Ed Hawkins has lobbied Kadee for a long time to tool up for variations of their 50-ton open hopper. The ATSF hopper takes a minor prototype hardware change (Wine door locks instead of Enterprise? ... I forget now ... someone can speak up with specifics) from the basic Kadee hopper offered before. If Kadee is warming up to variations, maybe there are some more in the works. A B&O N-41/N-44 would be fun.

Manufacturers are drawn to multi-railroad prototypes like moths to light. For tooling economy, Kadee chose to produce a hopper variation with 14 road names. All smurfs except for Reading.

The future bodes well. Multi-roadname freight car product ideas not previously produced are getting scarce, and manufacturers are seriously considering one-road-name rolling stock in plastic. Unthinkable ten years ago.