Sanborn Maps

[trainman203]

I discussed these maps lately in another thread, fire insurance maps updated periodically for very many communities that happen to show railroad trackwork existing at the time.

I am fascinated by these maps and saddened also because nearly all the trackwork shown in these maps circa 1950 is gone today, graphically documenting the decline in rail traffic and its  everyday importance to local commerce.

These maps are great resources in designing layout switching facilities and types of industries.  Nothing quite as good as looking at the prototype! 

Has anyone else consulted these maps? What have you found?  I found in looking at 1909 maps of my hometown that lumber-related facilities like sawmills and planing mills were once a major player for the railroads there at the time. Their disappearance coincided with the nearly complete logging out of virgin Cypress Forest in the area in the 1920's.  The 1909 maps explain to me for the first time why there were a couple of spurs that, when I was living there 50 years later,  were abandoned and had no explanation for their existence.  I also now have a very strong reason to believe that Cypress lumber was a big reason that the (later) Missouri Pacific branch was built at all in that very same year.

[jward]

I do not consult the Sanborn maps, but I do frequently look at the old USGS topo maps. They are usually at 1:62500 or 1:125000 scale so they aren't as detailed as the Sanborn maps but they do show the larger picture, especially in areas where multiple railroads fought for right of ways in challenging territory. It is absolutely amazing some of the places railroads, especially logging railroads, reached back in the early 1900s. If anybody is interested in these maps the best online source I've found is here: https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/topo_us.html

[trainman203]

The Sanborn maps are really in towns and cities since their actual focus is fire protection.  But combine them with historical topographical maps that Jeffrey is describing, and you can really put together a complete historical picture of selected periods in time.

Here are two samples, the T&NO division point 20 miles west of my hometown in 1940.  The first one is the west end, the second is the car shops on the east end.  I know it's pretty small compared to some much bigger railroads, but it actually is of a scale that could fit a Model Railroad fairly well with a little compression.

Nothing is left of this complex today except for the passenger station, and it is actually a complete rebuild within the exterior brick walls, the only thing that survived a mid-1980's fire.


https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4014lm.g033451949/?sp=25

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4014lm.g033451949/?sp=24

[Len]

Thanks for the tip about these maps! I was able to find detailed renderings of long gone industrial areas in the New London and Groton areas of Connnecticut, where I grew up, I've always wanted to model.

Len

[trainman203]

That's great, Len!

😎😎😎

[Len]

One of the industries I want to model is the Miner & Alexander Lumber Company, which can be seen in this map:

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3784nm.g3784nm_g011521954/?sp=40&st=image&r=-1.119,-0.105,3.239,1.385,0

The tracks are long gone, and all that's left of the NH yard is the through mainline tracks. The Lumber Co. buildings are still there, and can be seen clearly using 'street view' in Google Maps. Use 150 Howard St, New London Ct as the starting address.

The short stub track off what appears to be a three way switch was used to store what I can only describe as a "motor cart" used to move cars around in the lumber yard. It would pull out to the end of open track before a cut of cars for the wood shop came in, then push them down to the wood shop after being cut loose from the NH switcher that delivered them. The wood shop is where customer ordered doors, windows, etc., would be built. A jib boom crane and forklifts were used for unloading things.

Len

[trainman203]

These maps are invaluable for period modeling.  They give younger people a glimpse of the past, to how important the railroads used to be not really that long ago, and how their local service aspect has completely disappeared. 

I remember in my own little town spurs leading to warehouses and businesses all over town with box cars spotted at them.  Most of those businesses are gone now, but the ones that are still there lost their tracks a long time ago and 18 wheelers are backed up to them now.

[Len]

I remember in my own little town spurs leading to warehouses and businesses all over town with box cars spotted at them.  Most of those businesses are gone now, but the ones that are still there lost their tracks a long time ago and 18 wheelers are backed up to them now.

That's something I'm noticing as I go through the maps for where I grew up. Spurs leading to businesses all over the place, long gone now, that I just took for granted as a kid.

Len