A frictional drive railway wheel truing system comprising a master lift and drive arm spaced from a slave lift and drive arm extending from within a railway pit for lifting a pair of opposed railway wheels off railway rails. Each master and slave drive assembly comprising frictional drums to turn a railway wheel from a wheel flange. A master and slave lathe assembly moveable along an axis parallel to a rotational axis of the frictional drums; each master and slave lathe assembly having a cutting bit positioned to engage a tread and a flange of a railway wheel in a cut mode at a location superior to the contact area of said frictional drums and railway wheel; and a hold down device fixing rotation of a railway wheel to a predetermined axis during a wheel truing operation.