Trinity Steel was founded by C. J. Bender in Dallas in 1933. The company didn’t enter into the railroad freightcar 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 the became ubiquitous to present day railroading.

Trinity introduced the 5161 3 bay covered hopper in 1995. The  design features curved sides that are visually much different than previously widely adopted rib-sided Pullman-Standard style cars. The 5161 cubic-foot capacity and 286,000 lbs GRL ensured these cars became a quick success. The cars are mainly used for grain transport, but are also used for other goods. BNSF a version of this car for sugar transport. Other variations are used for chemical transport, potash and fertilizer products. To date, well over 25,000 have been built ensuring they are seen just about everywhere in North America.

Features:

• Fully assembled and ready to run
  
• Separately applied end cages and etched end platforms   
  
• Two body styles represent 10 panel and 12 panel variations
  
• Machined metal wheels
  
• Weighted for trouble free operation
  
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
  
• Body mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
  
• Replacement parts available   
  
• Minimum radius: 18”
• Era: 1990's