  We present Gemini optical spectroscopy of three young star clusters in the
western tidal tail of NGC3256. Compact star clusters (as opposed to
dwarf-galaxy candidates) in tidal tails are rare, with these three clusters the
first for which detailed quantitative spectroscopy has ever been obtained. We
find that two of these clusters appear to be coeval, while the third is
approximately two times older~200 Myr vs.~80 Myr). All three clusters are
massive (1-3 x 10^5 msun) and appear to be of roughly solar metallicity.
Additionally, the three clusters appear to be relatively large (R_eff = 10-20
pc), possibly reflecting weak compression at the time of formation and/or the
weak influence of the tidal field of the galaxy. All three clusters have
velocities consistent with the general trend of the HI velocities in the tidal
tail. We conclude that if the loosely bound tail material of NGC 3256 gets
stripped during future interactions of this galaxy within its group, these
three clusters may become part of the intra-group medium.
