Re-powering the Tunnel Motor is a Pain

So right now my budget doesn't allow much in the way of buying brand new locomotives.  I could if I saved up over time, but that doesn't work so well with me.  I plan on getting a new locomotive and suddenly "ooooo shiny new tank car!" or "well dang, I just got to have that Hy-cube" and etc, etc, etc...  So instead I tend to put a little bit into the existing engines.

In this case, I want to have my tunnel motor be able to run with my SD45-2.  This is the beginning of the Pain.  When I tried to do this a few months back (around September...  geez) I found that they were just too different speed-wise.  I played around with the speed table settings on their decoders but that was a lot of time to get nowhere.  So the idea was side lined.  However the idea has come back to the forefront as I am trying to join a local club.  But if they won't run well together then what can I do?

While the two locos are similar in drive train design, it turns out they have very different motors.  The tunnel motor is from the RTR line and the 45-2 is from the Genesis line, and the output on their electric motors is very different.  I had an extra RTR motor sitting around so I tried it in the 45-2, but the frame and weights will not allow it to fit (Pain).  So I decided to try a Genesis motor in the T-2.  After some time on the 'bay I got a new Genesis motor and went to install it.  Turns out it fits as far as the securing screw holes, but the frame was too tall for the screws (Pain again).  SOOOO more work.  Now it looks like this after some time on a mill.

One of the perks of working at a place with a machine shop

 

The motor now fits in the frame!  I had to add some shims into the securing holes as the screw heads could pass through them but it can be done.  However, I am now stuck again (more Pain).  To get the motor to fit, I had to put it in "backwards" so now one of the dogbone shafts is too short...  Blah...  There are some longer ones on order so I will update again when they are installed. 

If you want more detail on the process, or advice on how to avoid the pains above, leave me a comment and I will help out as best as I can.

Later!