Question on 1980's period production Quality Craft Weaver Cars ?

I had a bunch of those weaver hoppers that I have since sold off as I replaced them with PRR prototypes.    I never had one do that.   It does seem like it has some sort of water soluble lettering.   I dullcoted many of mine with solvent based dulcote (scalecraft) and weathered many.     Also I don't ever remember seeing a decal line on the lettering.    My biggest problem was that originally, they only came in one number per roadname and with my switchlist based operating system, I struggled with changing numbers.    Later they went to 3-number sets and even later to 12 numbers.   

The original ones did no come with trucks and couplers and required basic assembly, very "shake the box".    the height and bolsters were set up to use Athearn trucks and the holes for coupler mounting were spaced for Kadee couplers.     These were the first non-kit, non-brass scale size hoppers I am aware of.    I built two of the original quality craft wooden hopper kits and they were not simple.   I was very happy when these came on the scene.

I once bought a Weaver/ Bev-Bel EL offset-side hopper, the car inside was indeed an EL offset-side hopper but brass; probably an Arvid Anderson product. Not too bad for ten bucks; note that I also bought the other four or five Weavers that the seller had. The cars had been displayed in open boxes and I did not notice the weight of the EL car until I got it out of the trunk of the car. A pleasant surprise.

rattler21 posted:

Dave,    John Smith offered four(I think) gate brass bottoms for Weaver hoppers.  Possibly in the $10 each range.  One of those may have been one of those.  Just the bottom, not the sides or ends.  John in Lansing, ILL

The whole car is metal.

Bob Weaver began making craftsman-style wood kits under the "Quality-Craft" name.  He later began marketing plastic freight cars in simple kit form under the "Weaver" name along with some diesel locos (ALCO RS-3, FA and FB ,etc (made in USA),  and also imported brass steam locos, metal passenger cars and diesel locos using ,metal frames & plastic. The products were of generally good quality/value for money and the firm was well-regarded for integrity & customer service.

The plastic hoppers were factory painted and I think the lettering was applied by pad printing, perhaps using some sort of ink.  Water-slide decals look best when applied to a glossy surface.  A more prototypical flat finish is best obtained by applying a flat dull coating after the paint has dried & the lettering has set.  Trying to add decal letters over the original factory paint might not be the best way to add missing letters, and I suggest that dry transfers might work better in such limited application..  (Certainly easier than repainting & re-lettering the entire car.)