All posts tagged: Pennsylvania

Official Proposed Map: “SEPTA Metro” Map and Wayfinding, 2021

September 7, 2021
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After teasing this for a while now, SEPTA has finally dropped their recommendations for a completely revamped (and long overdue!) rapid rail network map and wayfinding system. And I have to say, I’m cautiously optimistic about things so far. Note: The image above is a screenshot of an online interactive map that omits the map’s title and legend. The printed map has this information included. The first and most obvious difference when compared to previous […]

Historical Map: SEPTA Regional Rail Map, 1989

November 16, 2020
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Submitted by Shaul Picker, who says: I found this map of the regional rail system in Philly from this 1989 SEPTA map to be interesting. I don’t know of any other map to use octagons. This map is notable for having “temporary” shuttle buses to Newtown and West Chester (service never returned), and for noting that service to Ivy Ridge on the R6 was “temporarily discontinued.” Service also never returned here. Note proposed stations at […]

Historical Map: Market-Frankford Line Map, Philadelphia, June 1968

September 7, 2020
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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 […]

Historical Map: Proposal for Rapid Transit in Pittsburgh, October 1973

August 6, 2019
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A map presented as part of an overview of future rapid transit prepared by the Port Authority of Allegheny County. See the whole document here. It’s a pretty basic thing, designed in that chunky 1970s style, but it’s interesting to compare it to what Pittsburgh has ended up building. Solid orange lines are proposed express commuter bus services, while dashed orange lines represent fixed guideway lines. If the lines are cased in black, then they […]

Historical Map – Bus and Streetcar Lines on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, c. 1935

June 7, 2018
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An unusual perspective here – looking down the length of the mile-long diagonal parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (and its famous steps), with bus and streetcar routes highlighted in a lovely shade of apple green. Does a lot of work with just two printed colours – a reminder that limited palettes can sometimes be just as effective as full-colour. Really quite lovely. Prints of this map are now available in the Transit Maps […]

Historical Map: Subway-Surface Lines, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1978

September 22, 2017
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Here’s a great late-1970s diagram that I haven’t seen before of Philadelphia’s subway-surface trolley lines. From the looks of things, this might well have been a strip map within the trolley cars themselves. The subway-surface lines are given full prominence here, with the rest of Philly’s rapid transit rail system represented by very thin route lines mainly confined to the right third of the map. The five trolley routes are treated very diagrammatically, each following […]

Submission – Fantasy Map: Harrisburg Area Rapid Transit by James Gibbons

April 13, 2017
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Submitted by James, who says: This is a dream/concept I have for light rail transit in the Harrisburg, PA region. For a rather small metro area, there is pretty bad traffic, and oddly spaced suburban development of varying densities. I believe light rail transit in the region would spur more responsible developments and relieve traffic on both back roads and expressways, while encouraging walking. The system focuses on connecting suburban communities with the central core […]

Historical Map: Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. Trackage Map, 1910

April 13, 2017
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What appears at first glance to be a street map of Philadelphia in the early 20th century is actually not what it seems. All this map depicts is streetcar track and mainline railroads (in traditional ticked lines), showing how incredibly dense the streetcar network was at the time, especially downtown. Interestingly, a lot of the system appears to be single-track only. Nowadays, only a few vestigial trolley lines recall the days when streetcars reigned supreme […]

Submission – Unofficial Map: SEPTA Regional Rail and Rapid Transit by Sam Winfield

April 26, 2016
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Submitted by Sam, who says: Hey! For my Graphic Design Thesis, I created a Graphics Standard Update proposal for SEPTA. This includes a System Map (attached), a line map, and various other identity pieces. The most challenging part of the project was creating a Transit map that organized the current information in a way that felt unique to Philadelphia, and increased readability. Transit Maps says: A bold and radical departure from the status quo from […]

Submission – Fantasy Map: A. Merritt Taylor’s Rapid Transit Plan for Philadelphia by Arthur Etchells

February 17, 2016
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Submitted by Arthur, who says: I’ve been a fan of your website for some time and have dabbled in creating some transit maps of Philadelphia, utilizing many of your tips. The latest is a Vignelli inspired map based on A. Merritt Taylor’s plan for future rapid transit in Philadelphia. The plan is from 1913 and if executed would have left Philadelphia a very different place.  [This 1913 plan was featured on Transit Maps in October […]