New Short Lines Begin Operations
The first trains on Watco’s Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System (FOXY), the Grand Elk Railroad’s (GDLK) upper Michigan line, and the Agawa Canyon Railroad (ACR) made their maiden journeys without a hitch. In the days leading up to the launch of operations, teams were warned about below-zero temperatures that were predicted at startup. The temperatures ranged between 1° and 19° in Wisconsin as operations got under way for the FOXY, and it turned out to be a bit warmer for the ACR. Watco officially began operations on the FOXY at 12:01 a.m. January 29. About six hours later, a local switching crew was lining up cars in CN’s Wausau Yard for the journey outbound, with stops at several customer locations on the lines north of Wausau. “Things went very well that first day,” said Jason Danz, who’s no stranger to the cold or Wisconsin. He moved from Watco’s Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (KO) to become general manager of the FOXY, but prior to his KO stint was at the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR). “But most of all I want to thank everyone who assisted in making the startup run so smooth. We couldn’t have done it without all of the help and support of the Watco team.” The FOXY lines are one part of over 900 miles of track Watco purchased from CN in the U.S. and Canada. The Surface Transportation Board gave Watco regulatory approval in late December on the U.S. portion of the acquisition. The deal closed January 28. U.S. operations began January 29, and Canadian operations began February 1. The acquisition includes roughly 660 miles of active track serving more than 100 customers. Four Watco railroads are owner-operators of the acquired trackage: 4 The Dispatch | February 2022
