The Operating Twin Dump Coal Car No. 3359 was available from 1955 until 1958.The coal bins were dumped one at a time by a series of stepped movements that used a rotating cam gear to gradually raise each bin.Unlike its predecessor, No. 3459, this dump car is made almost entirely out of plastic. The GRAY plastic coal bins are mounted on a RED plastic chassis that covered the bin raising mechanism. The BLACK "LIONEL LINES" lettering and the car’s reporting data was heat-stamped on.Early editions had bar-end trucks with magnetic couplers, while later editions would have tabbed couplers. Note that the production number "335955," is printed on the side. The last two digits of this number, "55," indicates the first year of production.This car came with a No. 90 Controller and two OCT Lockons that would allow it to dump coal at any location. These parts were contained in a parts envelope No. 3359-78 that is pictured to the right.Also included with this unloading car was instruction sheet No. 3359-79 dated 9-55 and were printed with BLACK ink on WHITE paper. We’ve shown the following pages of this sheet below:Page 1Page 2Page 3 The twin-bin dump car also came with the long Unloading Bin No. 160 Variation E that was designed specifically for use with this car. In addition, this coal dump car could also be used with the No. 97 Coal Elevator, No. 397 Coal Loader, and No. 497 Coaling Station.There are two variations:Variation A: Came with bar-end trucks with magnetic couplers. 1955 production.Variation B: Came with bar-end trucks with tabbed couplers. 1956-58 production. This could make a great addition to your collection railroad layout or gift for a friend
