Here’s an interesting comparison of three different postcards of the Paris Métro system – one of which uses the official RATP artwork, and two more which definitely don’t. All three are of similar vintage (from at least 2007, as they all show the southern end of Line 14 at Olympiades station, which opened in that year). So they’re all basically showing the same thing, but take different approaches towards it. The first postcard uses the […]
After my previous post about this old track layout diagram from Berlin, reader Rolando Peñate brought this awesome project to my attention – a beautiful track layout diagram of the London Underground, DLR and Overground, complete with platform layouts, disused platforms, yards and sidings. What’s really amazing about this diagram, however, is that its creator, Andrew Godwin, has essentially automated its production. He explains on his website: The map is created with an automated tool […]
In a tram in Karlsruhe, Germany. Source: mostlybytrain/Flickr
We’ve already covered the official Oslo T-Bane map, so it’s interesting to have a look at a completely different take on it; one that takes the “Circle Line” concept to its logical extreme. This piece is the work of Francisco Dans, a design student in London. Have we been there? No. What we like: Interesting experiment using arcs and circles, while still maintaining some level of relative placement. What we don’t like: Adobe Illustrator is […]
Not a transit diagram for public use, but a track layout of the system for operational planning. The original post on Flickr dates it between 1929-1934, based on visible names. Source: Forest Pines/Flickr
Apparently, you’re at the Cardinal Lemoine Metro station in Paris… just a guess! Source: Ed…../Flickr
As promised, here’s the time lapse video I made while creating my International E-Road Network diagram (E-Roads are the rough European equivalent to America’s Interstate highways, although not all European countries signpost them, or even acknowledge their existence. It’s complicated!). Each frame of this video is a screenshot from Adobe Illustrator at the same zoom setting, taken roughly 30 minutes of working time apart. For me, the interesting thing is how organic the process looks […]
Another entry in the “Gigantic Map on the Wall of a Railway Station” category, this time at the SNCF station in Bordeaux, France. The modern signage in the foreground and on the ticket office looks sadly out of place in the grandeur of this amazing space. Source: henribergius/Flickr
Budapest boasts the second oldest underground metro line in the world: its Line 1 (Yellow Line) dates from 1896 and was added the the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002. Only the London Underground predates it. Wikipedia also claims (without attribution, unfortunately) that Budapest’s comprehensive tram service has the busiest “traditional city tram line” in the world where tram lines 4 and 6 combine, with the world’s longest passenger trams (54-metre long Siemens Combino units) […]
Oooh, pretty LED lights – so futuristic! I like that the orange lights show the “expected route”, as if the train could suddenly leave the tracks and go a completely different direction. Source: Ravenous Pigeon/Flickr
