I have a Rivarossi engine in mint shape. It is the vintage that requires the tender that drives it. The engine has a small red flex tube that protrudes from a shaft. I am looking for everything if possible(tender drive and shaft) to complete it. Any thoughts on the possibilities in finding the original tender or even something else that will work for me would be appreciated
The only 0-8-0 with the motor in the tender that I have ever seen was a Hornby model of a British locomotive. Your model may be so old that even a train show would be unlikely to have one for sale.
Rivarossi made a 2-8-0 with the motor in the tender.
Perhaps the front truck is missing?
The original version of the Rivarossi 0-8-0 had a ball-bearing motor in the tender, mounted on a metal frame with a small reduction gearbox. The metal frame suffered from zinc rot, and many, if not most of them, are crumbled and broken. RR changed to the cab motor after a very short time, and eventually moved the motor to the firebox in a vertical position.
The tender shell was never changed, and even the newer ones still have the opening on the front for the motor shaft. If you can’t find an original in good shape, you can use any of the later ones and mount a motor inside. To connect the motor to the engine, I would recommend using flexible tubing with a metal shaft in the middle, since a universal could fall out pretty easily. Also, because of the gear ratio, I would recommend a slower speed motor (if you don’t use a Rivarossi motor) so the engine doesn’t try to fly away.
I remember when the classic AHM/Rivarossi Indiana Harbor Belt 0-8-0 had a tender drive – early 1960s vintage – but even the HO Seeker website only has drawings and info from the late 1960s on, by which time the engine had been modified to be motor in cab. The tender drive version was, as I recall, noisy and the tender tended to shimmy and shake from the torque. I have not seen a tender drive version for sale at a swap meet in a long long time. This may be a lengthy search.
This website has some info both on the prototype and the models
http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/ENGLISH_VERSION/Riva_American_Locos/Riva_Switcher_Eng.htm
Dave Nelson