I don't have the engine/caboose, but I did purchase a Rail Scope TV from a dealer at a Greenberg show probably about 10 years ago. He had a few, I think they were either warehouse finds or maybe a case of them from a private collection he might have bought.
Like Matt, I thought this was a really cool thing when I heard about it when it came out. I wasn't at the time active in O Gauge trains, since I was finishing up high school and was soon to be headed to college (probably read about it in an ad in Model Railroader or similar). I was into HO, but the HO Rail Scope engines were also more expensive than any other HO engine I had.
I still occasionally think about getting one when I see them for sale on tables at train meets. I have probably resisted a little due to the special wiring you need to deal with for the signal to propagate along the rails. As others have said, it's difficult or impossible to set it up properly f you have a layout with gaps for blocks.
Lionel took this to the next level privately for at least a few engines when Niel Young was bringing his Horde layout to various events (including York in I think October 1998 or maybe 1999). there were a few Dash-9's (maybe Dash-8's?) with color cameras installed and the signal was routed to the giant Diamond Vision display he also brought with the layout. Watching those engines travel along the layout on the big screen was quite a sight to see. Unfortunately, they never mass produced these engines to offer them for sale to the public.
I may still decide to get an original Rail Scope set one day, we'll see.
-Dave
