I was cleaning up and organizing my train stuff, and I found a new motor that is just a tad smaller than the original motor. You want the biggest possible motor that will fit. bigger motors tend to be more powerful, and have beter slow speeds. this motor has very slow starting speed, and what looks like a very appropriate top speed. the gearing on this model is super smooth. I have cheated a ground wire from the articulated frame to the frame at the rear of the locomotive. I'm looking at adding electrical pick up on the insulated side of the drivers, but there isn't much room down there, so I may wait and see how well it runs. I cut off the brass coupler housing, as a first step to mounting a KD on this locomotive. I'm studying it to come up with a plan to paint this. I don't think basic black will work. it needs a Russian iron boiler, lots of bright work, a varnished wood cab, and perhaps a dark red color like the Baldwin Lake color that was popular. I'm going to have to learn some new painting methods. this locomotive can be a Guinea pig for painting my On3 4-4-0s . the black rubber flexible coupling on the shaft was not so flexible after 35 years. PFM had included a replacement, but it had petrified as well. I was able to use a piece of tubing from a pediatric central line on the shaft wide enough to fit a larger piece of tubing which I believe was for a nebulizer. it is super flexable, and allows great movement of the shaft, so the articulated frame can move very freely.
