CHEYENNE - The Swan Ranch Industrial Park, the largest logistics hub in the Rocky Mountain Region, will soon have its own short-line railroad operating within the park.

In addition to being located near the junction of I-80 and I-25, the Swan Ranch lies between two Class I railroads, the Union Pacific and the BNSF.

Each railroad will have its own switching yard within the park, but according to Greg Thomas, a broker with Grubb and Ellis, the park will build and own both switching yards, "which is private enterprise's way of making sure the two competing lines play well together."

The new short-line railroad that will operate within the park will be called the Swan Ranch Railroad (SRR) and will be operated by Watco Transportation Services LLC.
Watco filed a petition yesterday with the Surface Transportation Board for the SRR to operate the 17,192 feet of track in Swan Ranch as a switching railroad.

This landmark railroad will be the first Watco-owned short line operating in Wyoming and within an industrial park. Watco owns Watco Transportation Services LLC (WTS), the largest privately-held short-line railroad company in the U.S., operating 23 short-line railroads on more than 3,700 miles of track, as well as 23 industrial contract switching locations.

Watco's Mechanical Services Division operates 14 railcar repair shops, four locomotive shops and 19 mobile mechanical shops. The Transload/Intermodal Services Division currently manages 16 transload facilities, seven warehouses and one intermodal location. Watco also owns Greens Port Industrial Park in the Houston Ship Channel.

"We are pleased to partner with a world-class rail partner to develop a major rail facility for the Rocky Mountain Region," said Dan Guerttman, Granite Peak Development's director of finance.

Jebro Inc., a manufacturer and distributor in the asphalt industry, is the first company to open in the Swan Ranch Industrial Park and will begin receiving railcars in December.

More information about Watco and its subsidiaries can be found at www.watcocompanies.com

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