theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express"...

6
It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. e excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same name, takes passengers from the Bristow, Oklahoma, depot on a magi- cal hour-long train ride to meet Santa at the North Pole. Passengers, not just the kids, don their pajamas and robes for the special holiday ride and are treated to a reading of the holiday story. Along with the reading, danc- ing chefs serve cookies and coco to all on board. ere will be a total of 29 "Polar Express" rides which started on No- vember 22nd and will be continuing on until December 28th. e Eastern Flyer is bringing the "Polar Express" to Oklahoma and the cars are pulled by Watco's Stillwater Central (SLWC) locomotives. e trains will run on the rails of the SLWC. Many of the weekend trips are sold out but there are still seats available. e Eastern Flyer ran excursion trains early in the year to gauge the interest of the communities in passenger rail and the rides sold out within a few days. Dispatch the The newsleer for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportaon Services, LLC December 2014, Volume 15, Issue 12 by Stefan Loeb Senior Vice President, Markeing & Strategic Planning On Saturday November 8, the City of Hartford, Wisconsin, was treated with the presence of two distinguished guests; Santa Claus and his special 101 year- old sleigh. e sleigh in this case took the form of restored Soo Line steam locomotive number 1003. e event took place on Wisconsin and Southern Railroad's main- line through town with several WSOR Team- mates assisting Santa in mak- ing this event so special. Preserved by the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association in Hartford, 1003 and its consist of cabooses, one filled with elves and the other with Santa, greeted visitors in advance of the city’s annual Holiday Parade shared with the city of Slinger. Burt Mall of the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association reported that the event was a tremendous success hosting over 600 children and parents in only three hours of display – a new record for attendees for a 1003 led Santa train. Young revelers were not only able to meet Santa, but were also rewarded with delicious candy cane treats. Mall and his team spent months preparing 1003 for service. e locomotive, a 2-8-2 Mikado type, was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1913. In celebration of the locomotive’s 100th birthday, the team performed dozens of duties to get the locomotive under steam again including running gear inspection and repair, air compressor valve repair, in- spection of axle brasses, as well as inserting a new electric dynamo, GPS speedometer and other modern day equipment to allow 1003 to run in today’s railroad environ- ment. Don Pingel, WSOR road foreman of engines, said that the WSOR was honored to help with the event and to provide the communities of Hartford and Slinger something special for the holiday season. Indeed, the presence of the 1003 under steam, as well as the special red and white clad guest from the North, provided plenty of excite- ment for young and old alike! e Santa train could not have been made possible without the seven enthusiastic sponsors for the event that included WSOR/Watco Com- panies, Hartford Finishing Inc., DJS Manufactur- ing, Laufer Trucking, Helgeson, Scoop DeVille, Don Crego DDS from Slinger, and the AmericInn Hotel of Hartford. And of course we cannot forget the tremendous efforts of Burt Mall and his team at the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association for restoring and caring for the 1003. Wisconsin Santa Train provides early Christmas Cheer Santa made a special visit to the City of Hartford, Wiscon- sin, in caboose pulled by a 101 year-old steam engine. Photo by Don Pingel Restored Soo Line steam locomotive number 1003 brought a special guest, Santa, to Hartford, Wisconsin, on November 8th. Photo by Don Pingel Oklahomans excited to board the "Polar Express" Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb spoke to the crowd in Bristow before the "Polar Express" leſt the depot on its first trip. Top right photo: Santa and one of his elves visit with a pas- senger on the "Polar Express". Bottom photo: ree of the dancing chefs on the "Polar Express" show off their cookies before they start their show.

Transcript of theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express"...

Page 1: theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same

It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same

name, takes passengers from the Bristow, Oklahoma, depot on a magi-cal hour-long train ride to meet Santa at the North Pole. Passengers, not just the kids, don their pajamas and robes for the special holiday ride and are treated to a reading of the holiday story. Along with the reading, danc-ing chefs serve cookies and coco to all on board.

