Watco has acquired 18 acres of land to be used for customer expansion and additional rail operations at the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Logistics Hub, where its Swan Ranch Railroad (SRRR) has served as operator of 21.07 track miles since 2012. The Pittsburg, Kans.-based transportation and logistics company purchased the Hub’s rail assets in March.
“Because Watco now owns the railroad and newly acquired acreage within Cheyenne Logistics Hub, our team can provide even more services to customers across all different industries,” Watco Director of Industrial Development Luke Bellamy reported in the September edition of The Dispatch, Watco’s employee magazine. “We plan to focus on build-to-suit options, transloading, and expanding the wind market. This will be an ideal location for all customers looking at the Rocky Mountain region.”
The Cheyenne Logistics Hub (download fact sheet below) features:
- Transloading, railcar storage and distribution.
- Flexible “build-to-suit” properties for sale or lease with utilities; 1,500-plus acres are available, including 1,000 acres of direct rail-adjacent parcels.
- Direct access to BNSF and Union Pacific via SRRR.
- Close proximity to Colorado’s Front Range, including Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley.
- Access to the I-80 and I-25 corridor that goes through Wyoming, a “business-friendly” state that offers no corporate or personal state income tax.
According to Watco, the terminal has 400 railcar spots and unit train capacity. It specializes in bulk, breakbulk, and liquid commodities, including, wind energy, aggregates, lumber, bulk liquids, agriculture, wind energy, solar panels, and steel.
In related developments, Watco earlier this year welcomed the Verdigris Southern Railroad, a three-mile line that serves the Port of Inola in Tulsa, Okla., as its 46th short line, and in 2023 took control of the Eureka Transload Terminal in Montana, bringing its total North American terminal count to 77. The company’s Eastern Idaho Railroad earned Honorable Mention in the Railway Age 2024 Short Line and Regional Railroad of the Year program.
