Where to find maps?

[Anonymous]

If you want area detail, the SPV atlases are very good.

If you want local detail, USGS 7.5 minute maps often suffice. They are available on-line, but the pixelization, in my opinion, makes them unusable for track detail and hard to use. The paper maps are in the $5.00-$6.00 range each.

If you want very accurate local detail -- enough to discriminate exactly where switches are -- some people like to use the terraserver aerial photos, free online. I find these very difficult and tedious to use, and often they aren't sufficiently clear.

If you want accurate, easy-to-read detail, you need the railroad's track charts or even better, if they exist, the railroad's engineering drawings. These are available, sort of, from collectors, which makes them hard to locate and often fairly expensive. They are not available from the railroads: either they threw them out years ago, they're not sure where to find them in the basement (and don't have the time to go look); or they consider them proprietary. But they ARE accurate. If I was building a layout, this would provide certainty. Try starting with the historical societies, railroad, state, and local; they may have these.

Sanborn fire insurance maps are wonderful, too, but also expensive and hard to get.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know where I could find maps of local railroads. I live in the York, Pa area and i'd like to find maps of the local system to help me make a layout. I know this was part of the Conrail system and I have a large map of that system but I would like a more detailed map of the local system. Specific internet sites would be helpful. Thanks