There will be a total of 29 "Polar Express" rides which started on No-vember 22nd and will be continuing on until December 28th. The Eastern Flyer is bringing the "Polar Express" to Oklahoma and the cars are pulled

by Watco's Stillwater Central (SLWC) locomotives. The trains will run on the rails of the SLWC. Many of the weekend trips are sold out but there are still seats available. The Eastern Flyer ran excursion trains early in the year to gauge the interest of the communities in passenger rail and the rides sold out within a few days.

DispatchtheThe newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC December 2014, Volume 15, Issue 12

by Stefan Loeb Senior Vice President, Markeing & Strategic Planning

On Saturday November 8, the City of Hartford, Wisconsin, was treated with the presence of two

distinguished guests; Santa Claus and his special 101 year-old sleigh. The sleigh in this case took the form of restored Soo Line steam locomotive number 1003. The event took place on Wisconsin and Southern Railroad's main-line through town with several WSOR Team-mates assisting Santa in mak-ing this event so special.

Preserved by the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association in Hartford, 1003 and its consist of cabooses, one filled with elves and the other

with Santa, greeted visitors in advance of the city’s annual Holiday Parade shared with the city of Slinger. Burt Mall of the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association reported that the event was a tremendous success hosting over 600 children and parents in only three hours of display – a new record for attendees for a 1003 led Santa train. Young revelers were not only able to meet Santa, but were also rewarded with delicious candy cane treats.

Mall and his team spent months preparing 1003 for service. The locomotive, a 2-8-2 Mikado type, was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1913. In celebration of the locomotive’s 100th birthday, the team performed dozens of duties to get the locomotive under steam again including running gear inspection and repair, air compressor valve repair, in-spection of axle brasses, as well as inserting a new electric dynamo, GPS speedometer and other modern day equipment to allow 1003 to run in today’s railroad environ-ment.

Don Pingel, WSOR road foreman of engines, said that the WSOR was honored to help with the event and to provide the communities of Hartford and Slinger something special for the holiday season. Indeed, the presence of the 1003 under

steam, as well as the special red and white clad guest from the North, provided plenty of excite-ment for young and old alike!

The Santa train could not have been made possible without the seven enthusiastic sponsors for the event that included WSOR/Watco Com-panies, Hartford Finishing Inc., DJS Manufactur-ing, Laufer Trucking, Helgeson, Scoop DeVille, Don Crego DDS from Slinger, and the AmericInn Hotel of Hartford. And of course we cannot forget the tremendous efforts of Burt Mall and his team at the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association for restoring and caring for the 1003.

Wisconsin Santa Train provides early Christmas Cheer

Santa made a special visit to the City of Hartford, Wiscon-sin, in caboose pulled by a 101 year-old steam engine.

Photo by Don Pingel

Restored Soo Line steam locomotive number 1003 brought a special guest, Santa, to Hartford, Wisconsin, on November 8th.

Photo by Don Pingel

Oklahomans excited to board the "Polar Express"

Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb spoke to the crowd in Bristow before the "Polar Express" left the depot on its first trip.

Top right photo: Santa and one of his elves visit with a pas-senger on the "Polar Express". Bottom photo: Three of the dancing chefs on the "Polar Express" show off their cookies before they start their show.

Page 2: theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same

Alabama's Birmingham Terminal Rail-way (BHRR) Team celebrated their

one year injury-free mark on Oc-tober 22. There are currently 128 team members at the BHRR and that one year consisted of 295,00

man-hours. General Manager David

Tarwater, said, "That's a huge accomplishment by

all of our team members. We will continue to push towards our goal of being injury-free."

To celebrate the occasion, a cookout was held for the team members with Tarwater and East Region Director of Operations Bill Richmond manning the grill.

The BHRR began operations of the 75.9 mile line in February of 2002. The main commodities shipped on the line are iron ore, coal, and steel sheets and pipe. The railway hooks up with the Port of Birmingham Terminal which barges shipments to the Black Warrior River. The line dates back to 1878 when it was used to transport coal from the fields to the blasting fur-naces in Ensley, Ala., and Birmingham.

