99' with 247,000. Replacement axle broke off the end where the snap ring groove is cut into the shaft. That broken end is inside the transmission and I'm trying to determine how much work would actually be involved in removing it.

Why remove it? With the driver side axle removed(broken one) engine running and in reverse I can see the fluid being pumped and everything looks normal. Shift it out of reverse and into drive, or take it out of reverse and back into park, then a loud grinding sound occurs.
Obviously putting a new axle shaft in would allow the car to be driven but I bet the transmission would be toast in a day.

Any suggestions on how much effort would be required to get the broken end and ring out of the transmission. I've not torn into this transmission to see if it would be as simple as dropping the pan and start working up from the bottom. Pulling it is out of the question. I'll sell it to the junk yard first.

Regards,
Mike

 

The grinding noise tells us that fragments from the old axle have found gears and inner workings to fall into. Without pulling the transmission apart, we are only speculating about the extent of the damage. If you were able to drop the pan and part of the transmission, there will be metal shavings up inside the transmission that will continue to cause problems. If I were in your situation, I would look to find a used transmission from a salvage yard.

What brand of axle were you running?

 

I think you're going to be making a "deposit" at the junk yard.