All Wet, Or A Big Splash? Lionel's
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2023
- Episode 140: In 1959, Lionel’s design team went fishing for a new operating car design - literally. The #3435 Operating Traveling Aquarium Car used a mechanism similar to the #3444 Animated Gondola Car to create the illusion of swimming fish inside a boxcar with special display windows on each side. A Lionel Vibrotor vibrating motor triggered a spring assembly that pulled a 35mm film around two sprockets. The film contained images of undersea life and the image was backlit by a pair of light bulbs. Waves in the display windows added to the illusion of movement and rippling light while looking underwater.
Drawing power from the track, action continued anytime the power was on - regardless of whether the train was in motion. Therefore, the original aquarium car could be parked on a powered siding and still thrill layout viewers. However, the Vibrotor motor can be quite loud, and the combination of motor and lights makes these cars a power-hungry lot, so a 75 watt transformer should be considered the bare minimum for operating one of these cars - and for a trainload of them, you’d better have a big ZW transformer! These cars do have an on/off switch so they can be run without fish action if desired.
Many operators at the time thought Lionel’s design was all wet, and production ended in 1962 after a four-year run. However, time has shown the car to be a crowd pleaser and eventually the car become a whale of a hit for the firm.
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Items mentioned in this video:
Lionel #3435 Aquarium Cars: ebay.us/qKJVTP
Lionel City Aquarium Display Car: ebay.us/UHYNkw
Lionel TMCC Command Aquarium Car: ebay.us/3pnOCq
New Lionel Aquarium Cars: amzn.to/3mejxRs
Lionel Star Trek TNG Train Set: amzn.to/3KfDRdj
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Lionel Trains Pocket Price Guide 1901-2023
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You would be proud of me Mike. I recently applied some of your old school ingenuity to solving a problem with an original postwar aquarium car. I purchased this car from a collector ten or more years ago, and it is mint, unrun, factory fresh beauty from 1959. Two weeks ago I finally decided to run it - only to find out that the film strip kept snagging inside the car. Imagine my frustration over a car that had never been run! Well, I carefully opened her up, and discovered that a spring had never been properly installed at the factory 64 years ago. This spring keeps proper tension on the 2nd spool, and without it, the film strip will not function properly. I hated to tinker with a collector piece, but once I slid the spring onto the L bracket, the fish swam like they were performing at Silver Springs in Florida. ( a Lionel reference). The lesson here is - even brand new postwar items fail to run sometimes right out of the box.
Thanks for sharing! It's true that we cannot ALWAYS blame the problems on China!
Hey Mike, I bought one of these fish cars inexpensively at York several years ago. I liked it a lot, but it lacked the "swimming" action of the original. I was able to order replacement acrylic with wavy insides from Lionel for just a couple of dollars. That simple modification made a HUGE difference! Now my fish really "swim" as the car rolls. I'm VERY happy with this inexpensive upgrade!
Great tip!
Mike,I have the 1996 version of the Aquarium car with the worm gear on the under belly, that was bought new in '96. My one daughter, now in her 30's still mentions " the fish car" whenever the subject of train layouts come up in conversation. She was 5 years old back then and everytime the trains were run, she had to have the " fish car " in the consist. So, Lionel was smart to continue production of it in the various mods, because it was a hit for many kids😊
Great story!
Informative and fun. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for another. Great video Mike!
Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for watching!
Fun car always liked it!
It's eye catching!
Another enjoyable vid Mike! I've seen different versions of this thing I don't know how many times over the years. I have no desire to own one tho. Keep the vids coming!
Thanks for the feedback!
The aquarium car is such an iconic Lionel car.
Indeed!
Cool vid, thanks for the info. There's those salvaged log cars and caboose, looks awesome.
Thanks!
Thanks for another great video. Also, great timing just purchased the Gill Fin's last week and waiting for it to be delivered. Wish they kept the rippled windows but now I have an excuse to look for the other variations.
Yes, I noticed that they brought the ripples back in some versions. I'm sure the plain is cheaper.
I have a Dahlonega mint gold car and a Johnny Lightning display car that use that shell. I was considering getting an aquarium car, didn’t realize about all the variants, thanks for the good information.
Cool! Thanks for watching!
I actually have the 1995 version. I never knew that there was so much history behind it. Excellent video as always!
Thank you! The research is half the fun!
Great video. I actually have the aquarium car. It's pretty cool! 😀
Thanks for watching!
I never owned one of these:) must look for one.
I have one that I got from Christmas back in 2010
There are many to choose from!
:-)
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks mine is the original 1959 model. the paint is a little chipped but when the lights are not on, it’s hardly noticeable
i bid on one but dont know if ill get it yet.
It seems that the movement of the train startles the fish. The faster the train moves, the more startled the fish get and the faster they move!
Indeed!
I've always had a sift spot for cars like these. My first MTH product was their HO version of one of these. It died within 20 minutes and MTH customer service's response made me vow never to support them again.
Sad to hear.
I enjoyed your video as always. You did not mention that Lionel made an aquarium building with a cargo bay for the car to be spotted. I think this was in the late nineties. I never owned one of these either, but I have considered getting one over the years.
Thanks for the information!
That is the same type of drive gear that they have for the outlaw car and the Yosemite Sam and bugs Bunny car which I have
LEDs with less than the amount of heat that would affect the film strip if you ran the car like a kid would all day long.
Actually ice believe they looked more like passenger cars than regular freight cars because your New York Ontario and Western used to periodically stock lakes in New York and elsewhere.
You would think if they go to the trouble to replicate a car they would replicate such an important part like that. I thought the picture look different than my dad's car did
Maybe they thought it wasn't a big deal and they had clear glass in inventory.
Frank; using passenger cars as aquarium cars in '59 wouldn't have given kids the " big view " of the fish ,swimming away in 2400 series cars as did a picture window style window did by using a 6464 box car type.🚉🚂🐟🐠🐳🐋
I actually think I'd rather have the post war version over the modern era one just so I can park it on a siding and watch the fishes swim.
Just keep swimming...!
@@ToyTrainTipsAndTricks 😆
The Lionel world trains can have anything to fish to Giraffes to the balloon target car
It's all about fun!!
Some in the hobby make fun of Marx lack of authenticity. I ask you, just how strange are those fish swimming cars.
That's a funny argument. Marx often only went down the silliness route after Lionel went there first (operating mail car, gateman, assorted dump cars, etc). But silly can be good, too! :-)
If these were real railroad cars they would likely have rocks get thrown at them by teenagers once it would stop in a large city yard, causing water to drain everywhere and likely kill the fish costing thosands in damage.
Well, there ARE simulated canvases cast in above the windows. They could cover the windows for such travel. ;-)
Because of the shilling money that people pay for variations like $3,500 for the aquarium car with the painted yellow porthole that spoils The hobby. The ridiculous prices demanded by collectors and shops thinking that Lionel trains are gold bullion
Frank M : Did you buy a gold bullion car yet???😂
Frank M : Did you buy a gold bullion car yet???😂