Team members at the location who helped reach this goal are: Aaron Greene, Andre Williams, Andrea Harville, Antonio Green, Arthur Bradford, Austin Osborn, Benjamin Tarran, Bobby Garmon Jr, Bobby McFadden, Brad Payne, Brandon Williams, Brent Aycock, Carlton Young Jr, Cedric Graham, Charles Layfield, Charles McCarty, Christopher Hammond, Christopher Preuc, Cody Gilliland, Damien Cantrell, Daniel Caine, Daniel Farr, Darrious Colley, Darryl Marshall, David Caffee, David Stott, David Tarwater, Derek Brown, Donald Mixon Jr, Donald Myrick, Dwight Browning, Dylan Hoggle, Eric Caine, Eugene Stevens, Gary Harville Sr, George Freeman, George King, Gilbert Spencer, Howard Green Jr, Jace Fisher, Jacob Bagby, JaCorey Murray, James Brown, James Crawford, James Lathum III, James Mobley, Jared Humphrey, Jeffery Cargill, Jeremiah Williams Jr, Jeremy Hollis, Jeremy Williams, Jerome Lawson, Jerry Lowe, Joe Fells, John Castleberry, John Da-vis, John Gaither, John Gaither II, John Herron, Joseph Bristow, Joseph Free-

man, Joseph Reid, Joshua Harris, Joshua Vines, Justin Hoggle, Justin Mead, Keith Owens, Kenneth Olson, Kenneth Smith, Kerry Lloyd, Kevin Boyd, Kevin Hampton, Kevin Jeter, Kristopher Colley, Kyle Ratliff, Leslie Pearman, Luke Houston, Mal Moland, Mark Lynn, Mark Perry II, Martin Phillips, Martin Strickland III, Mary Reardon, Matthew Davis, Matthew Hutcheson, Matthew Morrison, Matthew Tarwater, Megan Gwin, Mem Webb III, Mi-chael Brown, Michael Gwin, Michael Lavender, Michael Marino, Michael Milligan, Michael Pollard, Mickey Goodman, Monica Simpson, Montez Ted-ford, Nathan Harris, Nicholas Darnell, Nicholas Graham, Nicholas Robbins, Norman Jones, Patrick Smith, Phillip Forrest, Quinchez Marshall, Reginald Dickens, Ricky Chappell, Robert Boyd, Rodger Isbell, Rodney Gresham, Ronald Tapley, Roy Jones, Shawn Romine, Ta'Darius Dawson, Tammy Ar-buckle, Terry Wall, Thomas Dawson, Timothy Boyd, Timothy Dunn, Tony Montabana, Ty Furgason, Tyrus White, Warren Sanderson, William Carroll, William Chase, William Cooper, and William King.

page 2Dispatchthe December 2014

Record canola crop harvested in Western Australia

Birmingham Terminal Railway reaches one year injury-free mark

Smashing records is what Watco's Western Australia Rail (WWAR) team and the CBH Group are all about. Although some wet weather is putting a damper on the harvest, WWAR is estimated to move 8,100,000 tonnes of grain and they are pushing for more. The total crop estimate finishing in 2015 is about 12,100,000 tonnes.

Jim Griffiths, WWAR chief operating officer was able to visit CBH Group Board of Directors Chairman Wally Newman at his farm in the Newdegate area in early November to witness to the cutting of the record canola crop. Newdegate is in Western Australia's grainbelt and located in what is called the Albany Zone.

The record canola crop follows up a year of records for both CBH and WWAR. WWAR moved more grain to port than ever before. Griffiths is hoping to break that record again this spring!

Left photo: Wally Neuman, CBH Board of Directors Chairman (right), his son and New England sheep dog in Wally's paddock in Newdegate. Right photo: A record canola harvest in progress on Newman's land.

Team members at the Birmingham Terminal Railway celebrated their one year injury-free anniversary on October 22.

Last Chance Get your wellness checks and your

biometrics in by December 31, 2014

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When Santa visited Wichita, Kansas, on November 28th he left the rein-deer at home so they could rest up for the big day and instead, arrived in railroad style. Santa rode into the Prairie Pines Christmas Tree Farm aboard the Wooo Shock locomotive to officially kick off the Christmas season. There were hundreds of families that came out to pick out Christmas trees, take pictures with Santa, and go for hay rides at the farm.

