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Elwood Joliet Southern Railroad Begins Chicago Area Operations
For some, Elwood and Joliet Jake bring to mind “The Blues Brothers.” But at Watco the names represent the newest short line, the Elwood Joliet & Southern Railroad (EJSR), which started operations on October 28. The rail line is less than 3 miles from the Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, Illinois, where “The Blues Brothers” movie starts out.
EJSR General Manager Tyler Dunsworth said, “We went out and met with the customers to find out what their needs and expectations were, so the transition was a smooth one. We look forward to serving them and growing the business.”
The four customers on the line include a chemical blending company, a grain transloader, a scrap metal business, and a sodium carbonate provider. In addition to serving the four customers along the approximately 2-mile line, the team will also be serving an adjoining storage and transit (SIT) yard that Watco purchased.
The 39-acre SIT yard will serve customers needing forward storage of crucial plastic, chemical, and other bulk inventory with effective access to the extensive Chicago rail network. The yard currently holds approximately 500 cars and will have room to accommodate more as upgrades are made to the site. Although forward-thinking in its business model, the line also gives a nod to its history with the tag, “The Phoenix Line,” under the logo. The reference is to the Phoenix Horse Shoe Company, which the line served back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The EJSR team might not be on “a mission from God,” like the Jake and Elwood characters, but they are looking forward to delivering safe, efficient service to our new customers, helping them grow their businesses, and providing critical storage capacity in Chicagoland.
