Watco adds fifth Louisiana short line to large U.S. roster

Watco Cos. LLC on Jan. 16 launched the Dutchtown Southern Railroad (DUSR), the holding company's 44th U.S. short line and fifth small railroad in Louisiana.

The DUSR operates 20 miles of track in Geismar, which is located about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge. The short line interchanges with CN, serves eight customers and handles chemicals and plastics.

The DUSR is named after Geismar's Dutchtown High School, which has a football team that has produced several National Football League-caliber players, Watco officials said in the company's February newsletter.

Watco also owns short lines operating in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.