Earl Myers asked:
"During WW2, would you find any N&W N2 hoppers on PRR main lines or
branches west of Pittsburg[h]?"

You do mean Class H2, right? No such animal on the N&W as a "Class
N_" hopper car.


"I assume that era of N2s had the smaller 17" N&W letters?"

Correct. The "bold" N&W didn't come into use until 1951. Here are a
few broadside photos of Class H2A hoppers from the Virginia Tech
collection that might help:

Pre-1951
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2065.jpeg
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2070.jpeg
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2074.jpeg

Post-1951
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2081.jpeg

Here's the link to the Virginia Tech Transportation Collection
homepage, which has a search engine:
http://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/browse.php?folio_ID=/trans


Ben Hom