The
Dispatch The newsletter for Watco
July 2021
Table of Contents Be the Difference Award Program _________________________________________________________________ 4-5 Where Should You Go When You Need Medical Care? _________________________________________________6 Watco Australia Rail Team Wired Up With New Technology ____________________________________________ 7 Watco Teams Rock Mid-States Partnership _________________________________________________________ 8-9 Watco Shirt Sales Benefit Honor Flight ___________________________________________________________ 10-11 Glendale Team Puts Its Backbone Into Spine Project _________________________________________________ 12 Team Member Anniversaries ______________________________________________________________________ 13-14 New Arrivals _________________________________________________________________________________________ 15 Students Tour Railroad Museum _____________________________________________________________________ 15
Highlights
On the Cover
On or off the course, we have your Watco gear. Order yours now: watcogear.com
The Alabama Southern Railroad crosses the Black Warrior River bridge into Tuscaloosa. Photo by Mike Parker.
2 The Dispatch | July 2021
Safety Anniversaries
June 2 – Pittsburg Repair and Maintenance Shop (KS) – 5 years June 12– Vicksburg Southern Railroad (MS) – 3 years June 15 – Industry Marine Terminal (PA) – 1 year June 20 – Houston Sunrise Switching (TX) – 2 years June 20 – Dallas Mobile Mechanical (TX) – 1 year June 20 – Memphis Channel Avenue Marine Terminal (TN) – 1 year June 20 – Memphis Dock Street Terminal (TN) – 1 year June 25 – Madison Transload Terminal (WI) – 2 years June 27 – Queens Dedicated Terminal (NY) – 6 years
July 2021 | The Dispatch 3
Be the Difference Award Program Will Recognize Team Members Who Live Out Watco’s Values Our One Watco rebrand last year invited customers
when they demonstrate those values underscores
to Discover the Difference of working with Watco.
how much Watco values our commitment to
The rebrand also prompted conversations about
giving back.
how we could formally and consistently recognize
So, in conjunction with Watco’s 38th anniversary
team members for the ways they make a difference
on July 1, we’re rolling out a new initiative, called Be
within the company and in our communities.
the Difference. During the first week of July, Be the
That recognition is important to our culture. As a company, Watco is a big believer in giving back.
Difference stickers were sent to each Watco location to be passed out to team members.
We’re constantly looking for ways to value people, to
Be the Difference is one important way we want
be good neighbors in our communities, and to go
to express gratitude for team members who are
the extra mile to provide the best quality service to
demonstrating what makes Watco different from
our customers. Recognizing our team members
other companies. Just like we’re asking team
4 The Dispatch | July 2021
members to take action, Be the Difference shows we as a company are taking action to recognize the people who are delivering on our promises. Be the Difference is designed to:
• Reinforce culture and pride
• Serve as an internal rallying cry
• Extra Mile Award: Given to an individual or
• Showcase team members living our values
and beyond the call of duty at work or in
• Create team member connections across
a group of team members who go above the community
operations and geographies
There are two parts to the initiative. The first is storytelling. We invite all team members to share stories of how they, their colleagues, or their teams are taking action, living Watco’s values or otherwise making a difference in lives and communities. Team members can fill out a simple online form to nominate themselves or others. Team members up to the general manager level are eligible for nomination. The Marketing team will review each nomination and choose stories to tell through our communications channels, including Watco Vision, Facebook, Instagram, and The Dispatch. The second part of the Be the Difference initiative is a quarterly awards program that will formally honor team members who are making big differences by living out Watco’s Foundation Principles. We have created three new awards that will be given each quarter:
• Safe Performance Award: Given to an
individual or group of team members
who take action to ensure safety for fellow
team members, customers, suppliers
or property
Award winners will be chosen from the nominations received in the previous quarter. Every team member or team featured in one of the stories will automatically be a candidate for a quarterly award. Quarterly winners will get a $250 Watco Gear gift card and an exclusive hard hat sticker that recognizes them as Be the Difference award winners. We’ll also recognize them in The Dispatch and on Watco Vision. Please watch for teams and team members who are making a difference and nominate those who are showing every day how to Be the Difference. To nominate a team member for a Be the Difference award, visit watco.com/btd.
