Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies [Abstract]
Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies	NOTE 22. Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies Legal — Various legal actions, claims, assessments and other contingencies arising in the ordinary course of business are pending against GATX and certain of its subsidiaries. These matters are subject to many uncertainties, and it is possible that some of these matters could ultimately be decided, resolved or settled adversely. Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. v. DEC sp. z o.o. In December 2005, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. (“PKP”) filed a complaint, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. v. DEC sp. z o.o., in the Regional Court in Warsaw, Poland against DEC sp. z o.o. (“DEC”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company currently named GATX Rail Poland, sp. z o.o. The complaint alleges that, prior to GATX’s acquisition of DEC in 2001, DEC breached a Conditional Sales Agreement (the “Agreement”) to purchase shares of Kolsped S.A. (“Kolsped”), an indirect subsidiary of PKP. The allegedly breached condition required DEC to obtain a release of Kolsped’s ultimate parent company, PKP, from its guarantee of Kolsped’s promissory note securing a $9.8 million bank loan. Pursuant to an amendment to the Agreement, DEC satisfied this condition by providing PKP with a blank promissory note (the “DEC Note”) and a promissory note declaration which allowed PKP to fill in the DEC Note up to $10 million in the event a demand was made upon it as guarantor of Kolsped’s note to the bank (the “Kolsped Note”). In May 1999, the then current holder of the Kolsped Note, a bank (“Bank”), sued PKP under its guarantee. PKP lost the DEC Note and therefore did not use it to satisfy the guarantee, and the Bank ultimately secured a judgment against PKP in 2002. PKP also failed to notify DEC of the Bank’s lawsuit while the lawsuit was pending. After exhausting its appeals of the judgment entered against it, PKP filed suit against DEC in December 2005, alleging that DEC failed to fulfill its obligation to release PKP as a guarantor of the Kolsped Note and was purportedly liable to PKP, as a third party beneficiary of the Agreement. DEC filed an answer to the complaint denying the material allegations and raising numerous defenses, including, among others, that: (i) the Agreement did not create an actionable obligation, but rather was a condition precedent to the purchase of shares in Kolsped; (ii) DEC fulfilled that condition by issuing the DEC Note, which was subsequently lost by PKP and redeemed by a Polish court; (iii) PKP was not a third party beneficiary of the Agreement; and (iv) the action was barred by the governing limitations period. The first day of trial was held on March 5, 2008, and the second and final day of trial was held on December 7, 2009. On February 16, 2010, the court issued a written opinion in favor of DEC and rejecting all of PKP’s claims. PKP appealed and, on March 24, 2011, the Court of Appeals rejected the appeal and affirmed the trial court’s ruling. PKP subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, and on November 4, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling in favor of DEC, thereby resolving the litigation. Under the 2001 Agreement pursuant to which GATX purchased the shares of DEC from the seller, Nafta Polska, a Polish corporation organized by the Ministry of State Treasury, $10 million of the purchase price was placed in escrow pending final resolution of this litigation. The Company had recorded an accrual of $15.5 million for this litigation, which included the escrowed funds. Subsequent to the Supreme Court’s favorable ruling, the escrowed funds, less GATX’s defense costs, were released to Nafta Polska, and the remaining $3.2 million balance of the Company’s accrual was reversed. Viareggio Derailment On June 29, 2009, a train consisting of fourteen liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) tank cars owned by GATX Rail Austria GmbH (an indirect subsidiary of the Company, “GATX Rail Austria”) and its subsidiaries derailed while passing through the city of Viareggio, Italy. Five tank cars overturned and one of the overturned cars was punctured, resulting in a release of LPG, which subsequently ignited. Thirty-two people died and others were injured in the fire, which also resulted in property damage. The LPG tank cars were leased to FS Logistica S.p.A., a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned railway, Ferrovie dello Stato S.p.A (the “Italian Railway”). The cause of the accident remains under investigation by various Italian authorities, including the Public Prosecutors of Lucca (“Public Prosecutors”), who have formally notified GATX Rail Austria and two subsidiaries, as well as several employees, that they are under criminal investigation. In conjunction with these notifications, the Public Prosecutors have disclosed to GATX Rail Austria various investigative reports by the Police, the Italian Railway and consultants for certain parties allegedly damaged by the accident. These reports assert that the derailment was a result of a crack in an axle on one of the tank cars, which broke and caused the derailment. GATX Rail Austria and its subsidiaries continue to cooperate with the authorities. GATX Rail Austria has received direct notices of claims from approximately 380 persons and companies who allegedly suffered damages as a result of the accident. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain insurance for losses related to property damage and personal injury, and the Company’s insurers are working cooperatively with the insurer for the Italian Railway to adjust and settle claims. The Company cannot predict either the outcome of the ongoing investigations by the Italian authorities or what other legal proceedings, if any, may be initiated against GATX Rail Austria, its subsidiaries or personnel, and therefore the Company cannot reasonably estimate the loss or range of loss (including defense costs), if any, that may ultimately be incurred in connection with this accident. Accordingly, the Company has not established any accruals with respect to this matter. Other Litigation GATX and its subsidiaries have been named as defendants in various other legal actions and claims, governmental proceedings and private civil suits arising in the ordinary course of business, including environmental matters, workers’ compensation claims and other personal injury claims. Some of these proceedings include claims for punitive as well as compensatory damages. Several of the Company’s subsidiaries have also been named as defendants or co-defendants in cases alleging injury caused by exposure to asbestos. The plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount of damages based on common law, statutory or premises liability or, in the case of ASC, the Jones Act, which provides limited remedies to certain maritime employees. As of January 31, 2012, there were 190 asbestos-related cases pending against the Company and its subsidiaries. Of the total number of pending cases, 161 are Jones Act claims, most of which were filed against ASC before the year 2000. During 2011, 15 new cases were filed, and 685 cases were dismissed without payment