A B737-200 IN INITIAL CLB DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO COMPLETE LOSS OF 'A' SYS HYD PRESSURE AND QUANTITY CAUSED BY A BROKEN FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINE.

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ACR FLT XYZ DEPARTED ON TIME AT XX05 FROM HOU FOR TUL WITH 75 PAX AND 1 JUMP SEATER SITTING IN THE CABIN. AS WE DEPARTED RWY 12R; WE STARTED OUR TURN TO A 350 DEG HDG. AS WE BEGAN TO CLEAN THE ACFT UP; WE NOTICED A #2 ENG HYD LOW PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATE WITH THE ASSOCIATED MASTER CAUTION LIGHT. AS THE FLAPS STABILIZED AT POS #1; THE LIGHTS EXTINGUISHED. AS THE FLAPS WERE BROUGHT ALL THE WAY UP; THE SAME LIGHTS APPEARED. WITH THE FLAPS UP THE LIGHTS EXTINGUISHED; PRESSURE WAS NORMAL; BUT THE HYD QUANTITY GAUGE WAS READING ZERO GALLONS. I CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRPLANE. WE REFED THE QRH AND FOUND NO SUCH CONDITION. THE CAPT CALLED DISPATCH AND HOU MAINT. WE RESET THE HYD QUANTITY CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH NO CHANGE. AS WE LEVELED OFF AT FL330; THE DECISION TO RETURN TO HOU WAS MADE. AS WE STARTED OUR DSCNT TO HOU; WE THEN EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE 'A' SYS HYD FAILURE. I CONTINUED TO FLY THE ACFT AS THE CAPT RAN THE APPROPRIATE EMER CHKLIST. OUR COMPANY PLT JUMP SEATER WAS SUMMONED TO THE COCKPIT FOR HELP IN RUNNING THE PERFORMANCE COMPUTER FOR A FLAPS 15 DEG LNDG CALLED FOR BY THE CHKLIST. AS THE FINAL PREPARATIONS AND REQUESTS WERE MADE BY THE CAPT; WE XFERRED CTL OF THE ACFT AT AROUND 6000 FT MSL. WE REQUESTED A LONG (20 NM;) FINAL. WE RAN THE CHKLIST; CONFIGURED THE ACFT ACCORDING TO THE EMER CHKLIST AND LANDED THE ACFT UNEVENTFULLY. WE HAD NOSEWHEEL STEERING; SO WE TAXIED CLR; SHUT DOWN; HAD MAINT INSTALL THE GEAR PINS AND WERE TOWED BACK TO THE GATE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS A B737-200 WITH P&W JT8D-15A ENGS. THE RPTR SAID THE LOSS OF FLUID WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN FLEXIBLE BRAKE HOSE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 388960: ON CLBOUT FROM HOU WE GOT AN 'A' HYD SYS LOW PRESSURE LIGHT FOR APPROX 5 SECONDS FOLLOWED BY NORMAL INDICATIONS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE 'A' HYD SYS QTY INDICATOR WENT TO ZERO. THE FO CONTINUED TO FLY THE ACFT WHILE I CONFERRED WITH DISPATCH. WE DECIDED TO RETURN TO HOU AND NOTIFIED HOU CENTER. WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO RETURN TO HOU. AT THAT TIME SYS PRESSURE INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL AND WE POSSIBLY HAD ONLY A FAILED QTY GAUGE -- HENCE NO NEED FOR AN EMER DECLARATION. ON RETURN TO HOU; THE 'A' SYS HYDS SHOWED COMPLETE FAILURE. I RECONTACTED DISPATCH AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD DECLARE EMER AND HAVE THE ARPT READY FOR OUR RETURN. CENTER WAS HANDLING US AS IF WE WERE A PRIORITY. WHEN WE WERE HANDED OFF TO APCH CTL; WE STILL SEEMED TO BE GETTING PRIORITY; SO I ASSUMED THAT THEY HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE DIMINISHED HYD CAPABILITY. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHKLIST; WE LANDED WITH PARTIAL FLAPS AND TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY AND WERE THEN TOWED TO THE GATE. I LATER LEARNED THAT APCH CTL WAS UPSET WITH US BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF OUR CHANGING ACFT STATUS (IE; FROM INITIALLY A POSSIBLE INDICATOR FAILURE; PROGRESSING TO A REAL 'A' SYS HYD FAILURE). I ALSO LEARNED LATER THAT APPARENTLY HOU CENTER HAD FAILED TO ADVISE APCH CTL OF OUR CHANGED SIT. WHILE I REALIZE WE COULD HAVE ALLEVIATED THIS PROB BY NOTIFYING EVERY NEW ATC CTLR OF OUR SIT; WE WERE PRETTY BUSY FLYING; RUNNING CHKLISTS; TALKING TO DISPATCH; BRIEFING THE FLT ATTENDANTS; REASSURING PAX; ETC. NEVERTHELESS; IN THE FUTURE; IN ANY SIMILIAR SIT; I HOPE TO MORE FULLY ADVISE ATC OF ANY CHANGES TO ACFT STATUS WITHOUT RELYING ON THE 'SYS' TO DO SO.