Traction tires: do they take a set when loco is sitting too long on the track?

I have no experience whether traction tires get a flat spot from setting on the track.  But knowing rubber, I think they will.  Most rubber will last 20 years at most, just think of tires on older cars.  Therefore, I keep my traction tires on their flanges or rims on the train shelves.  I do not do that on the layout track but normally my couple of traction tired locos are not on the layout very often or for months at time.

Of coarse I am one who believes in keeping Magna traction locos on a piece of track,, to serve as magnet keeper on the train shelves.

Charlie

You should never know because trains are made to be run. 🤣

I've seen them on display shelves for a long time have a traction tire separate when you take it down and run it.  They will certainly take a set if left in one position with weight on them.

Ive often wondered the same.

I have heard from many others that unless you are running elevations the traction tires really are not needed.

I would think if you are running a lot of rolling stock you may still need them. 

If you leave a locomotive sitting on the wheel flanges does it really hurt?

Brad

I have experienced the degradation of traction tires sitting on RailRax shelves. I now take them off the rails, and have them sitting on their flanges.   In any event, everything has a shelf life

Alan

Good feedback Guy’s!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I've seen them on display shelves for a long time have a traction tire separate when you take it down and run it.  They will certainly take a set if left in one position with weight on them.

Yep, just like gunrunnerjohn stated above.  Depending on how much time the locomotive was sitting unused the tires will either develop a flat spot or separate completely.  But it does take years.