"The kids loved it," said Jimmy Patterson, Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (KO) general manager. "They were lined up an hour before the train even arrived to get a good view."

Although Santa arriving on Wooo Shock was the highlight of the day, other activities kept the crowd at the tree farm in the Christmas spirit. Other events that day included tree cutting, a live string and brass band playing

Christmas music, hay wagon rides, and a small train for the kids to ride on within the tree farm. The farm's barn is filled with ornaments, fresh green floral baskets and custom made wreaths of different shapes and sizes. The only thing missing to complete the total Christmas pack-age was the snow.

"Think of a Norman Rockwell painting – it really was like an old time Christmas you’d see in black and white movies," said Patterson.

The tree farm was celebrating their 40th anniversary of providing this unique Christmas experience. In the past Santa has arrived via fire truck, sleigh, and he has even sky-dived in.

Just as the drought affected the Kansas wheat harvest, it also had an impact on the farm's tree production. They were only able to grow about 400 trees on site, and so they had to have some more shipped in to keep up with demand.

Patterson, said, “When the KO dedicated the Wooo Shock Locomo-tive last March, we committed to using it to not only serve our Cus-tomers but also as a tool to become better neighbors and partners with the communities we work in. This is just another way of fulfilling that commitment.”

Dispatchthe page 3 December 2014

Winter Freeze safety program underwayWatco Team Members need to be very

careful this winter; they might get ticketed. And if they do get ticketed, it can lead to good things. The Winter FREEZE Safety Program kicked off November 24th and runs through March 31st. In an effort to keep team members focused on safety, "I Did It Right" ticket cards will be handed out when they are caught in the act of perform-ing their duties correctly during efficiency testing. Not only does this reward team members for their performance, but it also reminds managers to praise correct actions as well as correct errors. Team members will get their tickets punched and can then trade in their tickets for rewards.

The "FREEZE" (Following the Rules Everyday Ensures Zero Errors) program was started to help promote awareness and focus team member concentration to the job at hand. It is critical that everyone be aware of the consequences of our actions or inactions while on the job. Errors on the job can lead to serious, even fatal consequences. We must stay focused and make good decisions at work to ensure our fami-

lies still have us coming home to them each and every day. They depend on us to provide for their well-being and an injury to any of us will certainly affect our families, our ability to provide, the com-pany we work for, the Customers we serve, and our co-workers who have to “fill the gap” left by an out-of-work or injured team member.

We must all “FREEZE out” injuries to keep ourselves and our families’ safe – especially through these hectic winter months.

In addition to the cold weather being a distraction, it's easy to lose focus at this time of year worrying and thinking about family issues, holiday bills, gift purchasing and increased family time together. The kids will be home from school more often, there are decorations to put up, household bills seem to increase, and there is more focus on issues of faith, family, and home. It’s easy to let your attention drift a bit, thinking of all those things. The last thing anyone wants is for an accident to hap-pen and turn a joyous season into a tragic one that is forever etched in a family's memory.

By identifying, recognizing, and rewarding ex-cellence, we are aiming to meet the ultimate goal of eliminating injuries and accidents. Success of this program relies on active and enthusiastic par-ticipation, so Watco Team Members get on board and get your ticket punched!

The Grand Elk Railroad's 4002 locomotive leads the way as snow falls in Elkhart, Indiana.

Photo by Reese Martin

Wooo Shock locomotive gives Santa a lift

Santa hopped on board the Wooo Shock locomotive to kick off the Christmas season at at Prairie Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Wichita, Kansas.

Top photo: Elizabeth Winegarner, 18 mo., granddaughter of KO track inspector Sam Winegarner and Watco Dispater, Delia Winegarner, decides Santa may not be all that great yet. Elizbeth's brother Trenton, 5, looks a little happier as he poses with the train at the Prairie Pines Christmas Tree Farm.

Page 4: theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same

Dispatchthe December 2014page 4

Terminal Team begins first operations in WashingtonWatco's Terminal Team just expanded their

footstep into yet another state. On November 17th, the team unloaded their first unit train of crude oil in Ferndale, Washington.

