The Automatic Refrigerated Milk Car No. 3482 replaced the No. 3472 in the Lionel line in 1954, and was in production one additional year, until the release of the No. 3662. There are several notable changes between this car and the previously available No. 3472. The most noticeable of these is the fact that the doors were made out of WHITE plastic instead of aluminum. Lionel also changed the operating mechanism to a pneumatic plunger, and the trucks are bar-end instead of staple-end.

The first issue of this car (Variation A) still had the No. "3472" in small writting under the data to the right. This car is slightly harder to find. The B Variation would have the correct number "3482" in its place. The third variation (Variation C) had the old unloading mechanism in the B Variation body.

The car came with six magnetic milk cans that were loaded manually through a hatch in the roof and were unloaded with the use of a 6019 or UCS track section on to the platform.