Aflyer wrote: "But I have had to change many tires on the SD70's, ES44's, and Challenger, and Y3. They really don't seem to last and I think they get soft and gummy from the Smoke fluid."
Aflyer, where did you get replacement tires for your SD70's and ES44's? I have two ES44s and one SD70. All three came with a plastic package containing 6 tires. One pair of tires was way too big, one pair fit correctly, and the other pair didn't fit (though I can't remember if they were too big or too small). I've had to replace all the original tires on all three locomotives. They became soft and "rolled" off while the locomotive was running.
When Lionel had the warehouse sale I figured it was the perfect time to order lots of spares. The Owner's Manual for SD70 and ES44 says the part number is 6208815206. I ordered 16. I thought what I would receive was 16 plastic bags like the one that came with each locomotive. Instead they sent me a plastic bag with 16 of the too large size traction tires.
It's amazing that Lionel doesn't know the correct tires for their own locomotives.
Craig
