Map of abandoned North American railways

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
21

We had a humongously long thread on this not long ago. Reviewing that alone might produce both a good ‘database’ and the overhead pictures to illustrate much of it.

22

“We” meaning the internet? The Model Railroad forum? Can you narrow it down, perhaps.

I found this thread at Trains Magazine from 2007.

http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/96392.aspx?page=1

… and this one from 2006.

http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/76967.aspx

Thank you, Ed

23

Thread I’m thinking of was many pages by about a year and a half ago. It wasn’t a subject of interest to me, but it was many pages of posts long by then. I do not remember whether it was primarily turntables or engine service facilities.

24

I found one at Trains that ran to 20 pages. It seems to have petered out lately.

Thanks. I’ve read through most of it.

Regards, Ed

25

Post deleted.

26

I’m not sure if they are using a definition of rails still in place but not used, or if it’s just incomplete. But my reasoning towards the former is looking up the former C&F branch of the Reading. Beyond a certain point, it just ends ont he map. Past that point, new development has covered over where the tracks and even a yard once were, and none of that area is represented on the map.

A lot of the PRR that is now the Thun Trail is also not depicted.

The whole Reading Perkiomen Branch is shown - I didn’t think that was completely dead yet. Seems like just a few years ago, I rode an excursion from Emmaus to East Greenville. But I guess that was over 12 years ago now.

–Randy

27

While not a book about abandoned trackage, I have a book titled A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946: Volume 4: Illinois, Wisconsin, and Upper Michigan by Richard C. Carpenter.

It features detailed, and I mean detailed, drawings of all of the track that existed in 1946. My book covers Illinois, Wisconsin, and Upper Michigan, and it is one of 5 volumes authored by Mr. Carpenter ending with Volume 5: Iowa and Minnesota. It was published in 2013 and there have been none published since.

Rich

28

For those interested in Carpenter:

Vol 1 is Mid-Atlantic States

2 is New York & New Engkand

3 is Indiana, Lower Michigan & Ohio

4 as noted is Illinois, Wisconsin, and Upper Michigan, and 5 is Iowa and Minnesota. Copies appear to be in the range of $50-60 shipped.