“Riderless Horse” Maybe you know it as “Mexico”, or “Tuscarora”, or “SIP 148.7”, or “Book’s Century Farm”, or “Book’s Crossing”, or simply “Book’s”. But if you’ve spent any time photographing around milepost 148 to 149 on the former PRR Middle Division, you’ve probably met the farmer, Harold S. “Sonny” Book, who has farmed the land around mp 148.7 for decades.
Sadly, Harold passed away on April 19, 2021 at age 84.
Harold not only tolerated rail photographers, but welcomed them. An afternoon spent at the farm's grade crossing would give Harold an opportunity to educate his visitors about the farm, the PRR, or the PRR’s successors. He would also mix in stories of living next to the Juniata River, or some other facet of local history. Solving all of the world's problems would occur during the longer waits between trains.
Now the IH tractor sits. Riderless. As NS 21M speeds west at Book’s.
