The Mercury Project Cape Canaveral Car No. 6413 was titled more appropriately on the box "Mercury Capsule Carrying Car." This car was available at the height of the "Space Age" during 1962 and 1963. The two Mercury Capsules were held in place by elastic white coated wire bands and metal plates located in the car body. Lionel would use this car as part of many of their "futuristic space age" sets of the period.

The chassis was a modification of the mold that was originally used for the No. 6519 Allis Chalmers Car, but there are a couple of changes between this car, issued in 1958, and the Mercury Project Car. There is no mold number on the chassis, and although the mounts are there no brake wheels were mounted to them on this car. This is because, in an effort to reduce cost, Lionel shortened the ORANGE perforated boxes and turned the trucks inward when they were packaged at the factory.

This was done on the No. 6544 Missile Firing Trail Car and it resulted in broken brake wheels even before this car was sold because these wheels were located right up against the box ends. To prevent this from happening with the Mercury Project car the brake wheels were just eliminated.

When issued in the ORANGE picture box the elastic bands and an instruction sheet No. 6413-8 dated 6-62 came in an manilla envelope No. 6413-9 that is marked "ASSEM. NO. 6413-10". The Mercury capsules and the elastic bands have been reproduced.

This car is equipped with early AAR trucks and there are two variations:

Variation A: Has a MEDIUM BLUE chassis that most often is found with two operating disc couplers.

Variation B: Has a faded greenish blue or TEAL colored chassis and is found with one operating disc coupler and one non-operating solid coupler. A rare variation.

Today, this car is hard to find completely intact.