Millennium Rail, Inc. (MRI) and Fitzgerald Railcar Services, Inc. (FRSI) now operate under the common name of Watco Mechanical Services.Watco bought MRI in May 2007 and FRSI in June 2008. With the acquisitions, Watco Mechanical Services describes itself as the largest car repair company in the U.S. with 14 car repair shops, 18 mobile mechanical shops and 4 locomotive shops in 14 states.
"We are extremely pleased to welcome into our Watco Family the people and families of the Millennium and Fitzgerald shops," said Dick Webb, Watco's founder. He noted that the integration should "make things easier for our team, customers, vendors and other associates."
He added that Watco anticipates adding more people and shops in the future.
Watco's first car repair facility was opened in 1985 in Coffeyville, Kansas to repair coal cars running from Wyoming coal fields to southern power plants. Today, the company has the capability to repair several car types serving several industries, including agriculture, automotive, fuel, metals and forest products.
Watco Companies, based in Pittsburg, Kansas, is the parent company of Watco Transportation Services which owns 19 railroads in 16 states.