3 minute read
WSOR Grows with Longtime Customer
The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) recently helped a longtime customer restore rail service to a facility that hadn’t shipped a railcar in nearly two decades.
The cannery last received rail service in 2006, and the previous owner shuttered the plant in 2019. Seneca Foods purchased the facility in early 2020. COVID, new construction, and track rehabilitation pushed the startup date to 2024, and the WSOR spotted its first boxcars on June 13. This is now the fifth Seneca Foods location served by the WSOR.
“Seneca always invests a lot in their facilities,” said Sales Director Brad Peot. “They built a new warehouse adjacent to the cannery and rehabilitated the entire siding themselves. Eighteen years of neglect meant it took significant investment to bring the rail back online.”
The cannery is in Cambria, Wisconsin, and its siding can hold two to three boxcars. Despite the relatively short length, bringing the track back to life required plenty of work. A drainage pipe and fiber optic line had been added to the right of way in the 18 years it sat unused. The track had to be moved over, and Seneca and the WSOR had to work with the telecommunications company to move the line to ensure locomotives had enough clearance overhead. Additionally, a grade crossing leading into the plant needed repairs and additional protections before being placed back into service.
“The WSOR agreed to maintain the crossing going forward if Seneca agreed to cover the costs up front,” Peot said. “Our roadmaster inspected the improvements to make sure everything was safe, and our operations and fleet teams worked with the customer to set the service schedule and secure equipment.”
This location primarily ships canned green beans, corn, and peas on pallets in boxcars. They expect to average three to four cars per week. Equipment Coordinator Drew Martin helps manage the WSOR’s fleet of railcars for customers. He says it takes a lot to ensure customers have a steady stream of cars.
“First, we have to look at the customer’s loading docks to make sure we send them the right cars,” Martin said. “They tell us how many and how often they need cars. We look at what’s available in our fleet, calculate round-trip transit times, and allocate cars as needed from the pool.”
It takes several teams working together to bring a new facility online, even when it’s a customer with a long history with Watco. Sales, operations, fleet, engineering, and others all collaborate with the customer to provide the right service.
“Seneca Foods is a customer we’ve worked with for many years,” Peot said. “If they want to add to their shipping volume, we’re eager to make that happen. When our customers grow, we grow. I think that’s what differentiates Watco. The annual volume could be 1,000 cars or 100. We have local people who want to work with our customers to find the right solution that benefits everyone. These numbers add up and make us all more successful.”