or otherwise settled for an immaterial amount. In addition, demand has been made against the Company for asbestos-related claims under limited indemnities given in connection with the sale of certain former subsidiaries of the Company. It is possible that the number of these cases or claims for indemnity could begin to grow and that the cost of these cases, including costs to defend, could correspondingly increase in the future. Litigation Accruals The Company has recorded accruals totaling $1.8 million at December 31, 2011 for losses related to those litigation matters that the Company believes to be probable and for which the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Although the ultimate amount of liability that may result from these matters cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, management expects that none of these matters for which the Company has recorded an accrual, when ultimately resolved, will have a material adverse effect on GATX’s consolidated financial position or liquidity. It is possible, however, that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations in a particular quarter or year if such resolution results in liability for the Company that materially exceeds the reserved amount. However, as discussed above, other litigation matters are pending against the Company for which the amount or range of loss cannot be reasonably estimated based on currently available information and, therefore, the Company has not recorded any accruals for its potential liability in these matters. The amounts claimed in some of these proceedings are substantial and, while the final outcome cannot be predicted with certainty at this time, considering among other things, meritorious legal defenses and applicable insurance coverages, management expects that none of these matters, when ultimately resolved, will have a material adverse effect on GATX’s consolidated financial position or liquidity. It is possible, however, that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations in a particular quarter or year if such resolution results in significant liability for the Company. Environmental The Company’s operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental regulations. GATX’s operating procedures include practices to protect the environment from the risks inherent in railcar leasing, which frequently involve transporting chemicals and other hazardous materials. Additionally, some of GATX’s real estate holdings, including previously owned properties, are or have been used for industrial or transportation-related purposes or leased to commercial or industrial companies whose activities might have resulted in discharges on the property. As a result, GATX is subject to environmental cleanup and enforcement actions. In particular, the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, as well as similar state laws, impose joint and several liability for cleanup and enforcement costs on current and former owners and operators of a site without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct. If there are other potentially responsible parties (“PRPs”), GATX generally contributes to the cleanup of these sites through cost-sharing agreements with terms that vary from site to site. Costs are typically allocated based on the relative volumetric contribution of material, the period of time the site was owned or operated, and/or the portion of the site owned or operated by each PRP. GATX has been notified that it is a PRP, among many PRPs, for study and cleanup costs at three Superfund sites for which investigation and remediation payments have yet to be determined. At the time a potential environmental issue is identified, initial accruals for environmental liability are established when such liability is probable and a reasonable estimate of the associated costs can be made. Costs are estimated based on the type and level of investigation and/or remediation activities that the Company’s internal environmental staff (and where appropriate, independent consultants) have determined to be necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Activities include surveys and environmental studies of potentially contaminated sites as well as costs for remediation and restoration of sites determined to be contaminated. In addition, GATX has provided indemnities for potential environmental liabilities to buyers of divested companies. In these instances, accruals are based on the scope and duration of the respective indemnities together with the extent of known contamination. Estimates are periodically reviewed and adjusted as required to reflect additional information about facility or site characteristics or changes in regulatory requirements. GATX conducts a quarterly environmental contingency analysis, which considers a combination of factors including independent consulting reports, site visits, legal reviews, analysis of the likelihood of participation in and the ability of other PRPs to pay for cleanup, and historical trend analyses. GATX does not believe that a liability exists for known environmental risks beyond what has been provided for in its environmental accrual. GATX is involved in administrative and judicial proceedings and other voluntary and mandatory cleanup efforts at 17 sites, including the Superfund sites, at which it is contributing to the cost of performing the study or cleanup, or both, of alleged environmental contamination. As of December 31, 2011, GATX has recorded accruals of $16.7 million for remediation and restoration costs that the Company believes to be probable and for which the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. These amounts are included in other liabilities on GATX’s balance sheet. GATX’s environmental liabilities are not discounted. The Company did not materially change its methodology for identifying and calculating environmental liabilities in the three years presented. Currently, no known trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties exist that are reasonably likely to occur and materially affect the methodology or assumptions described above. Recorded accruals include GATX’s best estimate of all costs for remediation and restoration of affected sites, without reduction for anticipated recoveries from third parties, and include both asserted and unasserted claims. However, GATX’s cleanup costs at these sites cannot be predicted with certainty due to various factors such as the extent of corrective actions that may be required; evolving environmental laws and regulations; advances in environmental technology, the extent of other parties’ participation in cleanup efforts; developments in periodic environmental analyses related to sites determined to be contaminated, and developments in environmental surveys and studies of potentially contaminated sites. As a result, future charges for environmental liabilities could have a significant effect on results of operations in a particular quarter or year if new sites arise or as individual site studies and remediation and restoration efforts proceed and the costs materially exceed the accrued amount. However, management believes it is unlikely that the ultimate costs to GATX for any of its identified matters, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on its financial position or liquidity.

Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies [Abstract]

Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies

NOTE 22. Legal Proceedings and Other Contingencies

Legal — Various legal actions, claims, assessments and other contingencies arising in the ordinary course of business are pending against GATX and certain of its subsidiaries. These matters are subject to many uncertainties, and it is possible that some of these matters could ultimately be decided, resolved or settled adversely.

Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. v. DEC sp. z o.o.

In December 2005, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. (“PKP”) filed a complaint, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe S.A. v. DEC sp. z o.o., in the Regional Court in Warsaw, Poland against DEC sp. z o.o. (“DEC”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company currently named GATX Rail Poland, sp. z o.o. The complaint alleges that, prior to GATX’s acquisition of DEC in 2001, DEC breached a Conditional Sales Agreement (the “Agreement”) to purchase shares of Kolsped S.A. (“Kolsped”), an indirect subsidiary of PKP. The allegedly breached condition required DEC to obtain a release of Kolsped’s ultimate parent company, PKP, from its guarantee of Kolsped’s promissory note securing a $9.8 million bank loan. Pursuant to an amendment to the Agreement, DEC satisfied this condition by providing PKP with a blank promissory note (the “DEC Note”) and a promissory note declaration which allowed PKP to fill in the DEC Note up to $10 million in the event a demand was made upon it as guarantor of Kolsped’s note to the bank (the “Kolsped Note”). In May 1999, the then current holder of the Kolsped Note, a bank (“Bank”), sued PKP under its guarantee. PKP lost the DEC Note and therefore did not use it to satisfy the guarantee, and the Bank ultimately secured a judgment against PKP in 2002. PKP also failed to notify DEC of the Bank’s lawsuit while the lawsuit was pending.

