re-motoring

[tatans]

I need some help here, I see older locos ,steam & diesel, that are available at reasonable prices both plastic & brass, the fault with some of these engines is they are noisy, underpowered, large and prone to failure, so you can replace them with new locomotive motors, are these new motors that much more powerful than the old ??? I'm thinking in this day and age with all the new electronics on the market, are there some small really powerful electric motors available that, when installed will pull nails from walls? Am I way off base here?
There must be hundreds of small efficient powerful motors or MUST you use replacement motors?

[cacole]

The biggest problem with trying to replace a motor is getting the worm gear off of the old and onto the new, especially when it comes to matching the shaft diameter on a steam engine. With a diesel, you have twice the problem because nearly all diesel motors have a double-ended shaft.

[tpatrick]

Normally you don't remotor to gain power. A can motor offers smoother operation, especially at low speeds. Lower current draw, too. Regearing helps, too, by adding to smoothness and reducing top speed to a more prototypical range. Northwest Short Line is a good source for motor and gear combinations. They also offer special tools like gear pullers, wheel pressses and quarterers. An average hobbyist can do the job and it isn't really too expensive. If you use DCC, you will like a can motor because the electrical pickup is isolated from the motor case, unlike an open frame motor which has to be insulated from the loco frame.