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Re: Return to Richmond's Unsolved Mysteries
Author: Dr Zarkoff
Date: 01-12-2021 - 22:06
> As I recall, the plant across Castro was the Allied Chemical sulfuric acid plant. The little tank cars were super heavy and would blow right through the hump retarders like they were not there, so they all had to be ridden to brake. The plant on the east side of the hump was nasty, may have been Ortho. Did Chevron ever own Ortho?
Yes, it was sulphuric acid, the "king of the chemicals". SoCal became Chevron Corp in 1984 and sold Ortho to Monsato in 1993. We used to call the plant on the east side of the hump "House and Gardens" because they made pesticides and herbicides, not to mention other things of the same nature. This was the place were the empoyees had to wear pressurized suits while unloading the covered hoppers whereas we SP employees would have none of this protective gear when we handled the cars. It had a very strange and, to an organic chem major, sinister odor all the time.
Yes, it was sulphuric acid, the "king of the chemicals". SoCal became Chevron Corp in 1984 and sold Ortho to Monsato in 1993. We used to call the plant on the east side of the hump "House and Gardens" because they made pesticides and herbicides, not to mention other things of the same nature. This was the place were the empoyees had to wear pressurized suits while unloading the covered hoppers whereas we SP employees would have none of this protective gear when we handled the cars. It had a very strange and, to an organic chem major, sinister odor all the time.