Ferndale is located in the northwest corner of Washington near the Nooksack River but the ter-minal operations are on the west side of the city,

closer to the Rosario Straight which leads to the Pacific Ocean.

"Both the train crews and the transloading crews performed flawlessly and with the profes-sionalism Watco Teams display everywhere," said Sam Ricci, manager of facility support.

Ricci added, "We want to thank everyone that assisted in the safe start up. From the Business Development Team, who led us to this op-portunity to Human Resources, who con-

ducted interviews and screening and helped us find the right team members. Watco's Purchasing Team worked closely with us to make sure we had the right equipment to do the job and the EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) Team not only provided training, but kept the team engaged throughout the four week training period. And last, but not least, the ”Go Team” for taking the lead with hands-on training and working with the new team members throughout the unload process."

The Go Team was instrumental in facilitating the start-up. The group consisted of several team

members from differ-ent locations who shared their knowledge and safety practices.

Please welcome the following new team members to our Watco Team: Alexis Pierson, An-drew Ross, Bryan Meyer, Charles Staley, Charles Warner, Christian McVickers, Cody Treloar, Cory Stevenson, Daniel Bragdon, Erik Faiola, Harold Duncan Jr, Jered Ruback, John Shoup, Jordan Williams, Justin Bos, Michael Blusiewicz, Michael Parker, Michael Pecovish, Parker Helland, Patrick Russell, Quina Wiebe, Richard Bost, Robert House, Sheldon Gudde, and Thomas Frey.

Top left: Aerial view of the Ferndale refinery (the crude unloading site can be seen on the far left). Bottom left: Group safety training taught by Don Latimer, Dan Perry, and Dave Echols. Right: First three rail cars coming down the track with a rail car mover operated by Ferndale Terminal Manager Bry-an Meyer and Wellington (Utah) Terminal Manager Mark Rice. Rice and several other members from other terminals were on hand to help with start-up.

Watco U holds classes and team building exercisesWhile many universities are getting ready for finals

week and December graduation ceremonies, Watco U instructors will continue their usual course sched-ule. In November, Watco 101 and TS&IC courses were held along with team building exercises.

December's schedule includes a Watco 101 class being held in Refugio, Texas, and a Primary Values Class in Birmingham, Alabama. Team building exer-cises will also be offered at different times throughout the month.

Top photo: Recruiting Team Members (l-r) Becky Be-audry, recruiter for WSOR, GDLK, and AA railroads; Amy Miori, recruiting director; Amanda Smardo, South Region recruiter; Susan Quanstrom, West Region recruiter; and Kylie Collier, Central Region recruiter, take part in a team building exercise. Bottom photo: November 2014 Watco 101 graduates (l-r) Stacey Dawson, payroll manager; Brian Spiller, PES terminal manager; James Gibson, Watco Dock and Rail manager; John Harrigan, IT SAP director; and Shane Smith, Pittsburg terminal manager.

WINTER HEALTHThe mention of winter evokes images of sparkling

snowflakes and skaters gracefully gliding across the ice. But winter can also be a time of illness and one of those that often hits is the "common" cold. More than 100 viruses can cause colds so few people escape being exposed, most people in the U.S. average about three colds per year. Once it enters the body through the nose or throat, the cold virus begins to multiply, causing any of a number of symptoms: sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, aches and pains, mild fever, nasal congestion and coughing. A cold can usually last a week or two.

The best way to treat a cold is to take a mild pain reliever, get as much bed rest as possible and drink plenty of fluids, especially fruit juices. Over-the-counter cough and cold remedies may relieve some of the symptoms, but they will not prevent, cure or even shorten the course of the illness.

Keep up your natural resistance through good nutrition and getting enough sleep and exercise. Turn your thermostat down and keep the humidity up in your home. Avoid direct contact with those who have colds and wash your hands frequently.

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ANNIVERSARIES

Congratulations to the following team members celebrating their anniversaries!

