The
Dispatch The newsletter for Watco Companies
February 2021
Table of Contents Winter Freeze 2020-2021 ___________________________________________________________________________ 4-5 Watco Welcomes the Dutchtown Southern Railroad __________________________________________________ 6 Brought to You by Watco: Your Super Bowl Bash _______________________________________________________7 Team Member Anniversaries ________________________________________________________________________ 8-9 New Arrivals _________________________________________________________________________________________ 10
Highlights
On the Cover
We have new railroad stickers! Get yours at watcogear.com. Supplies and deliveries may be slower due to COVID.
On the cover: The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad rolls across the Rock River bridge in Edgerton, Wisconsin, with military vehicles in tow. Photo by Evan Holiday
More great news: Starting Feb. 1, all Watco team members will have flat-rate shipping of only $5 on all orders placed on the Watco Gear site! 2 The Dispatch | February 2021
Safety Anniversaries January 1: Wallula Switching (OR) – 3 years January 1: Plaster City Switching (CA) – 2 years January 1: Houston Liquids Terminal (TX) – 9 years January 1: Bogalusa Bayou Railroad (LA) – 6 years January 2: San Antonio Railroad (TX) – 9 years January 14: Great Bend Wind Energy (KS) – 1 year January 15: Deer Park Switching (TX) – 11 years January 16: Jacksonville Repair and Maintenance Shop (FL) – 1 year January 22: Nitro Transload Terminal (WV) – 1 year January 23: El Dorado Switching (AR) – 14 years January 29: Omaha Transload Terminal (NE) – 3 years January 30: Tioga Dedicated Terminal (ND) – 1 year
Safely Improve Every Day
February 2021 | The Dispatch 3
The Watco safety team has selected the first nine Winter Freeze safety award winners. Thanks to all of these team members for recognizing these hazards and taking preventative action before they became incidents.
CARLOS BARNES Railcar Coordinator Location: Junction City, Kansas, Mechanical Repair Shop Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: Barnes identified the steps on his forklift had worn smooth from years of use. The team inspected other equipment and found similar conditions. Solution: All the affected steps were covered with anti-skid tape, easily eliminating the potential hazard. RICHARD BURNS Railcar Repairman Location: Dallas, Texas, Mobile Mechanical Repair Shop Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: Burns prevented a possible derailment after he noticed a railcar (not in line for inspection) that looked unusual. The team found the race of a bearing was badly damaged.
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Solution: The situation was reported to the customer before the train could depart. DAVID GARCIE Railcar Repairman Location: Zwolle, Louisiana, Mechanical Repair Shop Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Garcie used his stop work authority after smelling gas as he walked past a team member who was using a cutting torch on a gas line. Upon inspection, it was found a small hole had been burnt in the line. Solution: The line was replaced, and the team will inspect lines before, during, and after use. ZACH OVERSTREET Lead Operator Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Transload Terminal Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: Overstreet was unloading a fly ash car using a conveyor and railcar vibrator when he noticed the vibrations were causing the railcar’s handbrake to release, which
could have caused a rollaway. He stopped work, secured the brake, and notified his manager. Solution: The team implemented procedures to check securement during this type of operation. TY FULLER Operator Location: Port Arthur, Texas, Dedicated Terminal Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: Fuller stopped work when he noticed a drain valve on its planetary swing gear wasn’t fully closed. His action prevented the gearbox fluid from draining, which could have caused equipment damage. Environmental contamination of the waterway would have resulted in significant cleanup costs and remediation. Solution: The value was fully closed before operations resumed. TODD CALLAHAN, Conductor Location: South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Coffeyville, Kansas
noticed that there was limited visibility due to material placed near crossings, blocking the view of approaching trains and crossing users. Solution: The team now takes extra precautions in the area and are working with the customer to move the material permanently. JOSH ROY Conductor Location: Greens Port Industrial Terminals (GPIT), Houston, Texas Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: While switching customers, Roy saw that a concrete material
containment barrier had shifted and was fouling the track.
Solution: The rail team worked with our customer and GPIT to move the barrier and material away from the track and secured the barriers. Congratulations to each of these team members for reporting their observations to their supervisors, who worked with them to rectify the issues and submit their good catches to the Watco safety team. The winners have received safety bonuses for their efforts.
Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: While switching cars, Callahan recognized a close-clearance hazard, which could result in a potential catastrophic injury if a team member were to ride on the wrong side of the car. Solution: The leadership team will formalize the warning in the timetable, so all conductors and switchmen are aware of this hazard going forward. Close-clearance signs will be also be placed at the site. NICK BROWN Conductor Location: Wisconsin Rapids Switching, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: When exiting a customer’s facility, Brown February 2021 | The Dispatch 5
Watco Welcomes the Dutchtown Southern Railroad Watco welcomed its newest short line, the Dutchtown Southern Railroad (DUSR), to the family on January 16. The railroad is the fifth Watco line to operate in the state of Louisiana and is located in Geismar, approximately 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge. The railroad gets its name from Geismar’s highly ranked Dutchtown High School, which is also known for producing NFL- caliber football players. The 1.9-mile industry lead interchanges with the Canadian National Railway, and 10 team members provide service to eight customers. The road primarily serves the chemical and plastics industries, and Dutch Town operations run 24 hours a day, seven days HWY-74 a week.
