Type Railroad Website www.watcocompanies.com Founded June 2004 Parent organization Watco Companies | Industry Transportation Headquarters Kansas City Number of employees 25 | |
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Products Iron and steel, corn starch, lumber products and aggregates | ||
The Kaw River Railroad (reporting mark KAW) is a Kansas City, Missouri railroad, established in June 2004. Twelve miles of original track served the Kansas City Southern Railroad and its customers in Kansas City MO/KS and Union Station. The original KAW was a Kansas City Southern Railway Company property and was the first shortline Watco Companies began operating for KCS, serving customers in the Greater Kansas City area and interchanges with the BNSF, KCS, and UP. The April 2005 expansion was a BNSF property serving customers in Clay County, MO and interchanges with the BNSF at Birmingham, MO. The KCTL interchanges with the BNSF, ICE, KCS, NS and UP at Kansas City.
The KAW operations office is located in Kansas City, KS and Customer Service is located in both Pittsburg and Kansas City, KS.
Collectively, the KAW and KCTL handle approximately 15,000 carloads of animal byproducts, chemicals, plastics and industrial products annually. The KAW also has a transload site available for handling dry bulk products and other carload traffic.
Additions and expansions
The Kaw expanded from its original form in April 2005 by adding 16 miles of track from Birmingham, MO to Kearney, MO. In March 2006 the KAW took up operations for the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCTL),adding more than 30 customers. In May 2007, nearly 15 miles of industrial track was added to serve customers of the Bedford Yard.