Hooker Chemical Tank HOKX-711

Hasn't it already been done?:

https://ogrforum.com/t...ply=8187868157645922

Hasn't it already been done?:

Bob

It has.  But is is nice to hear that others have noticed! 

RJL

Thanks for posting the link!  There are other great photos in the Tacoma Waterfront book to inspire model railroaders.

And thanks again to Andy Petersen for all the prototype inspired custom models!

Ted,  I was just wondering if maybe what Ralph mentioned was another run of the car?

Where did these cars roam?  Was it just around Tacoma or did they make it to the east coast?

Ted,

in one of your posts you mentioned about getting Andy Petersen to have these beauties made up and the photo. in your post did not materialize, so I found it and posted it.

I live in N.Y., so I had asked Andy about the red and black and the orange and black Hooker tank cars and Andy told me that the red and black was the older scheme, of the two.

So, I bought the red and black Niagara Falls car, then after some time I wanted to complete the East, West Hooker Electrochemical connection, so I ordered the Tacoma, Wa. car from Peterson Supply Company.

To my happy surprise, Andy and Julia Petersen sent me a replica scale model of the actual-prototypical car road #HOKX-711, as in the B.&W photo., as I try to model '20's, '30's, '40's, '50's and mid. '60's, American railroading.

Yes, Bob there is a another run of these prototypical modeled beauties, older and newer cars by Atlas 'O' Master Line Series.

Ralph

Ralph, good to know...I love me some tank cars

Bob,

I forgot to mention, I don't know if the road numbers will be the same, as in the past, but Petersen's has newer models with different road numbers.

Ask Andy for helpful info.

These, tank cars are absolutely beautiful!!!!!

Ralph

Andy has provided us with a bunch of great models.  The 8214 (3 rail) and 9214 (2 rail) is one of my favorites. 

To the best of my knowledge there have been three runs of these red, black and white Hooker tank cars and each run had had two car numbers. The plants and road numbers for the 8214/9214 series are as follows.

8214-1  Tacoma, Wash.  SHPX 3336

8214-2  Tacoma, Wash. SHPX 3337*

8214-3  Not Observed*

8214-4  Niagara Falls, N.Y. SHPX 7422

8214-5  Tacoma, Wash. HOKX 711

8214-6  Niagara Falls N.Y.  SHPX 7424**

*  Note:  I do not have these cars in my collection.  My information is based off of web sources.  If you have these cars please help us confirm or correct this data.

**  Special collectors note.  Three 9214-6 cars with a factory decoration error were produced numbered SHPX 7424 but lettered for Tacoma, Wash.

Also note that Atlas has produced this paint scheme in the Industrial rail line Numbered SHPX 3336 and 3337.  They are the 1005008-1 and -2.  The quality of the decoration is excellent.  These are great little cars and an excellent value.

Normally the cars were returned to their regular plant when empty but I think we can justify "balancing" cars between plants from time to time.  

The Hooker Tacoma plant was the first Chlor-alkali plant on the west coast. As such they had a significant shipping cost advantage for several years in supplying their products to west coast industries.

The Chlor-alkali process, which hooker helped to develop in the early 20th century, takes salt water (NaCl and H2O) and through the use of direct electrical current turns them into caustic soda (NaOH) and chlorine gas (Cl2).  Hydrogen in a byproduct of the process and it can be combined with chlorine to make hydrochloric acid (HCl) or with nitrogen from the air to make ammonia (NH3).  All those chemicals can be shipped in tank cars and we have models to represent them for Hooker.

Atlas has made a bunch of cars lettered for Hooker.  They include 11,000 gallon/50 ton cars for chlorine and anhydrous ammonia service as well as 17,000 gallon/90 ton tank cars for chlorine.

K-Line, Lionel, MTH and Weaver have also made Hooker tank cars in their O scale product lines.  If people are interested we could do an O scale Freight Car Guide to Hooker freight cars in the future.

Ted,

Thank you for the extra, important and interesting info. on these beautiful tank cars.

I now have two Atlas 'O' Hooker red, black, with white markings, tank cars.

8214-5 Tacoma, Wash. HOKX-711 and

8214-6 Niagara Falls, N.Y. SHPX-7424.

They are beautiful and I get a kick out of the fact that tank car HOKX-711 is modeled after the 'Real-Deal' in the 1950 B.&W. Hooker board of directors meeting photo., thanks to you, Andy and Atlas 'O.'

You have a point in creating a "Hooker Freight Car Guide," for those of us who are interested in the development of one.

Take care,

Ralph