What Map-of-the-Month concepts do you have?
A map of Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1960 next to a 2000 map to show what has happened to the rail lines would be informative.
The Soo Line tracks in 1970 and 2005 is what I would like to see sometime.
How about maps of the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Intermodal volumes in 1985 and 2005?
Andrew
Streetcar or LRV lines, 1960 compared to 2008.
Or the same for commuter-rail lines.
For what it’s worth- I’d buy a book, based on map of the months. Railroads+statistics+history+map geeks=[:P]
For the years in question, it would probably be positive. Almost all streetcar lines had been converted or abandoned prior to 1960, so most of those that remained continued in operation. There have also been a fair number of new operations started.
As far as commuter rail, with the possible exception of Pittsburgh and and some New Jersey lines, most discontinuances after 1960 were on lines that were little more than one or two round trips daily, inbound in AM and outbound in PM. Again, there have been several new operations since 1960, such as GO Transit, Tri-Rail, VRE, etc.
So would I–and how about adding to it the maps from the series on larger railroad locations? It isn’t out of the question for Kalmbach to do such things–I remember magazine-type publications, not to mention hardcover books, that were compilations of articles.
I’d love to see a map of Chicago listing the top 50 locations where the railroads interchange cars with other, with the number of cars interchanged at each of those locations. Would those numbers be available to Kalmbach? Would Blue Island be the top location? Where would be tops for UP interchange?
Hopefully the “What’s left of the Rock Island” map will be out soon. Perhaps the same treatment could be given to Illinois Central Gulf as well.
State maps, now vs then, are always appreciated, but they must be very difficult to put together, and prone to errors.
Denver would make a great then/now map by comparing 1920-1930 with today.
I suspect that interchange points are more of a paperwork thing, rather than a physical location. If you’re talking about Blue Island, the fantastic railroad junction, I suspect that the number is pretty low, possibly restricted to cars going to or from the CN’s yard there. Blue Island Yard, on the IHB but not very near to the Junction (or the city, for that matter), probably has a significant number, as does CSX’s Barr Yard.
A lot of individual cars just have the rather nebulous “Chicago” as the interchange point. You might show cars being interchanged at Proviso, for example, that actually travel on the UP as far as Ogden Junction before going to NS or CSX.
As far as actual traffic density, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that CREATE has had some statistics compiled on its behalf. I suspect that those figures would be more useful, in showing the average reader where he’s likely to find some action.
A decent map of Chicago would almost have to be poster-sized.
Carl:
A CREATE type map of traffic density, interchange, and intermodal activity would be nice.
ed
Thanks for all of your comments, guys!
Since I’m basically responsible for shepherding the map through each month (and coming up with many of the ideas) it’s good to hear your feedback. As you can imagine these are the most labor-intensive two pages in the entire magazine!
I’m enjoying hearing your ideas for future maps. Some of you helped me out with the mileposts concept (active track measured from Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Minneapolis-St. Paul) which we’ll turn into a map at some point.
And, yes, I definitely want to do a “Whatever Happened to the Rock Island” map as well. We’ve done PRR, NYC, Milwaukee Road, North Western. I may need to do one on Wabash/Nickel Plate as well.
The big challenge is that there often is not one single source we can turn to when we’re putting the maps together. You have to look at multiple sources, which often means you find discrepancies, which means trying to resolve them in the best way possible and figuring out what really might have occurred. It’s a little like those CSI TV shows.
Keep the good ideas coming. But maybe give me an easy one every once in a while so I don’t lose my sanity completely!
Matt Van Hattem
Senior Editor
Here’s an easy one, Matt–judging from the progress on the Railroad History Quiz on the Forum, we could use a map of Orrville, Ohio!
How about a where the trains are on a busy railroad map. I cite as an example the 12:01 A. M. Thursday, October 18 1973 map on pages 74 and 75 of Fred Frailey’s book Blue Streak Merchandise. That map showed the 73 Espee/Cotton Belt trains between El Paso, Texas and East St. Louis, Illinois. And it had the motive power and tonnage for each train.
Ahem! [:I] Look at the “History Quiz” thread for more about that topic.
PS: Orrville, OH is where Smucker’s jellys and jams come from. Not that that would get us any closer to an answer.
Thanks Carl,
I was thinking more along the lines of where railroads actually hand the traffic over to other railroads. Do you guys usually run trains over to CSX and NS yards and return empty, while they bring cars over to your yard?
I think that we usually take trains to their yards and cab back. Their crews probably do the same thing. (I’m also pretty sure that we have some direct trains to their yards in town, just as they have trains on which the road crews terminate at Proviso.) The way things are going these days, I doubt that a yard crew could take a train across town, yard it, bring another train back, and yard that before the Hours of Service caught up with them.
My apologies for being so unsure about such things–I’m fairly isolated from real railroading in my railroad job!
No problem. I consider your work to be real railroading as well.
I’m thinking Proviso, Clearing or Barr would be the top interchange point in the Chicago area, judged by where railroads hand the cars over.
One of the many things I have in my collection is an excellent range of maps for many years that were old Forestry service maps, and they show even the abandoned logging lines as well as mainline tracks that no longer see service and every logging road that is still accessible to get near these abandoned lines even though the RR lines are heavily overgrown today. It has been about twenty years since I purchased any of those maps but I will have to buy the latest to see how they compare. Unfortunately they are not in book format but very large folded maps. Even carefully stored in there folded condition they deteriate over the years. If I purchase any more I wil lay them out flat and have them laminated that way. I fortunately have a friend that can do the laminating at a reasonable price.
Here in Stockton we have a museum that has pictures and maps of the old streetcar routes in this city that vanished before WW II . In fact until the newspaper published a picture about two years ago I wasn’t even aware we had streetcars here. With my curiosity aroused I went to the museum and found a great deal of information on the streetcar system including old route maps etc. They gave me permission to copy whatever I wanted and I have a very good idea of how and why they operated to where.
Maybe someday we will have them again if the city continues to grow.
Al - in - Stockton
At the Clinton yard office the other day I noticed information for the Illinois crews, grouped by destination, for trains going to other than Proviso. I’ve also overheard them in the past about where they were taking their train, if all went well.
Now, if they actually can make that destination before running out of time is another matter.
Jeff
That would be an interesting list to see, Jeff–I could probably explain most of the destinations.
Those maps are always great.
An understandable version of the CREATE map is a way to make the concept more concrete.
Andrew