PITTSBURG, Kan. — Watco has announced changes in its leadership, adding new or additional roles for several of its top executives. CEO Dan Smith, who joined Watco in 2009 and became CEO in 2018, has also become executive chairman of the Watco board of directors, while Rick Baden, previously executive vice president and chief financial […]
WASHINGTON — Gary Vaughn, who championed safety during more than 20 years in the short line industry, has been named by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association as the recipient of its 2026 Schlosser Distinguished Service Award. Vaughn will be honored at the ASLRRA’s annual conference and exhibition, April 12-14, 2026, in Minneapolis, […]
Athearn Genesis HO EMD F45 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $219.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $319.99 Era: 1969+ to 2000+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn Genesis HO EMD F45 features: All-wheel drive and electrical pickup Body-mounted […]
ST. LOUIS — Intramotev, the technology company building autonomous battery-electric freight cars, announced on Tuesday that Watco will begin using Intramotev’s TugVolt system, starting at its transload terminal in Wood River, Ill., in January. “At Watco, we’re always exploring new ways to support our customers,” Aaron Jensen, Watco’s senior vice president of operations solutions and […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today gave the green light to Watco’s acquisition of the 420-mile Michigan regional Great Lakes Central Railroad. Watco has been an equity investor in the GLC since 2013 and in March sought to have its acquisition of the railroad exempt from Surface Transportation Board review, which is common in straightforward shortline […]
HARTFORD, Wis. — Three crew members were injured when a Wisconsin & Southern Railroad train derailed today (June 30, 2025) in the town of Hartford, near Independence Ave. The derailment occurred about 9:30 a.m. Hartford Fire Chief Tony Burgard told a press conference that the three people had walked to a nearby road and were […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators want Watco to provide more information about its proposed acquisition of Michigan short line Great Lakes Central before they will allow the deal to proceed. Watco on March 6 sought to have the deal to acquire the 420-mile Great Lakes Central exempt from a Surface Transportation Board review, as is common […]
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Short line holding company Watco is adding another railroad to its stable: Great Lakes Central, the operator of 420 miles of state-owned trackage in Michigan. Watco already knows the railroad well. It has been an equity investor in the GLC since 2013. “The Great Lakes Central Railroad has been a vital part […]
There are various ways we can convey to visitors and operators our modeling objectives. Locomotives and rolling stock provide clues as to the prototype (or freelanced) railroad we’re modeling. Those same models, as well as vehicles and figures, can be used to define the era. But what about the model railroad’s locale? Signature structures or […]
CHERRYVALE, Kan. – Bartlett, a Savage Company, is beginning operations at its new soybean processing plant in Cherryvale, Kan., which is served by Watco’s 458.7-mile South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad. The plant will handle up to 49 million bushels of soybeans annually, providing sustainable soy feedstocks for refined vegetable oil, animal feed and renewable transportation […]
Watco recently began operating its 46th short line, the 3-mile Verdigris Southern Railroad (VESO) that serves the Port of Inola in Oklahoma. VESO serves one customer at the inland port, paper products company Sofidel America. Sofidel’s paper mill received its first seven boxcars of compressed wood pulp in mid-April, Watco reports in its June newsletter. […]
