Author: Cameron Booth

Fantasy Map: “One Does Not Simply Walk Into Mordor” by Christian Tate

March 16, 2018
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An illustration commissioned by Empire magazine to outline the movement of characters in the film adaptations of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth sagas. Certainly not the first transit map-styled representation of Middle-Earth I’ve seen, but definitely one of the most information-rich and attractive, even if the route lines don’t always completely gel with the isometric background.  Also, Christian’s rendition of Smaug is nothing short of magnificent. 4 stars! Check out a larger version of the map over on […]

Historical Map: BART System Map and Planned Extensions, March 1, 1989

March 13, 2018
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Here’s a rather charming illustrated map showing the Bay Area’s BART commuter rail system as it looked in early 1989, plus a glimpse into the future as it was envisioned at the time. I particularly like the little details in this map – drawn by Art Richardson of BART’s “Documentation Division” back in 1983, it would seem – all the bridges are drawn accurately, and the skylines of San Francisco and Oakland are also well […]

Submission – Official Map: Montreal Commuter Rail Map, 2018

March 12, 2018
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Submitted by Ruofan, who says: Montreal’s transit agency recently redesigned its commuter rail map, and I think it looks awful compared to the old one! They’ve added so much clutter, by indicating literally every commuter bus line in the city (and even illustrating which segments of the lines run on bus lanes) and using thick, colourful lines for the metro. The downtown segment is almost unreadable! Transit Maps says: Yeah, I have to agree with […]

Historical Map: Sydney Tramways, 1921

February 23, 2018
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This is one of those maps where I’m not entirely sure if it’s the brainchild of a genius or the work of a madman. It’s an insanely detailed map-slash-diagram of tram routes in Sydney from 1921 by an unknown author that also attempts to indicate almost every major cross-street along the way. Intersections that are also designated as tram stops get a marker and increasingly larger labels to indicate their relative importance. Five different line […]

Future Map: Cascadia High-Speed Rail Network by Oran Viriyincy

February 14, 2018
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Created on behalf of a new advocacy group for true high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest – the aptly named CascadiaRail – this is probably my favourite map of 2018 so far. It’s clear, beautiful, representative of the region, and is wonderfully aspirational – presenting a clear and exciting vision of a possible future. I especially like that there’s no state or national borders shown at all: the region is instead defined by the natural […]

Historical Map: Suburban Bus Routes of Sydney, 1961

February 13, 2018
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The map on the reverse side of the previously featured diagram of downtown Sydney bus routes, showing an overview of routes throughout the city. The map even comments on its own shortcomings to the bottom left , with a disclaimer that almost apologetically states that “This map is intended only as a guide to the bus services.” Using the same colour-coding and ambiguous naming conventions as that diagram, the map is mainly notable for highlighting the […]

Historical Map: Location of City Bus Terminals, Sydney, 1961

February 4, 2018
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A map showing the main Sydney bus terminals and the routes which ran through them from December 1961. The route designations are an uncomfortable mix of streets the buses run along downtown (Pitt and Castlereagh Street Services) and eventual destinations (Northern Suburbs Services via the Harbour Bridge), which doesn’t really help to make the system user-friendly. The extensive legend below the map helps somewhat, but it’s all somewhat arcane. In practice, you remembered where the […]

Submission – Fantasy Map: Los Angeles Rapid Transit – the “Tom Bradley” System by Julian

January 28, 2018
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Submitted by Julian, who says: In the post-interurban era of Los Angeles, various proposals for a reinstatement of rail service surfaced from time to time in the political discourse. Starting in the early 60s, the plans often sought to replicate the model of the Bay Area Rapid Transit or Atlanta’s MARTA heavy rail systems. By the late 70s, the foremost proponents and planners of such a system were the then-dominant Southern California Rapid Transit District […]

Historical Map: Map of Kyoto and Vicinity, 1920

January 27, 2018
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Here’s a lovely old map of Kyoto, issued by the Miyako Hotel in 1920 for the benefit of its guests. The hotel is still there almost 100 years later, now owned by the Westin Group. The interurban streetcar to Otsu that once ran down the middle of the street in front of the hotel was abandoned in 1997, replaced by the underground Tōzai Line of the Kyoto Municipal Subway. The electric streetcars are displayed prominently on […]