• One Watco Award: This award will be given
to an individual or group of team members
whose teamwork generates an exceptional
result for Watco or a customer July 2021 | The Dispatch 5
Where Should You Go When You Need Medical Care?
Here are tips to help you choose the right type of care for various situations.
Doctor’s Office Primary Care Physicians (PCP) are the best option for routine medical care such as: * Annual checkups, physicals * Routine immunizations * Prescription refills They’re also the best option for unexpected health issues that can wait until your doctor can see you like:
Urgent Care Center Urgent Care Centers are the best option for more severe issues that can’t wait for an appointment with your regular doctor, or if it’s during the evening or on a weekend when the office is closed. * Minor fractures and sprains requiring X-rays
Head straight to the ER or call 911 for life-threatening conditions such as: * Chest pain or pressure * Signs of a stroke - numbness - loss of or slurred speech
* Minor cuts requiring stitches
- loss of vision
* Insect bites
* Uncontrollable bleeding, vomiting, or diarrhea
* Strained muscles
* Flu-like symptoms
* Minor cuts and bruises
* Sinus or respiratory infections
* Cold and flu symptoms including fever, coughing, sore throat and nausea
* Burns
* Sinus infections
* Migraines
* Rashes and insect bites
Emergency Room
* Urinary tract infections
* Trouble breathing * Head trauma or sudden confusion * Abdominal pain * Broken bones * Loss of consciousness or sudden dizziness * Severe allergic reactions
Choosing the best option not only lowers plan costs, but also puts more money back in your pocket!
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Watco Australia Rail Team Wired Up With New Technology
Every day, rail operators worldwide move freight trains in perfect synchronization with locomotives at each end, communicating via a radio-controlled distributed power (DP) wireless connection. However, Watco’s rail team in Queensland, Australia, has managed something very unique. They have begun using a new method of operating locomotives together using a fully wired distributed power (WDP) electrical connection. The WDP method of operating dual locomotives involves the electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake system. Typically, freight trains running with ECP braking are incredibly long: more than 100 freight cars (or wagons in Australia) in length. The fast reaction time of electronic brake valves provides the train engineer (train drivers in Australia) a far quicker and more responsive brake than typical pneumatically-operated brake valves. This results in smoother train handling. It is common for ECP-equipped trains to run the WDP system along the same electrical cable system that is installed on every locomotive and wagon to operate the ECP system. But Watco Rail’s new GrainCorp freight service is only moving a maximum of forty-two freight wagons at any given time. This means installing and using an ECP brake system with WDP wouldn’t offer much of an advantage. But our customer wanted the same responsiveness, without the significant overhead costs. “That’s why our team put in the extra effort to install a pure WDP system for Watco’s newest Australian customer,” said Cameron Swaine, Watco Australia Vice President of Maintenance and Rolling Stock. “This feature helps GrainCorp achieve faster load and train turnaround times at several key strategic load sites in Queensland.” For this new system to become a reality, Watco worked closely with locomotive manufacturer National Rail Equipment, who collaborated with Wabtec Corporation, to develop a unique WDP that could operate without expensive ECP components fitted to either the locomotives or wagons. The result of this collaboration has enabled Watco to meet the customer’s particular needs while keeping the costs of these new train sets within the budget requirements.