1 Year: Sergio Aguilar, Tanya Beard, Kelsey Berger, Micheal Berzas, Joey Bitner, Michael Boyanton, Brian Buxton, Andria Calloway, James Casula, James Clyde, Jason Cooper, David Daughdrill, Navario DeBose, Shannon DeVries, Connie Ebarb, Mathew Eddy, Crystal Fritzemeier, Robert Green-feder, Colin Gribble, Robert Harbour, Kyle Henson, Corey Jones, Hayden Jones, Benjamin Kraus, Kevin Krohn, Ramzi Lakkis, Courtney LaRocque, Matthew Louviere, Brennan Lyons, Brian Maxey, Augustus Maxwell, Tad Mayfield, Gabriel Mc-Coy, Michael Misegades, Angela Naden, Katie Noorlander, Stephen Potts, Donte Raymond, Joshua Roberts, David Rooney, Kyle Ross, Alfredo Sanchez, Tiffany Schmidt, Nathaniel Schroeder, Gonzalo Serrato-Sanchez, Courtney Shaw, Dustin Sieve, David Silva, Daniel Smith, Ryan Smith, Prentice Washington, Theophus Williams, Joshua Woody2 Years: Kyle Brown, Genaro Guzman, Stephen Howard, Kevin Hudspeth, Michelle Ivey, Jason Jewell, Brian King, Keith LaCross, Patrick McPhil-lips, Jennie Morris, Brenna Prestholt, Victor Smith, Ricky Soto, Scott Titus, Fernando Zelaya3 Years: Michael Antoine, Dexter Cahill, Jason Cathey, Christopher Corpe, Hector DeHoyos, Tom DeLafosse, Charles Engels, Brian Grewing, Dana Hartleib, Jeremiah Herman, Kurt Koontz, Ryan Krull, Sherene Metoxen, Brent Nettleton, James Rader, Samuel Savelkoul, Aaron Snow, Terry Val-verde, Jerrod Walls, Christopher Walther, Steven Wisniewski4 Years: Noland Bailey, Hector Barrientos, Spencer Batton, John Bowers, Jeffery Davis, Mike Gonzales, Michael Hancock, Jennifer May, Lisa Powell, Sha-ron Sexson, David Showalter, Jesse Victoria

5 Years: Robert Aldredge, Timothy Eccles, Earl Evans,

George Freeman, Daniel Giacalone, Luke Houston, Donyelle Newton, Charles Price, Shawn Romine, Eugene Stevens, Robert Taylor, Montez Tedford, Dillon Thibodeaux, Joel Wilmoth6 Years: Robert Brown, Randy Canada, Ernest Gonzalez, Weston Hamilton, Steven Harmon, Johnny Jones, Esteban Robles7 Years: Pedro Balensia, Jeffery Bland, Misael Cervantes, Kurt Kilgore, Steven Reida, Jeff Wash-ington, Penny Wood8 Years: Eddie Arredondo, Joshua Hargis, Rich-ard Hensley, Peter Mars, Bruce Martin, Transito Pedraza, Rafael Ramirez, Jon Tavernaro9 Years: Cedric Bonner, Matt Drake, Michael Kis-see, Joe Mercer, Joshua Williams10 Years: Rafael Hernandez, Crezentia Van Bece-laere11 Years: Johnnie Brown, Tony Clark, John Ed-wards, Ismael Mondragon12 Years: Craig Richey, Calvin Turner13 Years: Roy Buckhalter, Denver Conley, Ernesto Elizondo, Johnny Johnson, David Larch, Larry Lever15 Years: Thomas Cooper, Joel Estermyer, Charles Karamales16 Years: Ricky Absher17 Years: Jason Stutzman, Anthony Tillman19 Years: Bryan Miller, Roger Schaalma20 Years: Mike Carr22 Years: John Byrd, Jean Kincade23 Years: Danny Anderes, Robert Washington24 Years: James Horner, Claude McGuff27 Years: Rodney King, Michael McGinn, Manfred Nelly, Allen Oltjenbruns35 Years: Joseph Escott, John Herron44 Years: John Cole

GraduationsRaquel Aida Hernandez, granddaughter of

Jose Hernandez, team member at the Jack-sonville, Florida, mechanical shop; graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and a Minor in Family, Youth and Community Services.

Logan Dawn Falletti, Watco Communications Intern, graduating from Kansas State Univer-sity, Manhattan, Kansas, with Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Public Relations with a Minor in Sociology.

