I have a 2036 steam locomotive that I got at an estate sale with a lot of other stuff, where the motor was falling out. I have taken it apart and see that the top retaining threaded rod (I am not sure what it is actually called) that is supposed to have ears that fit into the holes at the top of the motor between the side plates is missing the ears that hold it (see photos below). I have no idea how it got that way. Of course this makes it useless to hold the motor in place. The motor runs quite well, and although this is a low value engine, I would like to get it working if possible. I can't see that anyone sells this piece, and I can't think how to repair it. Any ideas?
Mark
is it possible to drill 2 small holes in center of that round rod and use a tap to make threads for a short machine screw to anchor side frames together?
I think CB&Q has the right idea about drilling and tapping.
If you do that, there is a trick to drilling down the center of a cylinder: Put the cylinder, not the drill bit, into the drill's chuck. Put the drill bit into a pin vise (or something like that) to make it easy to hold. Then push the drill bit by hand into the work as the drill is running. The drill bit will find the exact center.
I would drill the cylinder all the way through, starting from both ends to minimize any alignment error. That way you don't have to worry about your tap's bottoming out.
Bob Nelson
I was successful following your ideas. Bob, I did as you suggested and put the cylinder into my small drill press, and put the drill bit in a vise. I drilled all the way through with no problem (I think it was aluminum, so easy drilling). I then tapped each side with a 6-32 tap, and then used short machine screws. Worked quite well and now the motor is held in place quite well.
Thanks to both of you,
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