The pulleys were bought-in commodity items and still ARE. That is not a show-stopper.
IF no joy as to cutting a deal with Rakort, the rig CAN be
reverted to Harry Ward-Leonard's original design.
Bear with me for a moment or three. And/or simply do your OWN research. As I did.
For right about the first forty years of a Ward-Leonard drive's span, the AC driving motor did NOT share a common-in-the-steel shaft with the generator(s).
UNTIL, early 1930's, Reliance developed an all-in-one inline VERTICAL shaft packaged MG, one shaft, one housing, no frame needed, ready to use, that came to be known as the "Fireplug". because it resembled a hydrant of the era. And was even about the same size. Some fire hydrants being larger than others ,so, too were some Reliance MG's.
That "commodity" MG setup was adopted, sitting EXTERNALLY to the lathe, to power some of the early 10EE. It still can.
A modification, laid-over for horizontal shaft and underslung mounting ears so it would fit inside the belly of the 10EE
(it actually hangs DOWN into the azure below it) became the "inline exciter" early-generation 10EE power package.
The field-power section was not up to the demands a 10EE's very substantial use of Field Weakening placed on it.
Many overheated and failed - later to be "patched" and run with an ignorant transformer + crude rectifier for Field power.
This works, but
badly, because the exciter and main DC generator Fields as WELL as the final Drive motor Armature AND Field ALL have a HIGHLY
analog-interactive role in responding to load, and regulating RPM under load. The transformer is not only "blind" to that for its OWN Field it is supplying - it has no way of filling the dynamic role of the missing exciter properly, either.
They were all "tuned" to work together, same as a musical orchestra.
Enter the LARGER, hence under-stressed and cooler-operating "piggyback" exciter.
Overheat problem solved. Regulation under load could be more aggressive, came out better than ever.
Enough "better" to have become a "tough act to follow", even vs modern 3-Phase-only Solid State DC Drives.. or VFD.
Because the DC generators are both "rotating power" there are fewer abrupt transitions thus FAR, far smoother. Almost as if it were a variable BATTERY.
As was Harry Ward-Leoanard's original
goal.
And he was a VERY bright guy. The MG drive is only one of MANY useful things he did.
So where are we, "present day"?
ALL you need to
preserve is the "primary" DC generator
and, the piggyback exciter, and the DC motor.
And the "reason is" that they are TUNED in a 3-way
Menage a Trois both generators with the final-drive motor. And "tuned" superbly WELL.
Both Reliance and the Monarch DC drive special sub-team knew their s**t. It was more common in their era.
There is your "Trio" of musicians, playing from the same song-sheet.
All the AC motor does is see to it they get paid rather than starve.
This drive was adapted from service that operated elevators and hoisting gear, then refined for the specific needs of a 10EE, after all. There is no real "mystery" in it.
So.. mindful of preserving that crucial
relationship between and among primary DC generator, secondary DC generator (AKA "Exciter") with the final-drive motor of the 10EE, and the resistive controls and biased relays?
The AC motor section is almost "don't give a damn."
It needs at least 4.5 HP Call it FIVE HP 'coz that is dirt-common.
Any same-RPM AC motor Lovejoyed or belted and you are "back in bizness".
Remember.
An MG does not HAVE to live
inside the belly of the 10EE.
It only needs to be within a reasonable distance.
I'd figure fifty feet is better than a hundred feet?
Then again, you'd have to know elevators, wherein the big Ohmites were in the cab, human operator assigned, and the MG sat up atop the cab, ELSE clear up near the roof?
"The best news?"
All this potential "monkey patching" remains EASILY subject to rapid later revision.
An external rig can run an MG-era 10EE's final-drive motor until an MG unit that WILL fit inside the belly can be found and tested or refurbished.
And run it for easily a hundred years it will simply "do".
See old buildings and manual lifts. Well... "remember them" then.
I aint exactly a curious five-year old kid no more... but I've seen plenty of 'em, US and overseas.
"Rocket Science" they were never.
Actually.. last time I looked, Ward-Leonard of the present-day were mostly building special motors for.. offshore drilling rigs.. and
... submarines!
Not rockets.