theDispatch The newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC December 2014, Volume 15, Issue 12 Wisconsin Santa Train provides early Christmas Cheer by Stefan Loeb with Santa, greeted visitors in advance of the steam, as well as the special red and white clad Senior Vice President, Markeing & Strategic Planning city’s annual Holiday Parade shared with the city guest from the North, provided plenty of excite- of Slinger. Burt Mall of the Steam Locomotive ment for young and old alike! On Saturday November 8, the City of Hartford, Heritage Association reported that the event was The Santa train could not have been made Wisconsin, was treated with the presence of two a tremendous success hosting over 600 children possible without the seven enthusiastic sponsors distinguished and parents in only three hours of display – a new for the event that included WSOR/Watco Com- guests; Santa record for attendees for a 1003 led Santa train. panies, Hartford Finishing Inc., DJS Manufactur- Claus and his Young revelers were not only able to meet Santa, ing, Laufer Trucking, Helgeson, Scoop DeVille, special 101 year- but were also rewarded with delicious candy cane Don Crego DDS from Slinger, and the AmericInn old sleigh. The treats. Hotel of Hartford. And of course we cannot forget sleigh in this case Mall and his team spent months preparing 1003 the tremendous efforts of Burt Mall and his team took the form of for service. The locomotive, a 2-8-2 Mikado type, at the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association for restored Soo Line was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1913. restoring and caring for the 1003. steam locomotive In celebration of the locomotive’s 100th number 1003. The birthday, the team performed dozens of event took place duties to get the locomotive under steam on Wisconsin again including running gear inspection and Southern and repair, air compressor valve repair, in- Railroad's main- spection of axle brasses, as well as inserting line through a new electric dynamo, GPS speedometer Santa made a special visit to town with several and other modern day equipment to allow the City of Hartford, Wiscon- WSOR Team- 1003 to run in today’s railroad environ- sin, in caboose pulled by a 101 mates assisting ment. year-old steam engine. Santa in mak- Don Pingel, WSOR road foreman of Photo by Don Pingel ing this event so engines, said that the WSOR was honored special. to help with the event and to provide the Restored Soo Line steam locomotive number 1003 brought Preserved by the Steam Locomotive Heritage communities of Hartford and Slinger a special guest, Santa, to Hartford, Wisconsin, on November Association in Hartford, 1003 and its consist something special for the holiday season. 8th. of cabooses, one filled with elves and the other Indeed, the presence of the 1003 under Photo by Don Pingel Oklahomans excited to board the "Polar Express" It's hard to say who was more excited to board the "Polar Express" train - by Watco's Stillwater Central (SLWC) the kids or the adults. The excursion, based on the 1985 book by the same locomotives. The trains will run on name, takes passengers from the the rails of the SLWC. Many of the Bristow, Oklahoma, depot on a magi- weekend trips are sold out but there cal hour-long train ride to meet Santa are still seats available. The Eastern at the North Pole. Passengers, not Flyer ran excursion trains early in just the kids, don their pajamas and the year to gauge the interest of the robes for the special holiday ride and communities in passenger rail are treated to a reading of the holiday and the rides sold out within story. Along with the reading, danc- a few days. ing chefs serve cookies and coco to all on board. Top right photo: Santa and one There will be a total of 29 "Polar of his elves visit with a pas- Express" rides which started on No- senger on the "Polar Express". Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb vember 22nd and will be continuing Bottom photo: Three of the spoke to the crowd in Bristow before on until December 28th. The Eastern dancing chefs on the "Polar the "Polar Express" left the depot on Flyer is bringing the "Polar Express" Express" show off their cookies its first trip. to Oklahoma and the cars are pulled before they start their show. theDispatch page 2 December 2014 Record canola crop harvested in Western Australia 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 Left photo: Wally Neuman, CBH Board of Directors Chairman (right), his son and New England port than ever before. Griffiths is hoping to break that sheep dog in Wally's paddock in Newdegate. Right photo: A record canola harvest in progress on record again this spring! Newman's land. Birmingham Terminal Railway reaches one year injury-free mark 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 Team members at the Birmingham Terminal Railway celebrated their one year which barges shipments to the Black Warrior River. The line dates back to injury-free anniversary on October 22. 1878 when it was used to transport coal from the fields to the blasting fur- naces in Ensley, Ala., and Birmingham. man, Joseph Reid, Joshua Harris, Joshua Vines, Justin Hoggle, Justin Mead, Team members at the location who helped reach this goal are: Aaron Keith Owens, Kenneth Olson, Kenneth Smith, Kerry Lloyd, Kevin Boyd, Greene, Andre Williams, Andrea Harville, Antonio Green, Arthur Bradford, Kevin Hampton, Kevin Jeter, Kristopher Colley, Kyle Ratliff, Leslie Pearman, Austin Osborn, Benjamin Tarran, Bobby Garmon Jr, Bobby McFadden, Brad Luke Houston, Mal Moland, Mark Lynn, Mark Perry II, Martin Phillips, Payne, Brandon Williams, Brent Aycock, Carlton Young Jr, Cedric Graham, Martin Strickland III, Mary Reardon, Matthew Davis, Matthew Hutcheson, Charles Layfield, Charles McCarty, Christopher Hammond, Christopher Matthew Morrison, Matthew Tarwater, Megan Gwin, Mem Webb III, Mi- Preuc, Cody Gilliland, Damien Cantrell, Daniel Caine, Daniel Farr, Darrious chael Brown, Michael Gwin, Michael Lavender, Michael Marino, Michael Colley, Darryl Marshall, David Caffee, David Stott, David Tarwater, Derek Milligan, Michael Pollard, Mickey Goodman, Monica Simpson, Montez Ted- Brown, Donald Mixon Jr, Donald Myrick, Dwight Browning, Dylan Hoggle, ford, Nathan Harris, Nicholas Darnell, Nicholas Graham, Nicholas Robbins, Eric Caine, Eugene Stevens, Gary Harville Sr, George Freeman, George Norman Jones, Patrick Smith, Phillip Forrest, Quinchez Marshall, Reginald King, Gilbert Spencer, Howard Green Jr, Jace Fisher, Jacob Bagby, JaCorey Dickens, Ricky Chappell, Robert Boyd, Rodger Isbell, Rodney Gresham, Murray, James Brown, James Crawford, James Lathum III, James Mobley, Ronald Tapley, Roy Jones, Shawn Romine, Ta'Darius Dawson, Tammy Ar- Jared Humphrey, Jeffery Cargill, Jeremiah Williams Jr, Jeremy Hollis, Jeremy buckle, Terry Wall, Thomas Dawson, Timothy Boyd, Timothy Dunn, Tony Williams, Jerome Lawson, Jerry Lowe, Joe Fells, John Castleberry, John Da- Montabana, Ty Furgason, Tyrus White, Warren Sanderson, William Carroll, vis, John Gaither, John Gaither II, John Herron, Joseph Bristow, Joseph Free- William Chase, William Cooper, and William King. Get your wellness checks and your Last biometrics in by December 31, 2014 Chance theDispatch page 3 December 2014 Winter Freeze safety program underway Watco Team Members need to be very We must all “FREEZE out” injuries to careful this winter; they might get ticketed. keep ourselves and our families’ safe – And if they do get ticketed, it can lead to especially through these hectic winter good things. The Winter FREEZE Safety months. Program kicked off November 24th and In addition to the cold weather being a runs through March 31st. In an effort to distraction, it's easy to lose focus at this keep team members focused on safety, "I time of year worrying and thinking about Did It Right" ticket cards will be handed out family issues, holiday bills, gift purchasing when they are caught in the act of perform- and increased family time together. The ing their duties correctly during efficiency kids will be home from school more often, testing. Not only does this reward team there are decorations to put up, household members for their performance, but it also bills seem to increase, and there is more reminds managers to praise correct actions focus on issues of faith, family, and home.