Where can i find defunct railroads-?

Question

i work in an industrial park area and there are alot of old railroad tracks and im just curious about their history... but the few maps ive checked (google and yahoo maps) have no history of the tracks, is there a legit site or should i put on my hiking boots?

Answer 1

I don't know if you have an Ordnance Survey in the US but this is the best way to find out about disused rail lines.

Suggest you check out trainweb (address below)

Answer 2

Allex,

What area is this you speak of?  I have some historic maps of my own that may help in pinpointing what railroad(s) owned the abandoned tracks in your area.  In any event, the two links below may help as well.

Answer 3

be specific, what location is this?  i probably have the info.

if you are looking on your own, frequently your local library or historical society would be the 1st place to look.  they will frequently have maps from every year or so, and you could probably even trace ownership thru the years as the railroad names change.

2nd choice would be Official Railway Guide.  these have been printed every month (or so), since 1869.  they are hard to find as city libraries do not have them.  go to a university research library for your area.  if you are up to traveling, i know that my university, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has the entire set from 1869.  fascinating stuff to look through.  these are probably best for longer distance rails like intercity, but there are many short lines as well, and most frequently maps or timetable points of industrial trackage are included.

3rd choice, find a local railroad buff.  every town has one somewhere.  if you want to know history of that rail, some old-timer rail buff probably knows it.

4th choice, if all these fail, try to find a local model railroad club.  model railroader magazine (and online) has listings, and every city lg city has at least 1 group, many small cities and universities have groups too.  and they are worldwide. some people in model railroad clubs are also rr buffs; some clubs try to model their own city/region, and may have info/maps about your area.

Answer 4

Your local city government carries maps of prior years, you can research the railroads by visiting a government center that allows access to all the old maps of prior years. LIbraries would be hit-or-miss with that. Also, find a local train buff to tell you what they are. You can also hit antique shops, which often have old maps, which will list the railroads.

  Forget Google and Yahoo, they'll only give you current info. Good luck on your hunt.

- The Gremlin Guy -

visit www.Flickr.com, see Gremlingts and Tracks to Nowhere Group photos. From Richmond, VA industrial park area, from WWII era.