In 1902, the company was renamed German-American Car Co. In 1916, it changed its name to General American Tank Car Corp. and became a public company via an initial public offering, and in 1933, it was renamed General American Transportation Corp.[2]
Effective January 1, 2000, General American Transportation Corporation was renamed GATX Rail Corporation, a unit of GATX Corporation.[4]
In 2004, the company sold its technology-leasing unit to CIT Group for about $200 million in cash.[5]
In September 2013, the company sold its 37.5% interest in AAE Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn Cargo AG to its partner, AAE Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn, for €84.5 million.[6]
In March 2014, the company acquired the North American per diem boxcar fleet of GE Capital Rail Services, consisting of more than 18,500 boxcars.[7]
In November 2018, the company announced an agreement to acquire up to 3,100 railcars from ECN Capital for up to $229 million.[8]
In May 2020, the company sold American Steamship Company, its dry bulk vessel business, to Rand Logistics for $260 million.[9]
In December 2020, the company acquired Trifleet Leasing Holding B.V., the fourth largest global tank container lessor.[10]
GATX also owns other marks including CGTX, GABX, GAEX, GCCX, GFSX, GOHX, GSCX, IPSX, and TRIX including for General American Marks Company and GATX Rail. Many GATX cars carry a large "GATX" logo in the upper corner of the cars regardless of the reporting mark they carry; this logo is applied for marketing reasons and does not have any operational significance.[11]