WAT CO

WO R L D

This section is dedicated to the Watco Team Members to give you a chance to share what’s happening in your corner

of the Watco World.

Dispatchthe December 2014page 5

December

12 year-old rolls for ringTwelve year-old Michael J. Turiano, Jr.,

son of Terri Turiano, team member at the Hollidaysburg GBW shop, recently bowled his first 300 game.

Michael has been bowling since he was two years old and will be presented a ring commemorating his perfect score.

Michael's dad, John, is a former pro bowler and said he didn't bowl his first perfect game until he was 20. Mi-chael is the youngest ever bowler to hit 300 in Altoona, Pennsyl-vania.

Michael says now that he's reached this mile-stone he can relax.

"I've proved to myself I can do it," he said. "I don't think that I have to try to hit the 300 mark any more."

Michael J. Turiano, Jr.

It takes the dIstance of18 football fIelds

for an average traIn to stop

Page 6: theDispatch - Watco Companies · It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same

The Arkansas Razorback football team has had some pretty exciting wins lately. Beating Louisiana State University and Ole Miss were huge accomplishments for the Fayetteville team. Another Arkansas team with an amazing ac-complishment is the Arkansas Southern Railroad Team. The team recently celebrated going nine years injury-free. The short line began operations in 2005 so you can do the math and conclude that they have not had an injury since taking over operations from the Kansas City Southern Railway.

The ARS is made up of two separate lines, the 32-mile northern branch runs east from Heaven-

er, Oklahoma to Waldron, Arkansas. The 30-mile southern line runs from Ashdown, Arkansas to Nashville, Arkansas. Tyson is the largest Custom-er on the ARS and ships in corn and soybeans.

One unique aspect of this team is that most of them have worked together for several years. Thomas Williams and Steve Westfall have been with the ARS since the start. Billy Barton joined them in 2007 and in 2008 Rendall Thompson and Guy Evans Jr., joined the group. Michael Corbell is the new kid on the block and he's been with them since 2011. Michael is the trainmaster and Cory Smith was named general manager of the team in 2012.

Six years ago Watco began operating it's first short line railroad in California. Not only does

the state have a reputa-tion for being sunny, it's also proving to be a safe place as well. Since the first day of start-up the PSRR Team hasn't had an injury. The team celebrat-ed this great milestone on October 24th.

There are currently four team members on the PSRR Team: Cesar Oglesby, Matthew Hinojosa, Tyler Pruitt, and James Moore. Cesar has been a long-time engineer and is known for his great

relationships with the Customers. Matt has done a great job as chief mechanical officer, right now the PSRR is at a zero failure rate on the locomo-tives thanks to Matt's expertise. Tyler is the team's peer trainer and is responsible for ensuring all team members are aware of, and following, the safety rules. Another team member is in training and should be joining the group soon.

General Manager James Moore, said, "It takes dedication from all team members for us to reach this milestone. Each team member must put safety first, from when they come on duty to when they go home."

The trains are a little different than most short

lines in the Watco system. Their average speed clocks in at about 55 mph. This is due to the fact that the line is shared with commuter trains which go even faster down the line, around 90 mph. The PSRR Team works on a short time schedule, running

on a 6.5 hour window two nights a week when traveling to Miramar, Calif., and a five hour window three nights a week on the trips to Escondido, Calif.

The PSRR main commodities shipped on the line are corn and plastics.

Dispatchthe

315 W. Third StreetPittsburg, KS 66762www.watcocompanies.com

PRST STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDPRADMAR CORPThe newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC

December 2014, Volume 15, Issue 12

Pacific Sun Railroad goes six years injury-free

Arkansas Southern Railroad

Team members on the ARS are: (l-r) Cory Smith, gen-eral manager; Rendall Thompson, Waldron conductor; Guy Evans, Jr., Waldron engineer; Thomas Williams, Nashville engineer; Billy Barton, roadmaster, and Mi-chael Corbell, trainmaster. Not pictured, Steve West-fall, Nashville conductor.

celebrates nine injury-free years

Matthew Hinojosa

James MooreCesar Oglesby

Tyler Pruitt