I read somewhere that during WWII the US gov. took ariel photographs of all the railroads and line side industries. I can’t remember where I read this, could anyone tell me where to look for this information.
try the government archives
A better bet might be the USGS topographical survey. I’m not sure of the web address, but any good search engine, such as “askjeeves.com” could get you there. Try entering the word “maps”.
Good luck, Todd C.
I have several topographic “quad” maps for this exact purpose. The bottom of each map reads, “FOR SALE BY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, P.O. BOX 25286 DENVER, COLORADO 80225.” The dates of the maps I have are 1963, so this information may be out of date. The sources I used for my quad maps are “Backcountry Experience” and “Gardenswartz,” two “outdoor” outfitters in Durango, Colorado. Both of these stores supply quad maps for the area around Durango, Colorado which is not only great hiking and Jeep touring country, but also rich in narrow gauge railroading history.
So, if you know of any “outdoor” stores in the area you’re looking for, try them.
As far as aerial photography is concerned, you can get whatever you want from a variety of sources on the internet, but you’ll have to pay for photos with a decent resolution. Just do a search at www.google.com for satellite and aerial photos and see what comes up.
Good Luck,
RC