July 2021 | The Dispatch 7
Watco Teams Rock Mid-States Partnership
Under the rolling hills in southeastern Kansas lies some of the best construction-grade limestone in the region. To take advantage of this natural deposit, Mid-States Materials, an aggregate producer, opened the Grand Summit quarry near the small town of Grenola. Once the rock was excavated, they faced the challenge of finding an economic way to get their product to market. Fortunately, Watco’s South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL) runs right next to the quarry and has decades of experience hauling aggregates from this area. Mid-States Materials and Watco formed a partnership to construct a new siding at the quarry, find a fleet of railcars to carry the limestone, and get the rock to market. “The good, construction-grade limestone rock in Kansas is located in the eastern part of the state,” said Chad Hasler, Mid-States Materials Sales. “It’s more durable than the limestone in central and western Kansas. Normally, we’d haul this by truck, but that’s only economically feasible for 30 to 60 miles. So, we began working with Watco to get it on the rail.”
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A lot needed to happen before the rock could start moving. The Watco Sales team worked with MidStates to determine the volume that would be moved and coordinated with the SKOL to ensure they could handle the added volume. From there, Watco’s Design and Development team worked with the customer to plan the construction of the siding coming off the SKOL’s main line. They decided on two tracks, each long enough to hold 25 railcars. Additionally, they also needed to locate a place nearer Mid-States’ customers to the west to unload and store the rock. A second siding and storage yard were designed and built along Watco’s Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO) in Ness City. Watco’s Fleet Management team provided the final piece of the puzzle by securing a fleet of 50 gondolas to haul the limestone. “One of the biggest challenges we faced at (Grenola) was the terrain,” said Watco Senior Trainmaster Robert Balzer. “That’s on the Grand Summit, one of the steepest railroad grades in Kansas. Once we got that figured out, we worked with the customer to get the siding built, add their fleet to the SKOL, and develop an operating plan. We always want to work with customers to grow their business and bring new customers online.” Multiple Watco teams worked together to bring this new customer to Watco, and it’s been beneficial for all parties. Mid-States was able to economically grow their business in new markets, the SKOL and KO increased their volume. And Watco is shipping maintenance of way rock from the quarry as well. Their fleet makes the round trip about once each month. “By utilizing the rail to bring rock into the part of the state that doesn’t have the material they need, it saves our customers money and helps us grow in that market,” said Hasler. “We’re excited to be using Watco to move material. It’s been a good deal for both of us.
July 2021 | The Dispatch 9
Watco Shirt Sales Benefit Honor Flight
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Watco Shirt Sales Benefit Honor Flight On Independence Day, U.S. citizens celebrate freedom. That freedom has been protected throughout the years by many men and women in the military. Although we can never repay them for their sacrifices, we at Watco try to find ways to support our veterans. One project is our annual Independence Day T-shirt fundraiser. Watco offers a unique tee to commemorate the holiday, with the proceeds from the sales benefiting an organization supporting military veterans. This year, Watco selected the Honor Flight Network as the beneficiary of the sales. The Honor Flight Network provides military veterans with an all-expenses-paid trip to visit the memorials in Washington, D.C. It allows them to share the trip with other veterans, reminisce about their time in the military, and honor the comrades they lost. Vietnam Veteran Leonard Urban, originally from Topeka, Kansas, and now living in the Kansas City metro area, was able to go on an Honor Flight through the organization’s Honor Flight of Kansas City, Missouri, and was amazed by the crowds of people that welcomed the veterans with cheers and thanks wherever they would go. “While on the Honor Flight in May 2017, I felt rewarded for my service in the U.S. Navy (1964-1968). I was overwhelmed at the kindness and consideration of all who took part,” said Urban. “I enjoyed becoming acquainted with the other veterans on the flight. It was nice to share our military experiences. It was certainly a day I will never forget.” Thanks to all the Watco team members and others, who ordered a total of 877 T-shirts, which resulted in a $4,595 donation to the Honor Flight Network. “On behalf of the Honor Flight Network, thank you to all of the wonderful Watco employees who supported our nation’s veterans via the shirt sales,” said Carol Harlow, Honor Flight Network Chief Communications Officer. “We hope everyone will consider reaching out to the veterans in their life and encourage them to participate in an upcoming Honor Flight. They can find the hub closest to them by clicking on ‘Regional Hubs’ at honorflight.org”.