After exhausting its appeals of the judgment entered against it, PKP filed suit against DEC in December 2005, alleging that DEC failed to fulfill its obligation to release PKP as a guarantor of the Kolsped Note and was purportedly liable to PKP, as a third party beneficiary of the Agreement. DEC filed an answer to the complaint denying the material allegations and raising numerous defenses, including, among others, that: (i) the Agreement did not create an actionable obligation, but rather was a condition precedent to the purchase of shares in Kolsped; (ii) DEC fulfilled that condition by issuing the DEC Note, which was subsequently lost by PKP and redeemed by a Polish court; (iii) PKP was not a third party beneficiary of the Agreement; and (iv) the action was barred by the governing limitations period. The first day of trial was held on March 5, 2008, and the second and final day of trial was held on December 7, 2009. On February 16, 2010, the court issued a written opinion in favor of DEC and rejecting all of PKP’s claims. PKP appealed and, on March 24, 2011, the Court of Appeals rejected the appeal and affirmed the trial court’s ruling. PKP subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, and on November 4, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling in favor of DEC, thereby resolving the litigation.

Under the 2001 Agreement pursuant to which GATX purchased the shares of DEC from the seller, Nafta Polska, a Polish corporation organized by the Ministry of State Treasury, $10 million of the purchase price was placed in escrow pending final resolution of this litigation. The Company had recorded an accrual of $15.5 million for this litigation, which included the escrowed funds. Subsequent to the Supreme Court’s favorable ruling, the escrowed funds, less GATX’s defense costs, were released to Nafta Polska, and the remaining $3.2 million balance of the Company’s accrual was reversed.

Viareggio Derailment

On June 29, 2009, a train consisting of fourteen liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) tank cars owned by GATX Rail Austria GmbH (an indirect subsidiary of the Company, “GATX Rail Austria”) and its subsidiaries derailed while passing through the city of Viareggio, Italy. Five tank cars overturned and one of the overturned cars was punctured, resulting in a release of LPG, which subsequently ignited. Thirty-two people died and others were injured in the fire, which also resulted in property damage. The LPG tank cars were leased to FS Logistica S.p.A., a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned railway, Ferrovie dello Stato S.p.A (the “Italian Railway”). The cause of the accident remains under investigation by various Italian authorities, including the Public Prosecutors of Lucca (“Public Prosecutors”), who have formally notified GATX Rail Austria and two subsidiaries, as well as several employees, that they are under criminal investigation. In conjunction with these notifications, the Public Prosecutors have disclosed to GATX Rail Austria various investigative reports by the Police, the Italian Railway and consultants for certain parties allegedly damaged by the accident. These reports assert that the derailment was a result of a crack in an axle on one of the tank cars, which broke and caused the derailment. GATX Rail Austria and its subsidiaries continue to cooperate with the authorities. GATX Rail Austria has received direct notices of claims from approximately 380 persons and companies who allegedly suffered damages as a result of the accident. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain insurance for losses related to property damage and personal injury, and the Company’s insurers are working cooperatively with the insurer for the Italian Railway to adjust and settle claims. The Company cannot predict either the outcome of the ongoing investigations by the Italian authorities or what other legal proceedings, if any, may be initiated against GATX Rail Austria, its subsidiaries or personnel, and therefore the Company cannot reasonably estimate the loss or range of loss (including defense costs), if any, that may ultimately be incurred in connection with this accident. Accordingly, the Company has not established any accruals with respect to this matter.

Other Litigation

GATX and its subsidiaries have been named as defendants in various other legal actions and claims, governmental proceedings and private civil suits arising in the ordinary course of business, including environmental matters, workers’ compensation claims and other personal injury claims. Some of these proceedings include claims for punitive as well as compensatory damages.

Several of the Company’s subsidiaries have also been named as defendants or co-defendants in cases alleging injury caused by exposure to asbestos. The plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount of damages based on common law, statutory or premises liability or, in the case of ASC, the Jones Act, which provides limited remedies to certain maritime employees. As of January 31, 2012, there were 190 asbestos-related cases pending against the Company and its subsidiaries. Of the total number of pending cases, 161 are Jones Act claims, most of which were filed against ASC before the year 2000. During 2011, 15 new cases were filed, and 685 cases were dismissed without payment or otherwise settled for an immaterial amount. In addition, demand has been made against the Company for asbestos-related claims under limited indemnities given in connection with the sale of certain former subsidiaries of the Company. It is possible that the number of these cases or claims for indemnity could begin to grow and that the cost of these cases, including costs to defend, could correspondingly increase in the future.

Litigation Accruals

The Company has recorded accruals totaling $1.8 million at December 31, 2011 for losses related to those litigation matters that the Company believes to be probable and for which the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Although the ultimate amount of liability that may result from these matters cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, management expects that none of these matters for which the Company has recorded an accrual, when ultimately resolved, will have a material adverse effect on GATX’s consolidated financial position or liquidity. It is possible, however, that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations in a particular quarter or year if such resolution results in liability for the Company that materially exceeds the reserved amount.

