The Automatic Merchandise Box Car No. 3854 was first produced in 1946 and Lionel would use this car to perfect the mechanism that would be used in the No. 3462 that premiered the following year. Like the No. 3454, this mechanism was mounted on a sheet metal chassis that has four steps at each of the corners, and is the only car produced in the post-war period that uses two sliding shoes on each truck. This TUSCAN box car has WHITE lettering including a Pennsylvania Railroad logo above the car data on the right side.
Numbered "3854" and "X3854," the non-operating side door has a detailed latch and handle indicative of the pre-war period. This car is basically a pre-war car with post-war trucks and is one of the rarest of the normal production cars that were issued during the post-war period.
The merchandise car came with six "Baby Ruth" plastic merchandise crates that were manually loaded through a hatch in the roof and were unloaded electronically with the use of a UCS or No. 6019 track section into a waiting bin at track side. The plastic crates are usually MEDIUM BROWN in color. These crates have been reproduced and the reproductions are BROWN in color and do not have the "Baby Ruth" imprint. There are no variations.
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