Blue Ridge Southern

Company History: Receiving its name from the Blue Ridge Mountains which overlook this scenic North Carolina railroad, the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (BLU) was Watco’s first property located in the state of North Carolina beginning in 2014. The BLU operates 92 miles of track, consisting of three branch lines that feed into Norfolk Southern’s terminal in Asheville, North Carolina: the T-Line to the west of Asheville, the W-Line to the south, and the TR-Line, which branches off the W-Line. The BLU primarily ships commodities such as wood chips, paper, plastics, cement, coal, and products used in the manufacture of Epsom Salt.

The BLU opened on July 26, 2014 as part of the Watco shortline group. Watco purchased 92 miles of former Southern Railway routes in western North Carolina. They run from Asheville west to Dillsboro and Asheville south to East Flat Rock. There is also a branch from the latter route running from Hendersonville west to Pisgah Forest that has been inactive for a number of years. The locomotive fleet consists of four GP39-2’s, two SD40-2’s and four SD40M-2’s. Customers include Southern Concrete Materials, Cane Creek Industrial Park, General Electric, Kimberly Clark, Evergreen Packaging, Vulcan Materials, Giles (Epsom Salts), T&S Hardwoods, Enterprise Solutions, and Jackson Paper Manufacturing. They interchange with Norfolk Southern and Great Smokey Mountains Railroad.

Successor/Parent History: The Watco shortline group is known for painting locomotives in special schemes for universities and even high schools along their lines. We own or operate over 5,500 miles of short line track in North America and Australia. Our vast network connects to all Class I railroads. You get the most efficient, cost-effective route for your shipment.

Using your locomotives or our own, Watco provides switching services at your manufacturing facility. Our experienced teams improve safety, reduce risks, and minimize costs.

Let Watco take care of your inactive railcars, so you can stay focused on your active fleet. Safely house empty or loaded railcars across our nationwide network of short line railroads and terminals.

Our proactive management, in-transit tracking, and real-time communication let you know where your cars are every minute of every day. And, our scheduled maintenance programs keep your rolling stock rolling.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.