This is my first disassembly of a pre-war locomotive. It appears that the design was probably set up for AC two rail? It is definitely not outside third rail. I surmise that the cylinder/coil (just above the worm) with multiple wires attached to it is an early generation rectifier?
It appears to be a very well-built and robust mechanism. Hand turning the motor after lubrication was quite free with minimal resistance or binding.