July 2021 | The Dispatch 11
Glendale Team Puts Its Backbone Into Spine Project
At Watco, we like to solve customers’ supply chain challenges. A few weeks ago, a big accomplishment was successfully wrangling 27 massive steel bridge girders in Glendale, Arizona. The Arizona Department of Transportation is replacing an aging bridge on an interstate highway south of downtown Phoenix. At Watco’s nearby Glendale Transload Terminal, the team unloaded and stored the continuous-welded steel plate girders, each about 80 feet long and weighing up to 15 tons, and later delivered them to the job site. General Manager Robert Martinez said the Glendale team was called upon for this project because they’d done a similar project for another customer. “I think it has a lot to do with how long the team has been here in Glendale and our level of experience,” he said. “It takes special skills to handle beams that weigh that much and are that long.” The busy Interstate 17 bridge over Central Avenue carries an average of about 125,000 vehicles daily. The bridge update is part of a broader, long-term transportation plan involving a 31-mile corridor that’s considered a primary passageway for regional traffic. Known as the “Spine,” the corridor handles
12 The Dispatch | July 2021
more than 40 percent of the region’s daily freeway traffic. In April, BNSF delivered the beams to the Glendale facility. Foreman Antenogenes Barajas and Operator Esteban Hernandez used a 36,000-lb.-capacity Hyster forklift to unload the girders to the ground for storage and later onto three extendable flatbed trailers for delivery. In typical Watco fashion, the Glendale team got creative and modified their extended stretch trailers to better balance the lengthy beams. “Toward the front and back end (of the trailers), there’s a ridge,” Martinez explained, “and we had to build special boards to get the load to stay level.” From May 26 to June 10, drivers Ivan Ferrin and Joe Sandoval made 27 individual girder deliveries to the job site – at night in order to minimize any disruption to traffic flow. The new construction will extend clearance on the bridge, built in 1962, by just over 2 feet to a national design standard of 16 feet. In addition, the construction will accommodate a future extension of the area’s light rail system under the interstate and contribute to future plans for widening I-17.
Team Member Anniversaries Congratulations to the following team members celebrating July anniversaries:
1 Year: Austin Bridges, Jeremy Card, Jake Carey, Carlyn Carpenter, Ellison Champagne, Raymond Cotterill, Steven Cottom, Darrell Crumpton, Steven Eaves, Nicholas Goodin, Michael Harper II, Larry Hendrix, Jason Loden, Kevin Mahan, Martin Martinez, Jason Norris, Zachary Oakes, Dustin Parrish, Khaley Peveto, Eric Reed, Christopher Riddle, Richard Rowsey, Justin Shannon, Bradly Shobert, Howard Wilkerson, Berkley Williams, Dennis Wysocki
2 Years: Mustafa Adam, Zachary Baden, Andrew Bearden, Ruben Benavides, Juan Benitez Torres, Nicholas Brown, Richard Bryant-Torres, Aaron Burfeind, Aquil Carter, Caitlin Chiartano, Francis Condrick, Austin Cooley, Rasul Cunningham, Anthony DeLorenzo, Fausto Diaz, Ashley Durrett, Lashawna Estenson, Andrew Frank, Caden Fritz, Steve Frye, Michael Garcia, James George, Brandon Glover, Ramiro Gomez, Elie Gonzalez, Walter Gooden II, Joshua Grimmer, Joseluis Guevara, Adrian Hackett, Daniel Hogan, Darrell Huffman, Steven Iszler, Tyrone Jackson, Hamidreza Jadali, Tera Jameson, Jabori Johnson, Sean Katon, Troy Kutella, Donald Leland, Trey
