4-6-0 Loco question

[cpaul]

This is a curiosity question.

I bought a 4-6-0 Durango & Silverton set last year, and I am just recently getting around to setting it up.

I noticed that the middle set of wheels do not have flanges. 

Is this done to accommodate  tighter radius curves?

Thanks,

Chuck

[grumpy]

Yes it is . The railways did it also.
Don

[cpaul]

Thanks Don,

I always assumed that the flanges on a loco's wheels were there to keep the train on the track. 

I did a little research and found out that the flange is rarely in contact with the rail because the wheels themselves are slightly tapered.  This helps to center the wheels on the track.  Many loco's don't have flanges on the main drive wheels (blind driver) to prevent binding on curves. 

So it looks like my Durango & Silverton is a fairly accurate replica of the real thing. 

Chuck