The City of Oshkosh, the Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation, and Watco Companies recently hosted a ribbon cutting at a new terminal facility in Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Southwest Industrial Park. Watco’s Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) will provide rail access to the 11-acre facility.
A WSOR locomotive ran through the ribbon which was held on one side by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Dave Ross, Oshkosh City Manager Mark Rohloff, Oshkosh Mayor Steve Cummings, and Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation CEO Jason White. The other side of the ribbon was held by Watco Team Members Solomon Watkins, Adam Hanson, and Brad Peot.
Customer Oshkosh 
Corporation, who designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, and other equipment, demonstrated how their newest JLTV is loaded onto railcars utilizing the concrete ramps.
Jason Murphree, WSOR commercial director, said, “We are very grateful to the City of Oshkosh and the Wisconsin DOT for their support and assistance in developing this transload terminal. Transloading has become a major pillar of Watco’s service offering in Wisconsin and has become a significant part of our growth strategy on the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad. This facility, and others like it, opens the WSOR up to Customers who are not along the tracks and have not been able to access the railroad in the past. The rail access creates additional shipping options for many Customers in Wisconsin, which in turn makes them more sustainable in a market where long-haul trucking is becoming more of a challenge every day. We are very excited for our great Customers, current and future, to be able to utilize this great facility in Oshkosh.”
The state approved a $1 million transportation economic assistance grant for the facility, which required combined matching funds from Watco and the City of Oshkosh. The terminal features two 1,200 foot-long rail spurs with concrete rams for vehicle loading at the end of each track. The entire facility is paved in concrete and Watco’s Terminal and Port Services has multiple conveyors and equipment to handle many different commodities. A full-time five-person crew serves the facility and the WSOR provides rail service five days a week to the facility.