Southern Pacific ran 10,000 ton chemical trains out of Houston Texas with three SD45T-2 locomotives. How many covered hoppers and how many tank cars were in the average chemical train out of Houston. Gary
When and which way?
Strang yard in Houston made up 10,000 ton chemical trains that went to Memphis and St Louis. THis was just before Union Pacific took over. Gary
I was Superintendent of Hazardous Material Control for SPT with system responsabiolity a few years before the time you are asking about. The train was the SRASK. I rode it once from Houston to Shreveport, two crew districts.
SR refered to the origin point, Strang Yard on the south side of Houston, not far from the Ship Channel which is lined with oil refineries and chemical plants that made/make just about every Hazardous Material in American commerce.
AS is the Alton and Southern yard in East Saint Louis where connections were made with eastern lines offering service to almost everywhere.
The K part of the symbol came along while I was there. The SP had several symbols that denoted the type of train. I do not recall many of them and they are not really relevant. The point is that ANY train with more than about 20 loads of compressed gas on any given day got the K symbol and a speed restriction. I think it was 50 MPH. The point is that the K symbol called the attention of all employees to the trains that carried it.
The SRASK always carried the K symbol. Lots of Flammable Liquids, Vinyl Chloride Monomer, other Flammable Gasses, and an occassional car of Hydrocyanic Acid. The SP part of the route was mostly the former Houston, East & West Texas built about 1880 as a narrow gauge and to the very low standards of grading and curviture for which the narrow gauge lines were justly famous. The SP straightened out the worst of the kinks, but train and engine crews referred to it as 'Hell Either Way Taken', a play on the HEWT name, and 'The Rabbit' since the line was constantly curving horizontally or vertically and often both was as the same time. These monickers are so good I suspect the crews still use them.
Your 10,000 ton size seems about right since every car was a load. That works out to 76 cars or 100 ton nominal capacity. I remember seeing one consist that had five cars of plastic pellets behind the power, and five more ahead of the caboose with everything else being haz mat tank cars. They grow 'em tough in East Texas.
Mac
PNWRMNMI was Superintendent of Hazardous Material Control for SPT with system responsabiolity a few years before the time you are asking about. The train was the SRASK. I rode it once from Houston to Shreveport, two crew districts. SR refered to the origin point, Strang Yard on the south side of Houston, not far from the Ship Channel which is lined with oil refineries and chemical plants that made/make just about every Hazardous Material in American commerce. AS is the Alton and Southern yard in East Saint Louis where connections were made with eastern lines offering service to almost everywhere. The K part of the symbol came along while I was there. The SP had several symbols that denoted the type of train. I do not recall many of them and they are not really relevant. The point is that ANY train with more than about 20 loads of compressed gas on any given day got the K symbol and a speed restriction. I think it was 50 MPH. The point is that the K symbol called the attention of all employees to the trains that carried it. The SRASK always carried the K symbol. Lots of Flammable Liquids, Vinyl Chloride Monomer, other Flammable Gasses, and an occassional car of Hydrocyanic Acid. The SP part of the route was mostly the former Houston, East & West Texas built about 1880 as a narrow gauge and to the very low standards of grading and curviture for which the narrow gauge lines were justly famous. The SP straightened out the worst of the kinks, but train and engine crews referred to it as 'Hell Either Way Taken', a play on the HEWT name, and 'The Rabbit' since the line was constantly curving horizontally or vertically and often both was as the same time. These monickers are so good I suspect the crews still use them. Your 10,000 ton size seems about right since every car was a load. That works out to 76 cars or 100 ton nominal capacity. I remember seeing one consist that had five cars of plastic pellets behind the power, and five more ahead of the caboose with everything else being haz mat tank cars. They grow 'em tough in East Texas. Mac
Federal HAZMAT rules designate a train with 20 or more HAZMAT loads as Key Trains and special rules apply to the operation and inspection requirements of such trains.
I suspect the K in the SRASK - identifies it as being a Key Train.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Balt,
Your timing is reversed. SP introduced the notion. The Feds simply picked it up and made of national application.
Did those trains run as Cotton Belt on the IL side of the river, from southeast MO to East St. Louis?
Yes. My recollection is that they went to SSW at Shreveport. I know they crossed the Mississippi at Ilmo and continued up the east side of the river to East St. Louis.
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