I’m trying to find a rail map of Alabama in the 1960’s so I can show my grandfather what used to be around his farm. More importantly I’m trying to find a map of Calhoun County alabama cause that is where it is. Over the years iI have been able to spot what could have been a diamond and possibly a busy junction back in the day, but unfortunately, all but one line is abandoned. Thanks for the help.
If you live near thrift stores that sell books, you could probably find a Hammonds Atlas from the 1950s for a couple of dollars, which would give you a one page map of Alabama showing all of the common carrier railroads and a numbered list showing their names.
During the early 1960s, Calhoun County was served by 4 mainlines.
The Louisville and Nashville ran from Gadsden through Anniston and down to Talledega.
Seaboard Air Line (SCL after 1967) had an Atlanta to Birmingham line through Piedmont which crossed the L&N in Wellington.
Southern had the other two lines, one of which ran between Atlanta and Birmingham through Anniston. The other came down from Rome GA, crossed the SAL in Piedmont, then went through Anniston and down to Talledega.
The USGS maps on Terraserver may help as well. They are from different years, depending on what scale you are looking at.
http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=17&Z=16&X=23&Y=145&W=1&qs=|anniston||