Special Items	12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2012
Special Items	Note 3 - Special Items In 2007, the Company’s board of directors approved the permanent closure of the Company’s then Canadian railcar manufacturing subsidiary, TrentonWorks Ltd. (TrentonWorks). In March 2008, Trenton Works filed for bankruptcy. Under generally accepted accounting principles, consolidation is generally required for investments of more than 50% ownership, except when control is not held by the majority owner. Under these principles, bankruptcy represents a condition which may preclude consolidation. As a result, the Company discontinued consolidating TrentonWorks’ financial statements beginning in 2008 and reported its investment in TrentonWorks using the cost method. De-consolidation resulted in a negative investment in the subsidiary of $15.3 million which was included as a liability on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. In addition, a $3.4 million loss was included in Accumulated other comprehensive loss. In 2010, the bankruptcy was resolved upon liquidation of substantially all remaining assets of TrentonWorks by the bankruptcy trustee. The resolution of the bankruptcy and associated release of obligations resulted in the recognition of $11.9 million of income in 2010, consisting of the reversal of the $15.3 million liability, net of the $3.4 million other comprehensive loss. This income was recorded in Special items on the Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended August 31, 2010.

Note 3 - Special Items

In 2007, the Company’s board of directors approved the permanent closure of the Company’s then Canadian railcar manufacturing subsidiary, TrentonWorks Ltd. (TrentonWorks). In March 2008, Trenton Works filed for bankruptcy. Under generally accepted accounting principles, consolidation is generally required for investments of more than 50% ownership, except when control is not held by the majority owner. Under these principles, bankruptcy represents a condition which may preclude consolidation. As a result, the Company discontinued consolidating TrentonWorks’ financial statements beginning in 2008 and reported its investment in TrentonWorks using the cost method. De-consolidation resulted in a negative investment in the subsidiary of $15.3 million which was included as a liability on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. In addition, a $3.4 million loss was included in Accumulated other comprehensive loss. In 2010, the bankruptcy was resolved upon liquidation of substantially all remaining assets of TrentonWorks by the bankruptcy trustee. The resolution of the bankruptcy and associated release of obligations resulted in the recognition of $11.9 million of income in 2010, consisting of the reversal of the $15.3 million liability, net of the $3.4 million other comprehensive loss. This income was recorded in Special items on the Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended August 31, 2010.