t had any problems on flat grades.

When did MTH make a Premier Hiawatha Atlantic? They made a premier Hiawatha Hudson, a tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic with and without PS-2, and several iterations of a RailKing Hiawatha Hudson.

Lionel made a scale streamlined Hiawatha Atlantic in 2007 and the repop of the 1937 tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic in 1988 (probably made by MTH).

Pride Lines also made a few versions of the tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic.

RoyBoy posted:

Jim R. posted:

When my tires wear out, I haven’t been replacing them. My MTH Premier Hiawatha Atlantic runs a little bumpy through the club’s GarGraves switches, but I haven’t had any problems on flat grades.

When did MTH make a Premier Hiawatha Atlantic? They made a premier Hiawatha Hudson, a tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic with and without PS-2, and several iterations of a RailKing Hiawatha Hudson.

Lionel made a scale streamlined Hiawatha Atlantic in 2007 and the repop of the 1937 tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic in 1988 (probably made by MTH).

Pride Lines also made a few versions of the tinplate/diecast Hiawatha Atlantic.

Wow. Brain not working this weekend. (Family issues.) 

You are correct, of course. I have the Lionel Atlantic from 2007 and I’m hunting for the MTH Premier Hudson (for the right price).