The idler gear is stripped of about 5 teeth. Can it be replaced? If so, it looks like the shell needs to removed. There is one screw on the top but I do not see how to get the trailing truck off so that the motor and its housing will drop out. It looks like the only thing to do is to bend the tab on the tongue of the truck where it inserts into the motor housing, but I do not want to proceed without verifying and getting hints on how to do all this without damaging the loco anymore than it already is.
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No, you don't want to bend the tongue. There should be one screw in the top of the shell and two screws securing the metal plate under the steamchest. The plate secures the front of the motor into a clip. You can swing the plate away and pull out the drive rods/crossheads from the guides and the motor and smoke unit (if equipped) will fall out. It is suggested to remove the drive rods for easier assembly later. The rear truck and drawbar will tilt out of the shell bracket as the motor is lowered. The small cluster gear (8040-118) that is closer to the motor is secured with bracket and two screws or rivets and the idler gear that contacts the drivers (8040-117) requires removal of the wheels to facilitate replacement. The Train Tender (www.ttender.com) can supply parts.
I think you completely have to separate the two halves of the motor steel shell you will have to pull the engine wheels off and separate to get to the parts you want. checkout the following diagram and print the one you need to see the breakdown ok and good luck!
Alan
http://www.lionel.com/media/su...ent37/37Complete.pdf
Larry