Ted S posted:@Paul Kallus I don't believe the use of an idler gear is an inherently bad design. If the bearings of the intermediate shaft are Oilite bronze, they should last as long as the bearings for the worm shaft and the main driving axle.
Mine was lubed and it didn't matter. There was a few visible shavings and the bushing itself was oblong. Gently pushing the Loco back and forth while powered down would rock the shaft end side to side 2 or 3 mm within the bushing.
Again, it was the "load" side of the shaft as one side of the shaft takes more of the load as the axle gear is offset so everything will fit. The opposite side showed no excessive wear.
This intermediate shaft and bushing setup appears a bit smaller than the typical driven axle of a steamer where the gear is centered on the shaft distributing the load to both sides.
