All posts filed under: Historical Maps

Submission – Historical Map: Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Routes, 1952 by Carter Moore

March 28, 2019
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Historical Maps, Unofficial Maps
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Submitted by Carter, who says: I’ve always been fascinated with trains and tube-style maps, so I decided to make my own based on my home-town’s railroad. I found an old Official Guide which I used as my source for this map. I’d like to hear what your think of it. Transit Maps says: Carter says that this is his first map, and I think it’s absolutely amazing for a first effort. Even with an official […]

Historical Fantasy Map: Proposed 1974 Detroit Rapid Transit System by Jake Berman

March 25, 2019
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Jake Berman is one of those transit map design enthusiasts who are simply too prolific to note everything they do – suffice it to say that you should head over to his website and check out all the cool transit map things he makes. However, I do have to share this map – recreating a failed attempt at a south-east Michigan rail-based rapid transit system – if only because I think that Jake has absolutely […]

Historical Map: Seattle Transit Coach Routes, 1970

March 23, 2019
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It’s the end of an era in Seattle, as buses will no longer serve the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, instead being routed along surface streets above the tunnel from today onwards. The tunnel will now exclusively be used for light rail services, which will increase with the opening of East Link in the future. To commemorate this occasion, let’s have a look at an historical map showing a time when buses previously ran on the […]

Submission – Photo: MBTA Green Line Strip Map

March 7, 2019
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Submitted by Chris Coveney, who says: Pet MBTA peeve – there is NO reason that angle of the E-line standoff can’t match the D-line on the Green Line strip Map . (Now it will endlessly annoy you too!) Transit Maps says: It’s not just the mismatched angles of the branches that makes my eye twitch on this map, Chris. I can’t help but notice that all the stops on the “B” branch that were closed […]

Submission – Historical Map: New Jersey Commuter Rail, c.1971–1976

February 8, 2019
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Submitted by Shaul Picker, who says: I have a Flickr and save these images from eBay listings and elsewhere. This is from the NJ DOT, now NJ Transit. This map is from the 1970s, as indicated by the presence of the Bayonne Branch. Transit Maps says: This is a great find, Shaul – thanks for sharing! The best I can do to date this is that it’s after 1971 (the formation of Amtrak), but before […]

Submission – Historical Transit of Dunedin, New Zealand by Sam van der Weerden

February 6, 2019
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Submitted by Sam, who says: After finishing this map early last year I think it’s finally time to submit it!Dunedin, NZ had the second cable car system in the world (after San Francisco), as well as an extensive network of trams, with some ferries and rail as well. This is a map of the greatest extent of that old network, including historical closing dates and old line numbers. None of this infrastructure is around now […]

Historical Map: European Rail Connections from Frankfurt, 1928

February 1, 2019
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Here’s a superb visualization of the fastest travel times by rail to major European cities from Frankfurt am Main (here rendered in its obsolete English form of “Frankfort”) in 1928. The striking time bands – a form of isochrone – are rendered in bold alternating concentric “target” circles around the city itself, represented by a modernist “F” logo. For the most part, the cities seem to placed along correct headings relative to Frankfurt, although the […]

Historical Map: Map of the Laurelhurst Addition and Streetcar Lines, Portland, Oregon, c.1912

January 23, 2019
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Here’s a handsome map from a prospectus produced in the early 20th century to promote the exclusive new Laurelhurst addition in Portland, Oregon. Prominently shown in yellow “gold” ink are the three streetcar lines that provided service to the neighbourhood — the Rose City Park line, the Montavilla line, and the Sunnyside line. Streetcar lines to other parts of the city are also clearly shown, just not given the exclusive treatment of the other three. […]

Historical Map: MUNI Route Changes, January 27, 1982

December 5, 2018
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Sent my way by Marcin Wichary on Twitter is this rather adorable little illustrated map. It’s from the front page of a leaflet issued to introduce new – and quite substantial – changes to routes in San Francisco, moving from a radial pattern that centred on downtown to more of a gridlike pattern covering the whole city. The changes also introduced the concept of timed transfers at some stations to eliminate long waits for transfers. The illustration […]