OpenHistoricalMap/Projects/Railways
This project covers an effort to recreate railroads and railways throughout history. The invention of Locomotive engines and the development of Train technology on Railway track as a form of Rail transport resulted in the construction of an innumerable distance of railways by both public and private entities (operator=*). Common carrier railways are often described structurally using terms such as Main line (railway), Branch line, Siding (rail) or Rail yard (see OpenRailwayMap/Tagging). In the United States, Railroad classes are used to categorize railways. Common carrier railways are generally longer tenured than specialized railways such as Military railways, Industrial railway and Forest railway and often undergo many changes in operator, alignment, and extent. The fine details of these changes over time, leading up the current status of railways, is of particular interest to mapping in OpenHistoricalMap as a potential resource for Industrial archaeology, Transportation plannigng, Regional planning, and other areas of study.
Historic maps
- Old original settlers maps - Sanborn maps - LoC, etc. - Baist maps - Time Tables - Plot Maps - Track Charts - operations maps - TOPO
Tagging
See Tagging from OpenRailwayMap/Tagging
Contact
The mappers for this project include: Natfoot
Starting Out
Use a number of sources to pique an interest in a particular line. Usually starting out by looking at TOPO for basic alignment of a railroad. It is not guaranteed this is exact but is a good starting point for the lines. Access aerial imagery or if available in your area, USGS 3DEP Elevation Data to identify exact alignment, embankments and cuttings. Then use Wikipedia and other local historic sources to provide dates. Follow up by adding detail from historic photos, Plot Maps, Track Charts, Timetables and operational diagrams.
How to Map
When mapping railroads add the railroad structure as railway=rail and then add the date that it was laid in sections of the line. If you know the details of the railroad as in days of the railroad add that in all small sections if you know it as year list a section to the year of it's completion. If the railroad line is pulled up place the end_date as such. Just like in OSM if the corridor persist after rail is pulled list railway=abandoned to the new line, road, or trail.
When mapping ownership, operator and name changes add the data as a relation. This will allow date information to be added to the line many times over.
Resources
United States
US National Archives
- Railroad Right-of-Way Maps (Department of Interior, General Land Office, 1872-1875)[1]
Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive
Great Northern and Northern Pacific Joint Archive
- - BN Station Plats (also predecessor railroads)
- - BN Structure Drawings (also predecessor railroads)
- - Example of Structure Data, this is a change in structure
- - GN Valuation Maps
- - GN Timetables
Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Association research
- - NP Condened Profile & Track Charts
- - NP Subdivision Maps
- - NP Yard Diagrams by division.
- - NP List of Interlocking towers
- - List of more Resources and Databases.
Other PNWRRA Links
- BNSF and predecessors Track Segment Listings
- BNSF and predecessors Station Listings by Segments
- BNSF and predecessors Track Segments & Stations "unnumbered"
- Historic Photos in the Archive
- Cascade Rail Foundation (PNW Milwaukee Road)
- Great Northern railway Historical Society
- Spokane Portland and Seattle Railway Historical Society(SPS)
- SPS System Map
Multi Modal Ways
Michigan
Contributors
Natfoot