Got some pieces from Train Loft:
Above: ATSF 27606. I sat this one atop a sheet of white paper so the road numbers are visible These shots were taken outdoors, but my surroundings still imparted a dark reflection across the middle of the car.
Above: ATSF 27608. The finish on these cars is just like the stainless finish MTH was applying to its Premier passenger cars (as well as four of their Premier modern + two 8k tankers). These cars came with an extra strip of foam wrap around the middle of the car for additional protection. Putting it back on is a tad tricky since it's a tight fit and the material itself is rather fragile.
The above two cars are exclusive to Train Loft, and the boxes carry a sticker attesting to this. The paint scheme is reminiscent of the Santa Fe "Super Hopper", an articulated covered hopper that, well...wasn't so warmly received by the grain shippers it was intended for. Three five-unit cars were built, one survives in the Oklahoma Railway Museum.
K-Line did a similar set of aluminum ACF hoppers decorated in a similar interlocking stripe/herald scheme (minus the Super Hopper logo). Two and three-car sets were produced, with the intent that they be combined as an approximation of the five-unit prototype. I managed to get ahold of both sets back when they were first released, and those reside buried deeply in my archive . stacks of rolling-stock boxes
Above UP 21328. Curiously enough, both of the UP car numbers are under the same MTH product number 20-97996, as opposed to the ATSF cars above which have their own 20-xxxxx numbers.
And, UP 21381 to round out the quartet. There is at least one other stainless-finish cylindrical hopper like this, a New York Central version (with a Statue of Liberty image) that was exclusive to Train World. I didn't know about those, and missed the pre-order window. (but found one of them at their York booth this fall)
(Nav links redacted...Forum rule disallows crosslinking one's posts within a thread)
---PCJ