I'm told that nearly all Queens were electric, because that is what the bowls clubs prefer. I think they also prefer the very low speed over the ground, hence the low gearing. With an electric motor you may have just started the motor with the clutch engaged, which should give a fairly smooth take-off despite the low gearing, because of the low starting torque of induction motors.
If you post some pictures of the clutch and the linkage to the operating lever, maybe Deejay or Willingworker can fill us in on whether it is original. If necessary we can invent a progressive linkage, but IMO it is better with antique machines to leave them as original as possible - or at least, with only "temporary changes" and the original parts preserved unmodified for later reinstallation.
