The only time that I have put on new tires was when the old one fell off, loosely speaking. I have been taught, correctly, that once the tire gets stretched and comes loose, you might THINK you can put it back on but it's best to put a new one on.
Other than that, I'm wondering if there are other occassions to put a new one on. Specifically, do they simply get old and lose their effectiveness????
That question hits home for me. I have a tin-plate set that I bought new in 2013. Keep in mind that I only have a Christmas layout so it has limited mileage on it. In another thread I mentioned that I bought 2 extra cars but the engine's wheels usually just spin and the train doesn't move when I try to hook them up to the original 3. It doesn't matter which 3 of the 5 cars that I use, that's all that the engine can handle without spinning its wheels.
I'm wondering if maybe the traction tires, being 5 years old last Christmas, need replaced. How do I know????? What signs are there that it's time to replace the tires??? Or don't they get old and need replacement for that reason?
As always, thanks - walt