@RJR posted:The 624 could drag many more cars back in 1954 than it can today.
Another diasvantage of magne-traction was that it picked up every sliver of ferrous metal on the layout.
Back in the 50's, I would also put tiny rubber bands on non-magne-traction loco wheels, up against the flanges. Worked great but short-lived.
Ferrous debris also creates partial short circuiting that really heats up the collectors if there's a lot of it. And drilling the rivets to disassemble the plates on a spur-gear drive to clean it out looks like a mess to me. It's bad enough on antique clock movements...