LOUISIANA
General Manager Brit Sonnier said, “Startup went smooth, there were no issues, and we continue to get better every day as we improve communications. We have experienced team members who work hard and are a good fit.”
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LOUISIANA
Brought to You by Watco: Your Super Bowl Bash
So you and your social bubble are having a small Super Bowl gathering? Well, look what Watco is bringing! Watco is the proud transporter of many of the essential ingredients that will go into the February 7 festivities. • So glad the nachos arrived. Well, you can’t have nachos without tortilla chips, and you can thank the Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad, Mississippi Southern Railroad, and the Alabama Southern Railroad among the railroads who are transporting the corn that finds its way into the chips. • Oooh, those loaded potato skins! They bring to mind the Eastern Idaho Railroad (EIRR)hauling all those spuds, and even contributing to the cheese on top. • Somebody showed up with beer or wine? Could be because railroads like the EIRR, Blue Ridge Southern, Kaw River (KAW), Wisconsin & Southern (WSOR), and Boise Valley among others made sure the wine, malt, and brewers grains made it where they needed to be. • When it comes to pizza, the KAW is in the mix. So is the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, the Stillwater Central Railroad, the Ann Arbor, the Grand Elk, and several other railroads. These transporters of wheat flour and custom flours help make the crust happen. If you pulled a pizza out of the freezer, then it’s three cheers for the WSOR, a deliverer of sauce for frozen pizza. • Buffalo, barbecue, spicy or mild – Those wings come from chickens that thrived on feed and additives carried on railroads like the Arkansas Southern Railroad and handled at the St. Louis Gateway Transload Terminal. That’s just a small taste of some of the Super Bowl foods and beverages that Watco plays a part in. Watco’s role isn’t limited to what’s on the menu, either. When it comes to moving some of the televisions that bring the big game into your home, Watco Logistics can claim some credit. We could keep going, but you get the picture. As you enjoy Sunday’s championship, whether you’re pulling for the Chiefs or the Buccaneers, you can definitely root for Team Watco.
Team Member Anniversaries Congratulations to the following team members celebrating February anniversaries:
1 Year: Tyler Baehr, Tristan
3 Years: Shannon Colon,
Bellows, Donnie Castro, Dereck
Jason Currence, Audley Elder,
Clabough, Loyd Clayton Jr,
Rodney Foster, Eric Franco-
Malachi Cousin, Jeffrey Dambro,
Velez, Tony Garner, Tyler Gilbert,
Tristen Dunahoo, Jeremy
Derek Good, Adam Gray, Ashley
Eldridge, Jesse Fitzgerald, Frank
Hood, Brian Kelley, Peyton
Ford, Luke Gard, Edgar Gaytan,
King, Matthew Machell, Mary
Jacob Goodrich, Tavareous
McDuffie, Nathanael Riddle,
Haley, Cullen Hare, Bryan Hatley,
Daniel Roberson, Jacob Roll,
Michael Hoover, Chad Horne,
Jeremy Schwarzhuber, Brandon
Charles Jarmon, Darla Jones,
Tyler, Mariano Uribe, Jennifer
Joseph Lollar, Christopher Loven,
Vasquez, Kristiana Walker, Stanley
Austin Malone, Lee Martin,
Whitaker, Douglas Williams,
Aaron Mclendon, Benjamin
Dexter Wilson
Mendoza, Jalen Merrell, Kenneth
4 Years: Rockwell Aiken, William
Murphy, Justin Park, Brent Pavick, Jose Perez, Jordan Porter, Matthew Rengel, Charles Riley, Carlos Rocha, Alex Rodriguez, Scott Sears, Braedon Sheffer, Doris Sorto, Brooke Soukup, Karyn Lachay Thomas, Joshua Vandersluis, Archie Watts, Khristian Westbrook, Dylan Wiebe, Linda Willis, Joshua Wilson, Nathan Wilson, Wade Wynn
2 Years: Juan Bermudez, Daniel Biewer, Brent Blaha, Nigel Budhan, Gabriela Camacho, David Carney, Loston Carter, Logan Choate, Aaron Day, Robert DeBlanc, Edgar Delorenzo, Dominic Diosdado, Melissa Fields, Tanner Ford, Dallas
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Bailey, David Blanchard, Andrew Ermler, Curtis Holbrook, Jerry Jones, Luis Leonard, Shawn Lindquist, Reynaldo Lobo Guardado, Kenneth McKenzie, Gunnar Miesner, John Moser, Rose Oljace, Steven Roland, Michael Samples, Frederick Sanchez, Brent Shields, Sean Strong, Jennifer Thayn, Brady Trappe, Teressa Villarreal, Joseph Wendt, Dustin Wybrant
5 Years: Armando Albor
