Re: About Those Half flanges on #346

chris ahrens Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 3. However, as I remember, the half flanges were
> only 5/8" tall and roughly the same or maybe 3/4"
> wide.

Here is a photo of one of the half flanges in 2003. I believe the flat top surface was the remnant of the original blind tire surface. The profile below the top surface was that of a standard flange, as though it had been shaped with a standard flange form tool. Note that the thickness of the inside face of this tire is about the same as the thickness of the outside face of the same tire in the 1941 photo.



Here is the R1 wheel at the same time, showing the standard rounded top contour of the flange. Note how the worn lateral face of the box has allowed the driving box saddle to be worn to ½ its original thickness against the back of the tire. Tightening up the lateral on the engine allowed us to repair problems like this, but made removal of the half flanges mandatory.