It was a disaster that was going to happen and the only thing still in doubt was just how bad it would end up being. Early on the morning of Nov. 26, 2007, a freight train was heading west on the Kansas City Southern Railroad near the small town of Choudrant, LA, a stone's throw from Ruston in the north-central portion of the state. Sometime around 4 a.m., the train derailed with 10 rail cars leaving the track. Of the cars that derailed, five contained hazardous materials and two of those overturned and slid down an embankment, coming to rest scant feet from U.S. Highway 80, the road that parallels the tracks. These two tank cars were ultimately damaged beyond repair and taken out of service due to the severe damage.

Industries rely on hazardous materials to manufacture goods or supply services that all of us use in our everyday lives. Many of these hazardous materials, such as the gasoline that powers our vehicles, are also in constant motion, moving from the oilfield to the refinery to the bulk plant to the service station to the end-user’s automobile.

The Shale Oil and Gas industry is one of the fastest growing in North America, highlighted by the vast reserves in the Bakken shale in North Dakota, Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania, Eagle Ford play in Texas and the Green River formation in Colorado. These rich deposits have already created thousands of jobs and will help the United States work toward gaining energy independence.

In 2012, OPW Engineered Systems has been making a concerted effort to improve the delivery lead times—which are defined as the number of days that pass between the order date and the shipping date—for its products. Since making that commitment, OPW-ES is pleased to announce that significant gains have been made in improving lead-time efficiency.

The OPW LR-M32F A-Frame Bottom Loading Arm was designed for the bottom loading of hazardous fluids in the Canadian market and is the arm of choice for replacing existing equipment or expanding current operations.