Here’s an absolutely cracking diagrammatic map that appeared as a fold-out sheet in Union Pacific annual reports from about 1978 through 1981, maybe slightly longer. I first saw this as a photograph of a partial part of the map, but it didn’t take me too long to find the whole thing on the internet via the Union Pacific Historical Society’s website.

The map features a rigid and consistent use of a 30-degree angle, some neat abstract icons, nice differentiation between single- and double-track sections of line, and a clear and comprehensive legend. And it all looks great in bright colours reversed out of a black background: very late 1970s corporate design! What’s not to love?

Of course, the nature of the Union Pacific network means the eastern half of the map looks a bit empty, but there’s not a lot that could have been done about that. And there’s one error on the West Coast that I noticed and seems to have persisted through a few iterations of the map (though it was correct in the photo I first saw) – the positions of Aberdeen and Hoquiam in Washington state are reversed.

Our final word: A fantastic piece of late-1970s corporate design. It’s no wonder they used this beauty for a few years!

Source: Union Pacific Historical Society (PDF link)