Thanks guys!
I'm currently working on figuring out an alternative chassis to mount the locomotive on. The Lionel starter set 4-4-2 chassis that I modified doesn't seem to be up to the job in this operating environment (although it was a pretty simple modification). If anybody has any suggestions for a quality chassis that would fit in a Lionel 152 style shell, I'm all ears. I currently have a couple of MTH handcars on order to steal the chassis from. I have mounting blocks machined for a bolt on fit, however the motors are the one aspect of those that I'm not sure will be up to the task.