You know you’ve bought too many Morning Sun books, when you start looking at subjects far from home, west Florida to be exact. In all fairness, I’d always been interested in the Bone Valley area, but there wasn’t really much out there about it. For those not familiar, the Bone Valley is in central west Florida, and has the largest deposits of phosphate in the US Phosphate is primarily used for agricultural fertilizer, but also other things, like giving soft drinks their unique tangy kick. From a railroad/industrial standpoint, the area would be comparable to the coal regions of West Virginia or eastern PA - lots of trains, in a small area, pulling the same stuff. The difference would be that the Bone Valley peaked in the 70’s and 80’s, in terms of output, so the locomotives and rolling stock are more modern. The rolling stock is also very unique and interesting - a mix of open and covered hoppers, with a smattering of tank cars carrying acid. The hopper cars are fairly specific to hauling phosphate.
The book is nicely laid out, with good maps (something many Morning Sun books lack). Excellent descriptions of the photos. Subject matter not confined to solely locomotives. Plenty of photos from afar, and also plenty without a locomotive. Interesting subject, well described.
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