Ledesma, Christopher Bollin, Phillip Borresen, Tyler Burke, Kevin Byrd, John Cuevas, Daniel Czar, Juan DeLaCerda, Jarmain Drake, Se’Cortney Gardner, Daniel Lemon, Perry Lunsford, Shane Morris, Caroline Spurrier, Mike Sullivan, John Weber
6 Years: Kevin Abbott, Derek
Anderson, Bradley Bridges, Trevor Jones, Steven Kimball, Christopher Klevenberg, Shawn MacWilliams, Eliel Morales, Edwin Rial, Sneha Shah, Jonathon Trusler, Sandra Williamson
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Years: Michael Chew, Patrick Flower, John Foster, Jesse Hatch, Sean Hayden, Chris King, Jeffrey Lien, Gregory Lockhart, Dee Mitchell, Cory Montoya, Odea Nowden, Zachary Overstreet
8 Years: Brent Aycock, Steven
Coltrin, Steven Coomes, Seth Creason, Michael DeLaney, Travis Gathagan, Michael McMillan, Jeffrey Nugent, Michael O’Connell, Derek Prestholt, Gregory Sherman, Michael Shoemaker, Misael Vazquez, Melissa Winebrenner
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Years: Michael Brinkerhoff, Erin Flocchini, Martin Mandujano, Jacinto Mendez, Matthew Morrison, Sabrina Mounts, Drew Otto, Stephanie Rich, April Rose, Chad Shaffer, Timothy Sharitt, Matt Spade, Tyler Stapleton, Jeffery Summers, Chris Wright
10 Years: Kevin Dean, Charley
Dohle, Josh Gwillim, Scott Reeves, Michael Schaffer, Joshua Smiley, Joseph Smith, Danny Spangler, William Watts, Willis Whitaker
Team Member Anniversaries
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Years: Freeman Harrison, Robert Johnson, Jose Reyes
12 Years: Lawrence Fix, Mark
Leicht, Johnny Lima, Veronica Martinez, Ronald Whitewater
13
Years: Ben Coward, Brian Ezell, Ty Furgason, David Riggs, Francisco Rivera, Frederico Romero, Robert Smith, Danny Thomas
16 Years: Douglas Fleming, Matthew Hinojosa, Gregory Lovelace, Howard Verner
17 Years: Brandon Otter, George Villa
18 Years: Gary Goodwin 19 Years: Sara Hanson, Monica Kellin
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14 Years: Robert Balzer, Jeffery
Years: Serafin Contreras, Kevin Schoenhofer, Robert Stewart
15 Years: Michael Lewis,
Years: James Andrews, Steven Bringer, David Terry
Denton, Albert Glenn, Andres Lachino, AJ Mee, Derek Nymano
Daniel Reeves, Joseph Reid, John Scheehle
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24 Years: Robert Williams 25 Years: John Henderson,
Michael Manion, Troy Tracy
26 Years: Michael Sebecic 27 Years: Rodney Hamiltonf 28 Years: Mark Hoskinson 33 Years: Steven Caudle 34 Years: John Everson,
Theodis McClain
35 Years: Kenneth Joyce 41 Years: Geron Crotwell
22 Years: Thomas Shirey
Watco Scholarship Applications Available Open to dependents of Watco team members Watco is pleased to announce its Scholarship Program is now open for applications. The scholarship will be available to dependents of Watco team members. The recipient must be in good academic standing and planning to attend a post-secondary institution within one year following high school graduation. Scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $500 each and will be issued in two $250 disbursements for the first two semesters of college and will be credited to the recipients account at the financial aid office of the college of their choosing. The number of scholarships awarded will be determined by the number of applicants with a minimum of two awarded per year. Use this link to download a scholarship application and when completed, please submit your application to watcogives@watco.com or mail it to: Watco Attn: Scholarship Committee 315 West 3rd Street Pittsburg, KS 66762 Applications need to be submitted no later than March 31, 2021. A committee will review all applications and the winner(s) will be notified and announced in the June issue of The Dispatch.
February 2021 | The Dispatch 9
New Arrivals
Greysen Lucas Laren Denis and Lexi Laren announce the birth of their son, Greysen Lucas Laren, born on January 15, 2021. Greysen weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. Denis is a Crane Operator at the Southwest Brooklyn MTS Dedicated Terminal.
Mason Edward Gray Michael and Ashley Gray announce the birth of their son, Mason Edward Gray, born on January 4, 2021. Mason weighed 7 pounds, 15.6 ounces, and was 21.5 inches long. Mason was welcomed home by his sisters Hannah, 16, Hailey, 13, and Becca, 6. Michael is an Associate General Counsel and works out of the Pittsburg, Kansas, office.
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