Railroad maps

[blueriver]

Thanks jarnold229 for the information I received from you. It will help a lot. I have been looking for a website that contains the USGS maps online. It will also help in my job at work. I work for a civil engineer and we reference USGS maps all the time. Thanks again.

Blueriver

[Anonymous]

Try Terrafly.com. This site has terrific satellite overhead photos of the entire US. The site takes a while to learn how to navigate, but it is well worth the effort.

[Jetrock]

Sanborn maps are available for various dates depending on the last time they assessed the area you're interested in--in my town, the most recent one was from 1953. The local library also has the actual maps rather than microfilm or PDF's which is nice for figuring out what the squiggle of pixels actually is...

Unfortunately Sanborn didn't consider electric railroads to be "real railroads" and didn't include their track on their maps--although they did include physical structures.

[JohnCarty]

I found a real treasure at the local library: a Title Atlas. This is a book of maps which display not only the railroads but also the actual businesses. The 1 I found was from the mid-50's, which fit the era I model. Not only are the businesses shown on the maps on a per-building basis (including roundhouses and storage facilities like silos), but also are named. In this way I discovered that the local brewery, which I knew as Stag, was in the fifties Griesedieck Western Brewery. I also found a brickyard that no longer exists (nor any evidence) along the line I was using. Yards are not listed on a per track basis, but we don't model them that way either. These are not the easiest items to find, but they yield a bountiful harvest.

[Dough]

I'm glad that it helped out. He really is a great guy.

BTW don't forget the buck off![;)]

Link to my post in the other forum:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13685

[blueriver]

JCasey,

Thanks. I think that is what I am looking for. I'll give him a try.

Blueriver

[MononFan]

Track charts can be a ton of information for the railfan or modeler... and it is about as accurate as you can get without walking the line yourself!

[JCasey]

Hi Blueriver,

Did you check out the link Dough offered above? http://stores.ebay.com/modelgraphicarts/plistings/list/all/dept1/index.html?dir=-1&col=2&sotimedisplay=2
I just exchanged emails with the guy yesterday and he does have charts for the UP from Cheyenne to Ogden. Seems like a nice guy, give him a try.

JC

[CBQ_Guy]

Aren't Sanford maps only good for up to the 1920's or some such? I thought I had read that at some point.

[Dallas Morlan]

Not sure about the area your researching. However, in Ohio the either the office of County Engineer or County Auditor will usually have copies of the railroad valuation maps for their county. Depending on state law the office responsible for tax appraisal will likely have copies or know where public record copies can be examined. Most of these maps were originally produced in the 1920s but still are the best source of information in many areas.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for current track layouts, try the "air photo" option that you can find (depending on the location you search) on Mapquest or Yahoo maps.

Andrew

[Dough]

I just started looking at the Sanborn insurace maps on microfilm and love them. UGA has an extensive collection for this area, so you may want to try your local university. Again, they are only good for urban areas, but in my case they are perfect. They also mentioned that they are trying to get them online soon.

I have also had very good luck with a guy on ebay. He has quite a collection of charts that show an amazing amount of detail. I emailed him and he had a few for the southeast that he hadn't got around to listing yet, so if you don't see what you need give email a shot.

http://stores.ebay.com/modelgraphicarts/plistings/list/all/dept1/index.html?dir=-1&col=2&sotimedisplay=2

HTH

[blueriver]

Thanks for all the information. I didn't realize the requested information was so hard to find. I will go to the library nearby and see what I can find. Thanks again for all the responses.

blueriver

[coalminer3]

Type in railroad maps on Google (search engine) and you will get a list of sites; many of which have searchable rr maps. The Library of Congress site is especially useful and user friendly.

Hope this helps.

work safe

[orsonroy]

Sanborn maps, being fire insurance maps, will ONLY show you urbanized areas. Sanborn maps are HELPFUL, but they're notoriously bad at getting any but very basic railroad details right. Unfortunately, they're also the most available historical maps around. Go to a public library and ask someone in the resource room for access to the online Sanborn maps collection. Sanborn is still in business, and they have virtually all their maps available as PDFs online. Unfortunately, the site is password protected, and only major institutions lile libraries and colleges can afford the signup fees. Once you access the files at the library, you can either print them or save them to disc.

The areas you're looking for are rural railroad-specific maps, which only the railroads have. For tax reasons railroads had to keep detailed maps of their entire line (that they were useful for MOW crews was actually of secondary importance). There are two basic styles of railroad maps: track charts and track profiles.

Charts are usually more inclusive, and show every track and grade crossing, with a legend as to track length (and what the track was called). Some railroads have charts for the entire mainline. Large railroads only made charts for every town. Some charts include nice secondary information, like signals, customers, and elevations, but railroads didn't all include this information either. Signal gangs had more detailed charts for towns that specifically dealt with signal schematics, but these are more rare than general charts.

Track profiles are generally less detailed (and not to scale) as charts, but were more useful for railroaders. These generally (again, railroads weren't all good at this)show every mile of track, and do show basic detail such as sidings, water stops, depots and signals. Profiles generally show the rise and fall of the grade, which is what makes them useful for railroaders (trainmasters and engineers alike).

Neither map style is usually all-inclusive. I have both types for my target railroad, and neither map shows everything. Neither map shows some details (I've walked almost the entire mainline and have found MANY things missing). In general, you'll have to join the historical society for your target road and start asking for copies of maps. This project can take years (it took me three years before I found my first one!) and I've been digging up material for about six years now!

[jrbarney]

Blueriver,
Don't know where you live, or whether it's near a large library. But, if you are near a large library that has an Internet connection and subscribes to the Sanborn fire insurance digital map collection, you may be able to find some of what you're seeking. The URL to use at the library is:
http://sanborn.umi.com/HelpFiles/states.html
Alternatively, the library may have printed map copies for the areas in which you are interested. Realize that doesn't totally answer your question. In this era of uncertainty some railroads might not consider it in their best interests to provide some of the information you want. Good luck.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
.

[blueriver]

Where can I find detailed railroad maps that show things like tunnels, bridges, sidings, yards and numbers of main line tracks?
I am interested in information from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden, Utah.
Any information is appreciated.

Thanks.

blueriver