Contingencies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Warranties / Contingencies [Abstract]
Contingencies	Note 18. Contingencies *Railworthiness Directive* As previously reported, in June 2011, the Company received a letter from the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”) containing a railworthiness directive pertaining to a specific design of tank cars manufactured by the Company for use in transporting poison inhalation hazard (“PIH”) materials. The Company has manufactured 948 railcars of this design. These tank cars are owned or managed by the Company’s wholly-owned, railcar leasing subsidiary. The FRA was notified of five tank cars with potential leaks around the manway nozzles. Pursuant to the directive, 100 recently manufactured tank cars were removed from service. An additional 67 randomly selected tank cars out of 848 manufactured since 2006, which have operated without incident, have been removed from service. In September 2011, the FRA issued an addendum to its June 2011 railworthiness directive, approving the Company’s voluntary recertification of all 948 tank cars used in PIH service. The recertification process is scheduled to be performed through September 2014 in conjunction with the normal 3 to 5 year, federally mandated inspection cycle for tank cars in PIH service. Maintenance costs associated with this recertification process are expensed as incurred in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. *Other Matters* The Company is involved in claims and lawsuits incidental to our business. Based on information currently available, it is management’s opinion that the ultimate outcome of all current litigation and other claims, including settlements, in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s overall financial condition for purposes of financial reporting. However, resolution of certain claims or lawsuits by settlement or otherwise could impact the operating results of the reporting period in which such resolution occurs. Trinity is subject to Federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations relating to the environment and the workplace. The Company has reserved $7.7 million to cover our probable and estimable liabilities with respect to the investigations, assessments, and remedial responses to such matters, taking into account currently available information and our contractual rights to indemnification and recourse to third parties. However, estimates of liability arising from future proceedings, assessments, or remediation are inherently imprecise. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not become involved in future litigation or other proceedings involving the environment and the workplace or, if we are found to be responsible or liable in any such litigation or proceeding, that such costs would not be material to the Company. We believe that we are currently in substantial compliance with environmental and workplace laws and regulations.

Note 18. Contingencies

Railworthiness Directive

As previously reported, in June 2011, the Company received a letter from the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”) containing a railworthiness directive pertaining to a specific design of tank cars manufactured by the Company for use in transporting poison inhalation hazard (“PIH”) materials. The Company has manufactured 948 railcars of this design. These tank cars are owned or managed by the Company’s wholly-owned, railcar leasing subsidiary. The FRA was notified of five tank cars with potential leaks around the manway nozzles. Pursuant to the directive, 100 recently manufactured tank cars were removed from service. An additional 67 randomly selected tank cars out of 848 manufactured since 2006, which have operated without incident, have been removed from service.

In September 2011, the FRA issued an addendum to its June 2011 railworthiness directive, approving the Company’s voluntary recertification of all 948 tank cars used in PIH service. The recertification process is scheduled to be performed through September 2014 in conjunction with the normal 3 to 5 year, federally mandated inspection cycle for tank cars in PIH service. Maintenance costs associated with this recertification process are expensed as incurred in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Other Matters

The Company is involved in claims and lawsuits incidental to our business. Based on information currently available, it is management’s opinion that the ultimate outcome of all current litigation and other claims, including settlements, in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s overall financial condition for purposes of financial reporting. However, resolution of certain claims or lawsuits by settlement or otherwise could impact the operating results of the reporting period in which such resolution occurs.

Trinity is subject to Federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations relating to the environment and the workplace. The Company has reserved $7.7 million to cover our probable and estimable liabilities with respect to the investigations, assessments, and remedial responses to such matters, taking into account currently available information and our contractual rights to indemnification and recourse to third parties. However, estimates of liability arising from future proceedings, assessments, or remediation are inherently imprecise. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not become involved in future litigation or other proceedings involving the environment and the workplace or, if we are found to be responsible or liable in any such litigation or proceeding, that such costs would not be material to the Company. We believe that we are currently in substantial compliance with environmental and workplace laws and regulations.