According the Jack Brown Color Guide, there was exactly one 4-bay hopper, no 90000. It was leased as a "corrosion test car", which was lettered on the side just below the speed lettering. The car was acquired in 1963, and originally wore the gray stone train scheme with black speed lettering. Another photo shows it in oxide red with white speedlettering, with a service stencil showing Elkins 3-70. I'm assuming that's when it was repainted. It retained the same number, and continued to carry the corrosion test car stencil. A third photo shows it in the Chessie scheme with a stencil showing EK 9-85, probably when it got repainted again. Same number, but this time no corrosion lettering. It's stenciled as a 100 ton car, with an inside length of 47'11" and a cubic capacity of 3209.
If I remember correctly, the first release that Bowser did was numbered 90000 and had the test car stencil. It seems to me that it's a 40' car though. Since then they've released more of them using the numbers for the 70 ton H-14 and H-15 classes. The first one is close in that it's a 4 bay with the right number, but the rest would be serious foobies. To date I have been tempted slightly to get some as fleet fillers, but I have yet to avail myself of them. The 4-bay thing trips me up every time.
Like you with your N&W cars, I'm sitting by the phone waiting for Athearn to re-run the 70 ton cars in WM. They're also not 100% correct, but the variance is very minor.
Lee
