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- 3545 TV Monitor Car
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Product Description
Production: 1961 & 1962
History
The 3545 TV Monitor Car was produced for two years and is another creative example from the Lionel designers and engineers using components from an existing freight car to create a new product. In the case of the 3545, many components were carried forward from the 3540 Radar Scanning Scope Car.
The 3545 does not require any special track or add-on components to operate. As the TV Monitor car travels along the rails, the camera man continually rotates based upon an O-ring connected to one set of axles. Additionally, the operators screen is illuminated while the track power is on. Although this is an interesting concept, the freight car does not have a real-life equivalent.
Lionel included this freight car in only one freight set. For 1961, the 3545 TV Monitor Car was included in a single Super-O freight outfit with the lead power unit being a 736 Berkshire steam locomotive.
The 3545 is part of Lionel's "Space & Military" series. As with many of the items from that series, there are delicate parts that are prone to damage due to improper handling. For example, the revolving camera man and simulated floodlights are fragile and easily broken -- many times missing altogether. In addition, the rubber O-ring on the specially designed AAR truck is often lost or has melted. Locating a complete, all original TV Monitor car is a rare task as few have survived intact.
Features
Standard features of the 3545 include: unpainted black flatcar with white lettering, blue superstructure, operating couplers, a specially designed AAR truck to operate the TV Monitor plus a brakewheel stand, metal brakewheel and four corner footsteps.
The blue superstructure includes a yellow TV monitor that rotates as the car travels along the track, a bank of simulated floodlights which can be manually rotated, blue man plus a white illuminated screen.
Additional Detail, Photos & Box Information
The length of this flatcar is approximately 11 1/4" long (coupler to coupler).
Only Known Variation - Shown in first photo above - All 3545's have unpainted black flatcars with a blue superstructure mounted on top of the flatcar.
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