Significance of White Tires on Steam Engines

[cncproadwarrior]

In looking at pics of CN and CP steam engines many of them have white tires. I would like to know the significance of this. Did all CN and CP steam engines have white tires?

 

[diburning]

They're not tires, they jsut painted the edges of the drivers white. I have no idea why so I'll let someone else answer that.

 

[cncproadwarrior]

They're not tires, they jsut painted the edges of the drivers white. I have no idea why so I'll let someone else answer that.

Yes I know they're not tires.

I seem to recall that part of the wheel being referred to tires. And not only the drivers are painted white but the fore and aft wheels and those on the tender as well.

 

[MGWSY]

Yes they do refer to steam loco wheels as tires or actually the ring with the tread and flange which gets pressed onto the axle/rim/wheel.

Check this out for more info.

http://www.nps.gov/stea/photosmultimedia/upload/changing_a_tire.pdf

 

[MRLdave]

As far as I know, it was just for looks.....MAYBE it helped see wobbly, unbalanced wheels but if that was the case, everyone would have done it, and technically the white part is the wheel....the outer part that rides on the rail is the "tire". And they WERE 2 separate pieces.....I saw a video of them changing a tire.....they heated the tire to make it expand,then pounded it off, heated a new one, pounded it on and then let it cool and shrink onto the rim. More science to it than that, but it was pretty neat.

 

[blownoutcylinder]

I think it was just for appearance sake. I read awhile back that several RR's used to do that as a means of projecting an image that the RR cared for its equipment.

 

[diburning]

My guess was that the tires made it easier for them to see whether a driver is derailed or when they are rerailing a loco, to see whether the drivers are all on the track

 

[Rico]

They were at one time called "tyres", an old english thing.
They were painted white for looks I'm told, like the ledge along passenger locos.

 

[kenw]

They were called tires (or tyres) long before they were made of rubber and used on automobiles. Vehicles as old as chariots used tires as a harder-wearing surface on wooden wheels.

As MRLDave indicated, they were a separate part. They were heated in a furnace to expand slightly and then fitted to the main wheel, where they would shrink in place and form a very tight fit. This avoids having to use screws and such to hold it in place.

Years ago I heard a story (true or not, i dunno) of a steam locomotive that spun the drivers so much that the tire expanded and came loose. Technically, it COULD happen.

By using steel tires, locomotives would simply have the tire replaced instead of replacing the entire wheel with all of the required balancing and such that would be required. In most cases the wheel itself probably stayed attached, with only the running gear being removed to provide access.

 

[bigford]

your all talking b/s there white because back in the day
everybody loved White Walls

 

[cncproadwarrior]

your all talking b/s there white because back in the day
everybody loved White Walls

I knew someone would know!

 

[CNR Glen]

I could be wrong but I believe CNR used white tires on their passenger train engines. Other railroads may have had the same practice

 

[hamltnblue]

Bigford is probably right. I remember in the 60's and early 70's a large percentage of auto's had white wall tires. If you wanted black walls they would turn the tires inside out. My first car had them and I used a brillo pad do clean the white walls when I washed the car. Dam seems like yesterday.

 

[hamltnblue]

Some auto whitewall history.
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5538540_white-wall-tires-made.html

 

[bigford]

"Then the manufacturers started adding carbon black to the white rubber. However, the carbon black was more expensive than the white rubber mixture, so they left the sidewalls white and just used carbon black on the treads. After all, the treads were the only part of the tire that came in contact with the road"

NOT the way my wife drives !!! with her its a full contact sport

 

[cncproadwarrior]

If you wanted black walls they would turn the tires inside out.

I think you mean reverse them.

 

[SP4439]

As MRLDave indicated, they were a separate part. They were heated in a furnace to expand slightly and then fitted to the main wheel, where they would shrink in place and form a very tight fit. This avoids having to use screws and such to hold it in place.

That is how it is, you machine the tire inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the driver "hub" Heat the "tire" with a ring of fire, pound the "tire" over the hub and gauge it.

Years ago I heard a story (true or not, i dunno) of a steam locomotive that spun the drivers so much that the tire expanded and came loose. Technically, it COULD happen.

Yes, Slipping the drivers to much, using the engine brake to much. Driver hubs out of round and a new tire put on that is perfectly round on the inside diameter, all can cause a tire to fall off the hub of a driver. Now the out of round driver hub can be fixed by putting shims of sheet steel between the tire and the hub in the loose areas after expanding, then letting cool over the shims, but that is a whole another problem cause the tire to go out of round.

 

[eTraxx]

Here is a way that was used to remove/attach the tires to the wheels. This is from a book titled Railway Shop Kinks page 195 .. "Tire Heater"

"Railway Shop Kinks" was published in 1911 by the Railway Age Gazzette. They inaugurated a Shop Section .. this is a collection of articles and suggestions submitted by various railroad shops. Pretty interesting. This specific 'shop idea' was submitted by A. Lowe, Canadian Pacific Railway, Glen Yard, Westmount, Montreal. If you scroll down to page 196 there is a photo of some "Driving Wheels and Burner in Position for Heating the Tires"

 

[cv_acr]

I could be wrong but I believe CNR used white tires on their passenger train engines. Other railroads may have had the same practice

You guys all seem to be missing the point mentioned earlier in the thread that the white painted part is NOT the tire. It's part of the wheel casting. The tire is a thin rim of metal that goes around the wheel and is actually the part that contacts the top of the rail.

Changine a tire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqBcOkrhCY (Fast forward to about 1:00 to actually see them take the old tire off once it's been heated enough to expand)

 

[Steve B]

Some UK diesels had the tyres or tires painted white for good looks only, some depots painted the tyres on all there locos and other depots didnt ever do it simply because they couldnt be bothered.