Private company
Blue Ridge Southern Railroad
Logo: Bluers85, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3
The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (reporting mark BLU) is a Class III shortline railroad operating over 91.8 miles (147.7 kilometres) of track in Western North Carolina. The railroad is owned by Watco of Pittsburg, Kansas, and operates three lines that connect in the Asheville area that were previously owned by Norfolk Southern.2 It was founded in 2014.1 It is headquartered in Canton.1 It is part of Watco Companies.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 20, 2026.
Overview
- HeadquartersCanton1
- Websitewww.watco.com/service/rail/blue-ridge-southern-railroad-blu
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The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (reporting mark BLU) is a Class III shortline railroad operating over 91.8 miles (147.7 kilometres) of track in Western North Carolina. The railroad is owned by Watco of Pittsburg, Kansas, and operates three lines that connect in the Asheville area that were previously owned by Norfolk Southern.2
Corporate structure
Blue Ridge Southern Railroad is part of a group headed by Watco Companies. 20 entities, 2 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.
- Watco Companies Pittsburg
- Blue Ridge Southern Railroad Canton
- Alabama Southern Railroad Subsidiary · Tuscaloosa
- Alabama Warrior Railway Subsidiary · Fairfield
- Ann Arbor Railroad Subsidiary · Toledo
- Arkansas Southern Railroad Subsidiary · Nashville
- Austin Western Railroad Subsidiary · Burnet
- Autauga Northern Railroad Subsidiary · Prattville
- Birmingham Terminal Railway Subsidiary · Fairfield
- Boise Valley Railroad Subsidiary · Nampa
- Eastern Idaho Railroad Subsidiary · Twin Falls
- Grand Elk Railroad Subsidiary · Kalamazoo
- Ithaca Central Railroad Subsidiary · Ithaca
- Kanawha River Railroad Subsidiary · Belle
- Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad Subsidiary · Wichita
- Stillwater Central Railroad Subsidiary · Oklahoma City
- Swan Ranch Railroad Subsidiary · Cheyenne
- Wisconsin and Southern Railroad Subsidiary · Madison
- Yellowstone Valley Railroad Subsidiary · East Fairview
- Agawa Canyon Railroad Subsidiary · Ontario, Canada
Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.
Subsidiaries and ownership
Parent company
- Watco Companies since 2014
From Wikidata.1
Acquisitions
- Succeeded Southern Railway1
Timeline
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1
- 2
- 3Wikimedia CommonsBlue Ridge Southern Railroad logo by Bluers85, CC BY-SA 4.0