A great photograph of what looks like a wall-mounted map showing subway service in Philadelphia dated June 1968, with particular emphasis on the Market-Frankford Line.

The map is interesting for quite a few reasons, not the least of which is that it would be one of the last maps of the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) era, as the PTC would be acquired by its successor, SEPTA, in September 1968, just a few months later. The handsome winged PTC logo can be seen at the top right of the map.

Also seen just before its transformation into the modern line we know today is the Bridge Line over the Delaware River to Camden, the precursor to today’s PATCO Speedline to Lindenwold. The conversion of the line to the Speedline would commence in August 1968, truncating the Broad Street Line spur at a new station at 8th and Market. As seen on this map, the spur used to run concurrently with Bridge Line services all the way through to 15th-16th & Locust.

The map is also notable for its depiction of the rush hour A/B stopping pattern on the Market-Frankford line, with squares representing stations that all trains call at, and lettered circles showing the A- or B-only stations.

Stylistically, I really like the elegant way that the two rivers fade out almost wave-by-wave, and there’s some pretty solid mid-century American typography as well.

Our final word: A good-looking map with some great historical context as well. What’s not to love?

Source: David Pirmann/Flickr