A Trinity Industries 5,161-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper is now part of Bachmann’s growing lineup of modern HO scale freight cars. The injection-molded plastic model features screw-mounted roller-bearing trucks, metal wheelsets, and body-mounted E-Z Mate Mark II couplers.
Prototype history
The 5161 covered hopper has been part of the Trinity Industries (now TrinityRail) catalog since 1995. Since its debut, more than 33,000 cars have been built. The three-bay covered hoppers are used to transport dry chemicals, grain, and sugar, among other products.
Our review sample is decorated as Burlington Northern Santa Fe 475172, part of the railroad’s 473500 through 476304 series built by Trinity at its plant in Monclova, Mexico, between November 1998 and December 1999. The cars are still in service today.
You can learn more about the prototype cars in my article “Trinity’s popular 5161 covered hopper” in the March 2023 issue of Model Railroader. The story includes HO scale drawings of a CSX car by Patrick Lawson.
Model features
The Bachmann model has a one-piece plastic body with molded end cages and hatch covers. The slope sheets are factory-installed plastic parts, as are the brake wheel and see-through plastic running boards.
The underbody is a separate casting. Four tabs (two per side) fit into corresponding slots on the inside of the body. A 3⁄4” x 5-7⁄8” metal weight is attached to the top of the underbody with a pair of Phillips washer-head screws.
Freestanding details on the B end of the car include the air reservoir and brake cylinder; the control valve is molded. Plastic auxiliary and emergency reservoir pipes run from the air reservoir to the control valve. The B end also features a lever/slack adjuster; the A end has a freestanding casting depicting the lever, rod, and lever support.
A mix of molded and factory-applied parts were used on the bays. The shaker brackets are molded; the outlet gates are separate plastic parts attached with glue.
The one-piece trucks are molded in slippery engineering plastic. A Phillips-head screw with a washer is used to hold the trucks in place. The model rides on blackened machined metal 36” wheelsets.
The draft-gear boxes are molded as part of the underbody. The screw-mounted plastic covers have two mounting holes on the edge that support a freestanding air hose.
Measuring up
The model we received is neatly painted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s mineral red scheme with as-delivered white sill stripes and yellow FRA-224 stripes, the latter applied between 2005 and 2015.
I found prototype images of car 475172 online. For the most part, lettering placement follows the full-size car. The bay letter and capacity stencil should be directly above the shaker brackets, with the “Clean inside grooves…” stencil above that.
Though the load limit and light weight numbers don’t match those on the full-size car, they’re well within the range of other cars in the series. The yellow warning stencil to the left of the Trinity Industries logo is a bit oversized; the one to the right isn’t needed (the “Clean hopper slides…” stencil, spread over two lines, should be in that spot). The build date in the COTS panel shows 05-99, but the prototype is stenciled 12-99.
The full-size covered hopper is a phase 3 car with 12 body panels and 12 running board supports. The Bachmann model is based on a phase 2 car with 10 body panels and 17 running board supports. Of the four paint schemes offered, the model most closely matches the CSX car.
I compared the model to the prototype drawings in MR and information on the TrinityRail website. The Bachmann model matches or is within scale inches of published dimensions.
The Trinity 5161 covered hopper has been a popular subject for hobby manufacturers — this is the fourth plastic HO model that I’m aware of. Though Bachmann’s entry isn’t offered in multiple body styles and lacks the same level of freestanding details as cars from other companies, the model captures the lines of the prototype and will stand up to regular handling on operating layouts.
Facts & features
Price: $59
Manufacturer
Bachmann Industries Inc.
1400 E. Erie Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19124
bachmanntrains.com
Era: 1995 to present (varies based on paint scheme)
Road names: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CSX, Canadian Pacific Ry., and Norfolk Southern. Two road numbers per paint scheme.
Features:
- 36” blackened machined metal wheelsets, properly gauged
- E-Z Mate Mark II plastic couplers, at correct height
- Weight: 4.3 ounces, .6 ounce too light per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1
