Debt (Details Textual) (USD $)	12 Months Ended						3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 07, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011 Recourse [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Recourse [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Nonrecourse [Member]	Dec. 31, 2005 Nonrecourse [Member] Andersons Rail Operating I [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Nonrecourse [Member] Andersons Rail Operating I [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 4.80%, payable at maturity, due 2011 [ Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 4.55%, payable at maturity, due 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 5.52 %, payable at maturity, due 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 6.10%, payable at maturity, due 2014 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 6.12%, payable at maturity, due 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 6.78%, payable at maturity due 2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, variable rate (2.82% at December 31, 2010), payable $110 monthly plus interest, due 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, variable rate (1.69% at December 31, 2011), payable in increasing amounts ($875 annually at December 31, 2011) plus interest, due 2023 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, variable rate (1.09% at December 31, 2011), payable $58 monthly plus interest, due 2016 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note payable, 8.5%, payable $15 monthly, due 2016 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable rate (1.87% at December 31, 2011), due 2036 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable rate (2.19% at December 31, 2011), due 2019 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable rate (2.25% at December 31, 2011), due 2025 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable rate (2.76% at December 31, 2011), due 2017 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Debenture bonds, 4.00% to 6.5%, due 2011 through 2021 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note Payable, 5.96%, payable $218 monthly plus interest, due 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note Payable, 6.37%, payable $24 monthly, due 2014 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Note Payable, 7.06%, payable $2 monthly, due 2011 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Five year term debenture bonds [Member] Available-for-sale Securities [Member] Recourse [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Ten year term debenture bonds [Member] Available-for-sale Securities [Member] Recourse [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Short-term [Member]	Dec. 07, 2011 Short-term [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Long-term [Member]	Dec. 07, 2011 Long-term [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit facility	$ 71,500,000	$ 241,100,000		$ 90,000,000																													$ 735,000,000		$ 115,000,000
Amount outstanding	35,100,000																															71,500,000		0
Maturity of line of credit facility																																December 2014		September 2015
Period of borrowings draw down under line of credit	less than 90 days
Series A due in 2011					17,000,000	20,000,000
Series A-1- Due on 2012					25,000,000
Interest rate of debt instruments							6.00%	6.00%				4.80%	4.55%	5.52%	6.10%	6.12%	6.78%	2.82%	1.65%	1.09%	8.50%	2.76%	2.19%	2.25%	1.87%		5.96%	6.37%	7.06%
Amount called on debenture bonds							18,300,000
Interest rate of debt instruments, Minimum																										4.00
Interest rate of debt instruments, Maximum																										6.5
Repayment of debt, principal																		110,000	875,000	58,000	15,000						218,000	24,000	2,000
Debenture bond bearing interest percentage																														3.00%	4.25%
Debenture bond bearing interest Amount																														8,900,000	2,700,000
Minimum tangible net worth							300,000,000	300,000,000
Current ratio net of hedged inventory minimum								1.25%
Debt to capitalized ratio maximum								70.00%
Asset coverage ratio minimum								70.00%
Interest coverage ratio maximum								2.75%
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt, 2012							32,100,000	32,100,000	200,000
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt, 2013							27,200,000	27,200,000	200,000
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt, 2014							29,600,000	29,600,000	600,000
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt, 2015							70,000,000	70,000,000	0
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt, 2016							16,500,000	16,500,000
Aggregate annual maturities of long term debt there after							94,800,000	94,800,000
No of railcars purchased										2,293
Contribution from parent										41,000,000
Balance outstanding related to subsidiaries											14,600,000
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Total borrowing capacity under lines of credit	743,400,000
Long-term debt, total	104,008,000	36,598,000	52,349,000
Collateralized debt book value	41,600,000
Interest paid	$ 25,200,000	$ 20,000,000	$ 20,000,000