@Mallard4468 posted:A recent traction tire replacement where the first tire I tried to install snapped (fortunately the next one worked) got me to wondering.
1) Has anyone found a viable substitute for traction tires? Bullfrog Snot was done to death in previous posts, and searches for square/rectangular/flat o-rings don't yield any useful results. Surely there's a non-train industrial product that would work, but I just can't find it.
2) My stash of traction tires is stored in plastic bags at room temperature. Some are in great shape, and some are hard and/or brittle. What's the best way to store them?
The most promising idea for unusual sized tires is by using the proper compound they can be 3D printed. That's especially true for the narrow tires used on many brass steamers as commercial tires don't seem to be available for those.
For standard 3.5mm or 4.0mm width tires, I just use MTH traction tires of the correct size. I store them in sealed plastic bags at room temperatures, they last for many years that way. I don't know how long as they're still good. 
