Commitments and Contingent Liabilites (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Product Liability Contingency [Line Items]
Number of railroad ties sold	1,600,000
Number of replacement ties per defective tie	1.5
Standard Product Warranty Accrual	$ 28,113,000	$ 6,632,000
Reserve for Concrete Ties [Member]
Product Liability Contingency [Line Items]
Standard Product Warranty Accrual, Period Increase (Decrease)	3,000,000
Standard Product Warranty Accrual	27,200,000
Reserve for Environmental Costs [Member]
Product Liability Contingency [Line Items]
Estimated Litigation Liability	$ 2,112,000	$ 2,184,000
Five year warranty [Member]
Product Liability Contingency [Line Items]
Warranty Replacement Ratio	1.5:1
Fifteen year warranty [Member]
Product Liability Contingency [Line Items]
Warranty Replacement Ratio	1:1