However, as discussed above, other litigation matters are pending against the Company for which the amount or range of loss cannot be reasonably estimated based on currently available information and, therefore, the Company has not recorded any accruals for its potential liability in these matters. The amounts claimed in some of these proceedings are substantial and, while the final outcome cannot be predicted with certainty at this time, considering among other things, meritorious legal defenses and applicable insurance coverages, management expects that none of these matters, when ultimately resolved, will have a material adverse effect on GATX’s consolidated financial position or liquidity. It is possible, however, that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the results of operations in a particular quarter or year if such resolution results in significant liability for the Company.

Environmental

The Company’s operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental regulations. GATX’s operating procedures include practices to protect the environment from the risks inherent in railcar leasing, which frequently involve transporting chemicals and other hazardous materials. Additionally, some of GATX’s real estate holdings, including previously owned properties, are or have been used for industrial or transportation-related purposes or leased to commercial or industrial companies whose activities might have resulted in discharges on the property. As a result, GATX is subject to environmental cleanup and enforcement actions. In particular, the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, as well as similar state laws, impose joint and several liability for cleanup and enforcement costs on current and former owners and operators of a site without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct. If there are other potentially responsible parties (“PRPs”), GATX generally contributes to the cleanup of these sites through cost-sharing agreements with terms that vary from site to site. Costs are typically allocated based on the relative volumetric contribution of material, the period of time the site was owned or operated, and/or the portion of the site owned or operated by each PRP. GATX has been notified that it is a PRP, among many PRPs, for study and cleanup costs at three Superfund sites for which investigation and remediation payments have yet to be determined.

At the time a potential environmental issue is identified, initial accruals for environmental liability are established when such liability is probable and a reasonable estimate of the associated costs can be made. Costs are estimated based on the type and level of investigation and/or remediation activities that the Company’s internal environmental staff (and where appropriate, independent consultants) have determined to be necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Activities include surveys and environmental studies of potentially contaminated sites as well as costs for remediation and restoration of sites determined to be contaminated. In addition, GATX has provided indemnities for potential environmental liabilities to buyers of divested companies. In these instances, accruals are based on the scope and duration of the respective indemnities together with the extent of known contamination. Estimates are periodically reviewed and adjusted as required to reflect additional information about facility or site characteristics or changes in regulatory requirements. GATX conducts a quarterly environmental contingency analysis, which considers a combination of factors including independent consulting reports, site visits, legal reviews, analysis of the likelihood of participation in and the ability of other PRPs to pay for cleanup, and historical trend analyses. GATX does not believe that a liability exists for known environmental risks beyond what has been provided for in its environmental accrual.

GATX is involved in administrative and judicial proceedings and other voluntary and mandatory cleanup efforts at 17 sites, including the Superfund sites, at which it is contributing to the cost of performing the study or cleanup, or both, of alleged environmental contamination. As of December 31, 2011, GATX has recorded accruals of $16.7 million for remediation and restoration costs that the Company believes to be probable and for which the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. These amounts are included in other liabilities on GATX’s balance sheet. GATX’s environmental liabilities are not discounted.

The Company did not materially change its methodology for identifying and calculating environmental liabilities in the three years presented. Currently, no known trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties exist that are reasonably likely to occur and materially affect the methodology or assumptions described above.

Recorded accruals include GATX’s best estimate of all costs for remediation and restoration of affected sites, without reduction for anticipated recoveries from third parties, and include both asserted and unasserted claims. However, GATX’s cleanup costs at these sites cannot be predicted with certainty due to various factors such as the extent of corrective actions that may be required; evolving environmental laws and regulations; advances in environmental technology, the extent of other parties’ participation in cleanup efforts; developments in periodic environmental analyses related to sites determined to be contaminated, and developments in environmental surveys and studies of potentially contaminated sites. As a result, future charges for environmental liabilities could have a significant effect on results of operations in a particular quarter or year if new sites arise or as individual site studies and remediation and restoration efforts proceed and the costs materially exceed the accrued amount. However, management believes it is unlikely that the ultimate costs to GATX for any of its identified matters, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on its financial position or liquidity.