Vitrains Class 37 Traction Tyres

[Will Hay]

Thanks to fellow forum member Going Spare [GS] and his extensive knowledge, I now know that my four Class 37 Vitrains models have traction tyres.

Again, thanks to GS, I now know replacements are in short supply.

Does anyone know of an alternative I could use, or perhaps a replacement wheelset that would elicit appropriate performance?

[96RAF]

Peters Spares have some own brand tyres sized on OD, ID and width. You may get a match.

[threelink]

This is purely a stop gap pending your finding the proper tyres but I have had reasonable success in peeling off the rubbery finger grips from Wilko own brand black biros, slicing off narrow rings, turning the rings inside out and using them as tyres. They will stretch slightly to accomodate different wheel diameters. Slicing needs to be done with a very sharp blade and care to avoid sliced fingers. Other biro makes may work - the Wilko brand was what I had to hand at the time. As I say, this is just a temporary arrangement, but it does work.

[Going Spare]

Peter of Peter's Spares advises using their PS42 pack which is a substitute for the traditional large-size Lima 'washer' tyres.

[Will Hay]

Sincere thanks to all.

[Will Hay]

For the life of me I can't see how these traction tyres will fit.

I've sought guidance from the supplier, who also confirmed, in advance of my order, that they would fit.

[RDS]

They do look like washers!

[Will Hay]

I wonder if they sit flush to the inner flange of the hub and, whilst different to the existing tyre, produce the same level of traction.

[Going Spare]

Try fitting one of the replacement tyres. As it sits in to the groove, it should take on the appearance of a 'normal' tyre - this flummoxed numerous Lima loco owners until they got used to them.

[Will Hay]

Try fitting one of the replacement tyres. As it sits in to the groove, it should take on the appearance of a 'normal' tyre - this flummoxed numerous Lima loco owners until they got used to them.

 

 

Hello.

On closer inspection, only one of my four Vitrains Class 37's have tryes.

The rest are without, and there is no groove, could they have been converted to run without tyres?

 

 

[Going Spare]

From memory again, so apologies if I am a little off beam, the ViTrains 37 had only one tyre on each bogie and the replacement wheelsets pack therefore contained one each of a geared axle with no tyre, a geared axle with one tyre and a non-geared axle with no tyres. Thus, with two packs, the non-tyred wheelsets could be substituted for the tyred ones to give a loco with plain wheels or, less likely, the tyred wheelsets could produce a loco with two tyres on each bogie.

Ultrascale wheels or wheelset packs may be an alternative.

[Will Hay]

Righto, many thanks.