Another Really Big Map, this time from Manchester Victoria Station in England. Beautiful!
Source: robertknight16/Flickr
Photo: Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways Tile Map
Historical Map: Sydney Suburban Rail Network, 1969
Here’s an interesting map from my hometown of Sydney, Australia from around 1969. Unusually, it doesn’t display different services as separate coloured route lines: everything is shown as one uniform orange line. It also displays the distance from Sydney Central station (in miles), and the elevation (in feet) of each station. Non-electrified lines are shown as dashed lines. These odd features lead me to believe that this is a map for internal NSW Railways use, and was never intended for use by the general public.
Our rating: Of historical interest, but pretty bland and bare-bones. 2 stars.
Source: navarzo4/Flickr – link no longer active
Historical Map: Boston Commuter Rail Map, Mid-1980s
Great old map of Boston’s extensive commuter rail network. I really like the way the subway lines are included to give scale to the whole network, and I especially like the square that the main interchange stations on the subway lines make — an understated design choice that gives a nice central focal point to the map.
I suspect that the odd colours of the Orange and Red Lines are due to aging ink discolouration rather than being that colour originally.
Source: ck4049/Flickr
UPDATE: Portland MAX In-Car Map
Just as I post about the in-car maps on Portland, Oregon’s MAX trains, I notice that TriMet has just released a new version (pardon the bad cell phone photo; I was getting off the train as I snapped it!).
The new map has two important changes from the previous one: JELD-WEN Field is correctly named (instead of the old PGE Park – showing exactly why commercial names on transit maps are a Bad Idea), and the South PSU stations are shown as opening later this year.
Although the map initially looks quite similar, there have been a lot of little tweaks and amendments. The route lines now have a thin gap between them, whereas they butted up to each other before. Stations are now denoted by a small white circle contained wholly within the route line, which works better than the big black-edged dots that made every station look like a transit station; although now perhaps there’s not enough emphasis on important stations.
I really miss the line that joins the Rose Quarter TC and Interstate/Rose Quarter stations – that one-block walking transfer is a hugely important part of the MAX system, and needs to be shown.
Not a big fan of the way that the Green Line has to cross over the Red and Blue to head south after Gateway, but the only other alternative is to cross the Green Line under the Red and Blue as the lines leave downtown (as I did on my Unified Rail Map of Portland), which may not be so practical on a map like this.
Overall, I think this map is a step in the right direction from the previous one, but it’s still not fantastic.
The British Rail Corporate Identity Manual
Following on from yesterday’s post, here’s an amazing resource for those of you interested in trains or 1960s corporate design. The Doublearrow website showcases almost the entire British Rail Corporate Identity Manual… not just its original 1965 release, but also additions and amendments released throughout the years, all the way up to 1985. This comprehensive document covers just about every aspect of the BR identity, from the symbol and typefaces through station signage, vehicle livery and staff uniforms. Definitely worth checking out!
Photo: British Rail Eastern In-Car Map
A lovely example of British Rail’s house style of the 1960s and 70s, now residing at the East Anglian Railway Museum. This map is from between 1965 (the introduction of the “double-arrow” British Rail identity), and 1978 (when the “Eastern” component of the logo changed from sitting in an outlined box to a solid box like the British Rail text). Can anyone date it more definitively?
Source: Deptford Draylons/Flickr
Photo: The World’s Biggest Rail Map?
In St. Petersburg, Russia. Actually, now that I come to think of it, the SNCF map in the ticket hall in Gare Montparnasse in Paris is pretty damn huge, too.
Source: 2 Girlz Loving Life/Flickr
Official Map: Metrô Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2012
Here’s a map that’s going to be seen a lot by tourists over the next few years as Rio de Janeiro hosts both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Will it stand up to such international scrutiny and join other transit maps as a definitive icon of its city?
Probably not.
Have we been there? No.
What we like: Suitably bright and exotic Brazilian colour scheme. Relatively clean and simple design.
What we don’t like: Poorly drawn route lines with some very uneven curves, which clash stylistically with the very straight “Subway Bus” route lines. Heavy-handed elements throughout the map, including very large and bold text for station names and enormous bicycle parking icons. Inconsistent placement of connection information: why is the “Cosme Velho” label placed below the station it connects to, when nearby stations have the label placed neatly to the side? Some absolutely hideous distorted text in the legend below the map.
Our rating: Not great. 2 stars.
Source: Official Metrô Rio website
Photo: Rainbow Route Map
Possibly the most abstract and colourful train route map I’ve ever seen. Looks like it’s from a commuter train in northern Poland (around Gdansk and Sopot). Major stations get a slightly bigger dot and their name in white. The overall effect is like a planet-heavy map of the solar system…
Source: szogun000/Flickr
Photo: In-Car Light Rail Map, Portland, Oregon
I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of these in-car maps from my town of Portland. While they serve a purpose and fit in a very awkward vertical space, they’re neither elegant or match the design of the full light rail map. I particularly dislike the station symbol, which makes every stop — regardless of importance — look like an interchange station.
Source: localmn/Flickr