As of November 1, 2018, Watco can say they manage rail operations in Canada. Watco is now responsible for the management of all aspects of the operations of the Stewart Southern Railway (SSS), a short line railroad that runs from Regina to Stoughton in the southeast region of Saskatchewan, Canada. The 80-mile line handles commodities such as grain, peas, lentils, and potash.
In most cases, Watco has leased or purchased the rail lines they operate but in this situation, the line is owned by a third party and Watco is operating the line, similar to the operations in Western Australia for CBH Group.
As with the Australia operation, grain is the key commodity, but the difference in this situation is that are plenty of opportunities to bring in a variety of commodities to enhance the diversity of the line.
Garrett Bolyard, vice president of operations, noted that there is a lot of potential for the line, including the shipment of canola oil, a product popular in Bolyard’s home state, Idaho. “When canola was mentioned I started thinking of the tie-ins with our operations in Idaho, there could definitely be some possibilities to work with our current Customers to bring more business to the area.”
The day-to-day operations are overseen by Carter Stewart, with a group of Team Members that includes retired Canadian Pacific railroaders.
Bolyard said, “We have 15 Team Members and over half of them are retired CP. They are just looking to keep busy. They all do a great job and are a really good fit into the Watco culture.”
One other thing that is unique about the line is how straight it is. “There isn’t a hill or a curve at all, it’s the straightest 80 miles of track you’ll ever find,” said Bolyard. “It’s beautiful, but straight track as far as the eye can see.”