Segment Information Disaggregation of Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	$ 558,089	$ 574,661
Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	388,789	399,639
Freight [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	35,753	38,090
Freight [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	5,482	5,367
Freight [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	37,173	36,217
Freight [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	53,054	55,000
Freight [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	8,403	8,350
Freight [Member] | Intermodal [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	73,460	83,603
Freight [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	21,857	22,439
Freight [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	10,411	11,304
Freight [Member] | Metals [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	29,862	28,394
Freight [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	49,730	51,791
Freight [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	21,528	18,634
Freight [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	30,279	28,871
Freight [Member] | Waste [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	6,862	5,888
Freight [Member] | Other Commodity [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	4,935	5,691
Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	136,262	141,197
All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	33,038	33,825
North American Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	332,446	325,630
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	251,763	245,417
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	31,963	31,372
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	5,482	5,367
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	37,173	36,217
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	19,190	19,945
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	8,403	8,350
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Intermodal [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	455	309
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	21,857	22,439
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	2,793	3,573
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metals [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	29,862	28,394
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	31,810	30,518
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	20,699	18,483
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	30,279	28,871
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Waste [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	6,862	5,888
North American Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Other Commodity [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	4,935	5,691
North American Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	64,476	63,832
North American Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	16,207	16,381
Australia Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	65,107	74,834
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	55,819	63,011
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	3,054	5,483
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	29,171	31,579
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Intermodal [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	13,800	15,973
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	7,618	7,731
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metals [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	2,038	2,094
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	138	151
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Waste [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Other Commodity [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
Australia Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	7,855	10,563
Australia Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	1,433	1,260
U.K./European Operations [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	160,536	174,197
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	81,207	91,211
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Agricultural Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	736	1,235
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Autos & Auto Parts [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Chemicals & Plastics [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Coal & Coke [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	4,693	3,476
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Food & Kindred Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Intermodal [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	59,205	67,321
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Lumber & Forest Products [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metallic Ores [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Metals [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Minerals & Stone [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	15,882	19,179
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Petroleum Product [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	691	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Pulp & Paper [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Waste [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight [Member] | Other Commodity [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	0	0
U.K./European Operations [Member] | Freight-related [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	63,931	66,802
U.K./European Operations [Member] | All other revenue [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Operating revenue	$ 15,398	$ 16,184