Re: The adventures of a ColoradoNarrowGauge Cowboy and his Baldwin Belt buckel in Brazil

No we don't. I never went there.
But maybe I'll meet some friends of yours at the next International Narrow Gauge Meeting to be held in Paris, October 9/10/11, on the ""Chemin de Fer des Chanteraines". BTW, it's the only narrow gauge railway you can see the Eiffel Tower from when riding it.

I guess your connections with the Frankfurter Feldbahn Museum will help you to restore the Diema.
I don't know that kind of diesel switcher, but I guess it was equipped with some old and low speed diesel engine, maybe less than 1000 rpm ???
It should be quite difficult today, but I think you should find an engine with a speed in the same range. Or use a more powerful engine at lower speed.
Do you know the speed of the LeRoy engine the Diema was re-equipped with? If it had a higher speed, maybe a gearbox was added to reduce speed of the transmission ?

The last Gmeinders of the Slate Quarries of Trélazé near Angers where originally equipped with big 3 cylinders Kaeble engines. The quarries re-equipped them with Deutz air-cooled engine adding a speed reducer between the engine and transmission. It resulted in a longer nose.
[attachment 6852 GmeinderTrlaz3.jpg]

At Rillé, we own an older Commessa-Gmeinder from the Quarries (maybe from the 30's, we don't know exactly when it was built) that was never re-equipped with a new engine. The following picture was taken 10 years ago, on my first passenger train. By that time, we were authorized to be diesel engineer from the age of 16. Now it's impossible to be under 18, due to law restrictions. That engine is no longer serviceable due to gearboxe issues.
[attachment 6851 1999.jpg]

Thor, do you plan to rebuild the Diema with that horrible cab extension ?