Hooper Welding Enterprises is a recognized leader in the design and manufacturing of pressure vessels and alloy fabrication. A 1.4 million pound reactor was fabricated at Hooper’s main facility in Oakville, Ontario for an oil refinery in El Dorado, Kansas. Logistically, moving a reactor approximately 130’-0” long, 14’-8” in diameter and 1.4 million lbs requires specialized equipment including a 20 axle double wide transporter (320 tires), Western’s specialized lifting devices and a specialized 36 axle Schnabel railcar. Western was in charge of all lifting and trans-loading of this reactor prior to the 20-day railway journey to the oil refinery in Kansas, as well as the assembly of the Schnabel railcar. This load, at the time, was the single heaviest ever moved on the CN railway network. Photos by H.B. Photo Services
