Business Segments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Capital Charges Rate	1.00%
Concentration Risk, Percentage	10.00%	10.00%	10.00%
Segment Reporting, Factors Used to Identify Entity's Reportable Segments	The Company is a leading manufacturer, fabricator, and distributor of products and services for rail, construction, energy, and utility markets. The Company is organized and evaluated by product group, which is the basis for identifying reportable segments. Each segment represents a revenue-producing component of the Company for which separate financial information is produced internally and is subject to evaluation by the Company's chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources. Each segment is evaluated based upon their contribution to the Company's consolidated results based upon segment profit. The Company markets its products directly in all major industrial areas of the United States, Canada, and Europe, primarily through an internal sales force.The Company's Rail Products segment provides a full line of new and used rail, trackwork, and accessories to railroads, mines, and industry. The Rail segment also designs and produces concrete railroad ties, insulated rail joints, power rail, track fasteners, coverboards, and special accessories for mass transit and other rail systems. In addition, the Rail Products segment engineers, manufactures, and assembles friction management products and railway wayside data collection and management systems. The Company's Construction Products segment sells and rents steel sheet piling, H-bearing pile, and other piling products for foundation and earth retention requirements. The Company's Fabricated Products division sells bridge decking, bridge railing, structural steel fabrications, expansion joints, bridge forms, and other products for highway construction and repair. The concrete products businesses produce precast concrete buildings and a variety of specialty precast concrete products.The Company's Tubular Products segment supplies pipe coatings for natural gas pipelines and utilities, blending, injection, and metering equipment for the oil and gas market, and produces threaded pipe products for industrial water well and irrigation markets.
Segment Reporting, Measurement for Transactions Between Reportable Segments	The following table illustrates net sales, profits, assets, depreciation/amortization, and expenditures for long-lived assets of the Company by segment from continuing operations. Segment profit is the earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and includes internal cost of capital charges for net assets used in the segment at a rate of generally 1% per month. The internal cost of capital charges are eliminated during the consolidation process. The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies except that the Company accounts for inventory on a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) basis at the segment level compared to a Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) basis at the consolidated level
Customer 1 - 10% of Sales [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	0	0	0