Traction tires are a disaster. they always work loose and foul the rods on steamers and derail both them and diesels. It takes a lot of work to replace them on steamers, the rods have to come off.
Magne traction was a good design/idea. It does require steel track which rusts, but on permanent layouts, where the track is not stored in damp places that should not be a problem. The Detroit Model RR club has been around for over 50 years in at least 2 locations and their standard has always been steel rail. The current layout is at least 40 years old and has rail that was laid when they started it. It might have come from a previous layout.
