There was a thread on tender shells not all that long ago.
Postwar Lionel 773-117 NYC tender shells were painted and heat stamped.
MPC appears to have taken some unpainted, left over postwar shells, and stamped them with close spaced New York Central lettering.
Later MPC made more shells that were available for separate sale in New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Lionel Lines. These shells were painted and heat stamped. They have a baffle and 2 posts molded inside. The baffle and posts have to be cut away to use the shells with a postwar whistling mechanism.
here is the thread
