Regarding "Did anybody make a cable operated front derailleur that had a drive side cable attachment?" ...........
In the early 1950s Cyclo Benelux made cable-operated front derailleurs with drive side pull. Models are illustrated in the Cyclo Benelux article in The Boneshaker 166:21-22, Autumn 2004 ...................................... Peter Brueggeman La Jolla California USA pbrueggeman(AT)ucsd.edu