The Mystery Question of the Lionel Control Tower for the Professionals

The bracket is for a radio antenna. 

Neal Jeter

The rotating radar antenna has a black antenna that goes in that slot. Both use the same housing.

Since the antenna is a separate piece, it is often missing.

Nothing. The tower platform is the same as the 197 radar tower which has a black plasitc whip antenna, but the roof on the yard tower hangs over where the antenna would be. The service manual shows one. Maybe the later reissues have a smaller roof?

if you don't have it , just take a cheap plastic paint brush and take off the brush end. it fits perfectly, and cheap too..

All the ones I've seen the roof is in the way so the slot is left empty.

The antenna never fit because of the roof overhang.

The original twr had the anemometer rotating clockwise while the men rotated counterclockwise  (or vise versa). There is a plastic gear inside that caused the different rotations that is usually missing or Lionel stopped production because the multiple rotation failed to work properly.

The original tower from the 50's never had any gears.  It only had a metal slug.

rjm

Thank you to all that commented to solve the control tower mystery. There was no antenna in the accessories package, nor was it shown in the assembly instructions. The Fundimentions unit that I just set up was pretty basic. A vibrator coil mechanism, that moved a circular steel rotor piece with square in the center. The rotating assembly has two men on a round rotating piece. A long metal shaft with a square piece at the bottom fits into the vibrator rotor piece.  The other end fits in the roof. There are no gears for the anemometer or the weather vane. They move with the clockwise direction of the shaft. Fundimentions made things simple and inexpensive so it can be said that its a no frills accessory.  I will look at the small paint brush handles and see if there is one thin enough to look like a realistic antenna.  Mystery solved!!!

Thanks for posting this. I have the same tower and was wondering the same thing.