PITTSBURG, Kan. — Dan Smith chuckles at inevitable references to “electric trains.” Smith, the chief executive officer of Watco, said the company’s award of $17.7 million in federal funds to convert eight of its locomotives into fully battery-powered units is just one piece of an important package of awards that will not only help the company become more energy efficient, but will also help it make significant track-related improvements. On Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced that Watco and its subsidiary, the Neodesha Subdivision of the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL), will receive a total of $47 million in federal funding for locomotive conversion and rail improvement projects as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).