Mccall, Courtney Norris, Steven
Ricky Davis, Erick Diouf, Joseph
Olsen, Marcus Olvera, Dale Pape,
Donaruma, Adrian Ferrer, Daniel
Brandon Pearson, Nicklas Perry,
Flynn, Eddy Graham, Dlonte
Isaiah Pesina, Edgardo Ponce,
Hare, Cody Harmon, Robert
Amie Proudfit, Kaytee Reed,
Hemingway, Debbie James,
Clemente Renteria, James Rice,
Susan Karpyak, Brandon Kennedy,
Joseph Sanchez, Joshua Suppan,
Aaron Klosterman, Travis Lowder,
Larry Swanson, Joshua Thomas,
Jacob McCafferty, Shonta
Caleb Ussery, Jose Valentin, Jordin
Moore, Laura Peterson, Timothy
Valentin Ramirez, Evan Walker,
Pillsworth, Nathan Powell, Dagen
Khalil Williams, Devin Wisdom,
Reel, Benjamin Saenz, Philip
Richard Womble,
Smalley, Joshua Strickland,
Alexis Worthington
Patrick Swann, Desmond Taylor,
3 Years: Nabeel Alawi, Veronica
Steven Thompson, Brian White
Briseno, Rolvin Colon Morales,
5 Years: Pedro Barron, Wesley
Anna Conners-Williams, Ever
Branham, Steven Brant, Michele
Cornejo, Len Crescenzo, Kyle
Briones, Dwight Buckholt,
Cunningham, Christopher
Matthew Budda, Brandon Burlew,
Curtis, Scott Daniel, Anthony
Sean Cochran, Kolby DeBerry,
Eaton, Tommy Elinburg, Stephen
John Escobar, Carl Foster, Aaron
Goodling, Ada Hill, Jonathan
Freeland, Charles Hamilton,
James, Alan Keneipp, Josh
Tommy Holmes, Jeffrey Infinger,
Kimery, Cody Larson, Jesse
Charles Lee, Dustin McClanahan,
Loyd, Christopher Mayers,
Herbert McKinney, Cameron
Lemar McConnell, Michael
Mckinstry, Wellington Murdock,
Mercurio, Robert Murphy,
Keith Myles, Keith Pittman,
April-Asako Nakatani, Guadalupe
Zachary Ross, Brien Runyon,
Olvera, Brian Pillsworth, Pamela
Charles Snyder, Joshua Tarwater,
Ridenour, Lawrence Rizzo, Ryan
Jordon Taylor, Alan West,
Schwartz, Kellen See, Francisco
Sarah Wingard
Silva, Preston Spencer, Matthew
6 Years: Justin Avey, Gregory
Testerman, Jeffrey Thamer, Felipe Vega-Cervantes
4 Years: Joshua Ahrens,
Barnett, Jerson Barrios, Cody Bell, Zachary Bickley, Deena Christopher, Christopher
Robert Arney, Bradley Baehr,
Crumpton, Cameron Gonzales,
Loya, Nickolas Manson, Caleb
Susan Brooks, Anna Chatmon,
Brad Hamlin, Gene Hernandez,
Matson, Richard Mazard, Tyler
Christopher Cline, Jared Costello,
Gerald Kattner, Noah Lucero,
July 2021 | The Dispatch 13
Team Member Anniversaries
Edward McGuire, Heriberto
Burks, Douglas Hicks, Casey Irvan,
Mendoza, Kaileb Rose, Myra
Jacob McCullough, Ronald Miller,
Shumate, Christopher Smith,
Freddie Rainey, Melissa Rains,
Andrew Trevett, Morgan Westhoff
Jose Rodriguez, Stacy Swinford,
7 Years: Justin Ayala, Bret
Kaleigh Walker
18 Years: Beau Embrey, Royce Price
19 Years: Douglas Tank 20 Years: Donn Duling,
Burright, George Cabrera,
11 Years: Gary Alms, Joseph
James Carnes, Darl Farris, Raul
Bristow, Brian Cosby, Joe Fells,
Lois Ziesenis
Gonzalez, Jeffrey Linville, Brittany
Matthew Hutcheson, Patrick
Mays, Carlton Moody, Thomas
Kinney, Crystal Lancaster,
22 Years: Derek Damesworth,
Nicholson, Brock Parham, Lynda
