So Today I took some time in my shop and made the first of the 8 Driver tires for my SP GS-3 4-8-4 today. I’ll be working on some more tomorrow and get them ready for being pressed on Brass Castings in Proto 87 I’m having 3d printed in wax and then put in wet sand to cast into brass.
Custom Locomotive Works 
Reblogged this on Proto87.org and commented:
The start of a new locomotive project…
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Beautiful! It’s amazing how thin these tyres look on the big diameter.
Were all the tyres on GS4-3s standard width? Sometimes you find they are 6” and even blind, but perhaps not on modern super-power locomotives.
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Just curious how tires for steam drivers are made. I know the solid metal wheel is machined on the lathe. But tires and donut-like shapes with nothing to hold them in the center due to the hole – how are they made?
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? Um…like the image shows…I used a 1018 steel tube at 1 inch diameter to make the tire. basically you make the profile of the flange and running surface then cut it off the stock to create the back side, it’s a lot simpler than it sounds actually.
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Yes, like the ones in the picture. In near future I will try to obtain materials to have model of the ER2 https://www.railwaymuseum.lv/sites/muzejs.ldz.lv/files/Er2.jpg , Soviet-made electric multiple unit train done to P:87 standards. Motorized car has an interesting wheel profile http://www.train-photo.ru/data/media/160/er2-1304.12_teleg.jpg Thus the disc with spoke-like wheel shape I may do from plastic, but then I need a tire and would like to find out how could it be done. The wheels of motorized unit are 1050mm (41.34″)
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Hope that works out.
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