Regarding the scale milk car trucks:
After the first run many years ago, Lionel chose to move production out of China for these. Originally to Eastern Europe. China will only produce a completed product. They will not allow a company to produce a car body in one country, and get the trucks from China. And they won't allow the trucks tooling out. China is a Totalitarian Fascist economy under a Totalitarian Communist rule. You can't expect any American company doing business with them to not be dictated to.
I'm sure that wherever these cars and trucks were made, they were given the design and samples and then proceeded to copy them very badly. Probably a "lowest bidder" kind of deal in another third world country.
Jon 
