I know the phosphate industry used covered hoppers in the mid-fifties, but I seem to remember seeing open hopper trains also. As I recall, they were heaped with a white bulk material. Everything was dusty white. I believe I remember seeing these trains coming up the line from Bartow into Lakeland and heading West, up into at least the early 1960's. Am I remembering correctly?

Mike Durhan

-- Mike Durhan (mdurhan@bellsouth.net), January 14, 2001

Answers

Both ACL and SAL used a variety of open-top and covered phosphate cars back to the early 1900s. In the 1950s and 1960s the two railroad's open-top phosphate hopper fleets were composed largely of rebuilt coal hoppers plus former covered phosphate cars with their roofs removed. The railroads bought some new open-top cars in the mid- 1960s. Forthcoming issues of Lines South will have some detailed articles about Bone Valley phosphate operations and the car fleets used there.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), January 16, 2001.