Lionel PW General: motor swap

@Jeff_the_Coaster_Guy posted:

..even the pinion gear is affixed to the axle (doing absolutely nothing).

Do you mean the worm wheel?

Yes, the worm gear is still present mounted to the axle but not being used.  The drive is by a pinion mounted to a piece of plate that is bolted to the side of the chassis.  The pinion intersects with a gear mounted to the backside of a drive wheel.  There's a train of several gears from the motor shaft leading to that pinion all mounted to this piece of steel, and the cheapo DC motor mounted way up high in the cab which is, I assume, the only place they could fit it thus the silly train of gears.

I'm thinking I could yank that plate off (along with its gear train) and mount a PW pullmor from an original general, and betting that the worm would mate right up to that worm gear on the shaft.