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Railroad maps (Especially city)

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Railroad maps (Especially city)
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 29, 2003 6:03 PM
I am trying to find detailed railroad maps, in particular for Eugene, Oregon. I have looked a number of places, and can only find automobile road maps with very little track detail.

Thanks in advance,

Bob
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  • From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
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Posted by cacole on Monday, September 29, 2003 7:12 PM
Try the Library of Congress Web site (www.loc.gov). Depending on the time period you're looking for, they have railroad maps going back to the 1800s in a compressed format called Mr. Sid. A Mr. Sid viewer is available for free, which allows you to zoom in and scroll around on the map. Most maps are sorted by state or geographic area.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 6, 2003 4:29 AM
Did you know that TRAINS magazine is publishing a series of trackside guides for some major cities in the U.S. with maps and lots of useful info for the railfan? They already did Cincinnatti, Portland, Chicago, can't recall if there were more, and they've announced Twin Cities for November.
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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Monday, October 6, 2003 6:28 AM
USGS sells topograhical maps that might help. www.usgs.gov
Enjoy
Paul
If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 6, 2003 10:39 AM
What is Mr. Sid? Where may I find it?

There is a map of Canton RR of Baltimore Md that shows a typical class III line. Hope this helps.

Lee
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Posted by ndbprr on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 11:18 AM
There are two sources both at the same site dependent on the level of detail you want. Go to Terraserver.com and type in yout city. You will be given the choice of sattelite photos or USGS maps. You can blow these up fairly large and print out the parts you want to piece them together. The photos really help to define where tracks were from the building shapes and locations. You can also go to mapquest which shows most railroad tracks in addition to roads but they aren't as accurate but will give you general trends for a town or city.
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Posted by wp8thsub on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 11:42 PM
You're in luck, the book "Southern Pacific in Oregon" by Ed Austin and Tom Dill (published by Pacific Fast Mail) has maps of a number of SP locations, including the Eugene yard as it appeared in 1930 and 1969. Other maps and photos give a reasonable glimpse into Eugene and its environs. The book might be out of print but you may be able to find it on e-bay. A companion "Southern Pacific in Oregon Pictorial" was also published.

Rob Spangler

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Posted by CBQ_Guy on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 3:31 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Oliver Trzok

Did you know that TRAINS magazine is publishing a series of trackside guides for some major cities in the U.S. with maps and lots of useful info for the railfan? They already did Cincinnatti, Portland, Chicago, can't recall if there were more, and they've announced Twin Cities for November.


I didn't know this. Where was it originally announced? (And I'm sure when I read the answer I'll respond by saying, "D'oh!)

Also, for the original poster on this thread, Bob, point your browser to:

<http://www.transportdiversions.com/publicationshow.asp?pubid=1896>

Then order from your favorite book seller if this is what you're looking for.

Take care,
"Paul [Kossart] - The CB&Q Guy" [In Illinois] ~ Modeling the CB&Q and its fictional 'Illiniwek River-Subdivision-Branch Line' in the 1960's. ~
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 10, 2003 5:42 PM
Thanks for all of the helpful information from all of you out there! I am slow to get around to things, but I will use the information that you have given me to pursue my quest.

Thanks, and anymore information that you have will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

Bob
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 5:04 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by CBQ_Guy

Originally posted by Oliver Trzok

Did you know that TRAINS magazine is publishing a series of trackside guides for some major cities in the U.S. with maps and lots of useful info for the railfan? They already did Cincinnatti, Portland, Chicago, can't recall if there were more, and they've announced Twin Cities for November.


I didn't know this. Where was it originally announced? (And I'm sure when I read the answer I'll respond by saying, "D'oh!)

What does "D'oh" mean? Please tell me, I really want to know (I'm from Croatia, studied English, so my knowledge is only partial. Also, I can't tell if you're being serious in your question - if so, well, it was announced in - Trains magazine.)
Thanks & best regards,
Oliver.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 9:53 PM
Have you looked into Sanborn fire insurance maps. These are super detailed maps of all buildings and roads in a city. I found them for the city I'm modeling and just bought the ones that my railroad ran through. Its cheaper to do the research on the maps you want yourself then order them from Environmental Data Resources Inc. To do the research you'll have to find a book of maps for the city your interested in, usually the main branch of the public library will have a book of maps for the city. You can look through that one and write down the sections of maps you want then you can order them from EDR. Only drawback is its not cheap. Hope this helps.
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Posted by Jetrock on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 1:18 AM
Oliver: "D'oh" is an exclamation of popular animated character Homer Simpson on the American TV show "The Simpsons." It really doesn't mean anything other than an expression of disgust or frustration, and is pronounced like the word "dough" and typically shouted.

The Library of Congress stuff is interesting--although it appears to be primarily 19th Century information. Sanborn maps are useful resources but, frustrating for us juice jacks, they don't show electric rail lines.

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