Stefan Loeb, Andrew Mitchell,
Patterson, Angel Pequeno,
Tammy Springer
James Welch
12 Years: Ryan Corder, Matthew
8 Years: Brenda Antle,
Jackson, Amanda Pequin, Sherrell
Christopher Bauder, Alan
Ramey, Gary Wagenseller
Beggs, Luis Del Rosario, John
13 Years: Susan Blake, Garrett
Gronberg, Nathan Holmes, Kevin Kaczmarek, Jacob Kleckner, Jacob Lipinski, David McCloud, Ruben Powell, William
Bolyard, Carla Ewing, Ty Fuller, Timothy O’Shell
14 Years: Tandi Colibert, Bobby
Richardson, Cody Rickman, Dane
McFadden, Michael Milligan,
Rowe, Toni Scroggins, Dimitri
Travis Thorpe, Jeremiah Williams
Sepulvado, Bryan Waldon,
15 Years: Martin Gutierrez,
David Wastak, Drew White,
Jeffrey Schroeder,
Robert Hasheider
23 Years: Scott Rudolph 24 Years: Joseph Bennett, James Peck
26 Years: Bryan Brooks, Carlton Echols, James Riley
27 Years: Harold Cornelius, Raymond Gray
28 Years: Tona Townzen 29 Years: Joseph Leport 30 Years: Jeffrey Adams,
Billy Williams, Tyler Wilson
Kyle Jeschke, Matthew Lewis,
9 Years: 9 Years: Dustin Bain,
Jennifer Muckala, Diana Peak, Sambo Sam, Kenneth Tober,
Jean Dor, Kenneth Flanders,
32 Years: Donald Dowlin,
Jeremy Tyler
Timothy Sanchez
Thomas Glover, Lucinda Grimes,
16 Years: Antenogenes
35 Years: David Bierman 36 Years: Daniel Ebarb,
Henry Howard, Ronnie Jackson, Wayne Matthews, Joeylee May, Michael McAllister, Jeffrey Pacheco, David Pacholski, Ronald Perkins, Charles Schilling, Andra Stouffer, Charles Teeters, Joe Via
10 Years: Joe Araujo, Bryan Barney, John Brown, Reginald
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Barajas, Sammy Belmer, Mitchell Hood, Cornelius Jones, Colby Jordan, Michael Redden, Bridget Smith
17 Years: Laura Bolt, Bradley Bowden
Richard Mansfield
Calvin Everson, Stephen Thornton, Jeff VanBuren
38 Years: Mark Blazer
New Arrivals
Waylen Jade Dunsworth Tyler and Holly Dunsworth announce the birth of their daughter, Waylen Jade Dunsworth, born May 17, 2021. Waylen weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces, and was 20 inches long. She was welcomed home by her brothers Ty, 16, Aiden, 5, and Hazen, 4. Tyler is the General Manager of the Elwood Joliet & Southern Railroad in Illinios.
To submit your new arrival send a photo and information to marketing@watco.com
Students Tour Railroad Museum Students from the Labette County (Kansas) Schools
Rail safety isn’t just for Watco team members. We
summer program recently toured Southeast
want to ensure the safety of the communities we
Kansas to learn about the history of the area.
operate in as well, and thanks to these volunteers
Railroads played a pivotal role in that history, so
and Heart of the Heartlands, these young people
more than 100 elementary through high school
are well on their way.
students visited the Heart of the Heartlands Museum in Carona, Kan., this month. Before ringing the bell on the Kansas City Southern 1023 steam locomotive and touring the restored depot buildings, students received a rail safety briefing from two Watco team members. Storage Coordinator Joely Gath and Social Media and Digital Communications Specialist Jay Benedict are Operation Lifesaver (OLI) volunteers. They spoke with the students about how to safely behave around railroad tracks.
July 2021 | The Dispatch 15
