ATHEARN N 57' FGE MECHANICAL REEFER PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:

Trinity Steel was founded by C. J. Bender in Dallas in 1933. The company didn't enter into the railroad freight car market until 1984, when Trinity acquired the railcar designs and production facilities of the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, once the largest railcar manufacturer in North America. That same year Trinity also acquired the railcar designs of General American Transportation Corporation. In 1986 the rail car designs and production facilities of Greenville Steel Car Company were purchased, including the auto rack designs of Portec-Paragon. Also acquired in 1986 were the railcar designs of North American Car Corporation, and in 1987 Ortner Freight Car was acquired.

With this collective experience across several facilities, Trinity developed many new designs that became ubiquitous to present day railroading. One of their most famous designs is the 3-bay 5161cuft covered hopper. This covered hopper is optimized to transport agricultural products, sugar, dry chemicals, or other similar products and can be seen in unit train assignments all over North America. Introduced around 1995, these cars are extremely common today and owned by many Class 1 and short line railroads alike.

LEGENDARY LIVERIES

What are Legendary Liveries? An Athearn exclusive, they are the ultimate answer to “What if?” Featuring some of the most popular railroad paint schemes of all time, these models are perfect for collecting, protofreelancing, or just plain fun! Whether company proposed paint schemes, canceled locomotive orders, or alternate takes on history, Legendary Liveries are fun and unique additions to any roster. Enjoy these items, and answer the ultimate railroad question of: “What if?”

57' MECHANICAL REEFER FEATURES:

• Available with onboard SoundTraxx sound
• Scaled from prototype manufacturer's drawings and field measurements
• Underframe detail including Keystone cushioning, air brake reservoir, control valve, brake cylinder, and fuel tank
• Two different exhaust stack types: straight pipe with “flapper” or T-shaped “smokejack” per prototype and era
• Body-mounted McHenry operating knuckle couplers
• Highly-detailed, injection-molded body
• 100-ton roller bearing trucks with 36” machined metal wheels that operate on all Code 55 and 80 rail
• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
• Accurately painted and printed for prototypical realism
• Weighted for trouble-free operation
• Minimum radius: 9 ¾” — Recommended radius: 11”

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:

• Sound recorded from actual reefer unit
• Sound randomly cycles on and off
• Utilizes minimum track power
• Volume can be manually adjusted on the sound board

Order Due Date: November 28, 2025

Anticipated Delivery Date: March 2027

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