Motivation for these Maps
My depot mapping project began as a way to display the pictures
I've taken of passenger train stations. During
the early phase of my depot-hunting exploits I simply visited
towns to see if I could locate a depot. While I found this an
interesting "treasure hunt", it did result in a lot of wasted
time and gas!
Once I discovered the national database of railroad depots (www.rrshs.org)
my hit rate improved
dramatically! However, it still took me significant time to
determine which depots existed along various routes I might be
traveling - what counties would I be passing through, and where
were the depots located within these counties.
To resolve this issue I started mapping the
locations of depots I hadn't yet visited. Eventually I switched
to an on-line map with depot locations color-coded for visited
or not, with or without pictures, etc. These maps allowed me to
optimize my routes on picture-taking weekends. And, when
traveling out-of-state, I could tell what depots would be
close-by during the trip.
What
the Maps Offer
The
maps include the locations of depots that still exist, and the
locations where they were originally sited if they have been
moved. The maps do not mark the locations of depots that
no longer exist. Just keeping track of the depots that still
exist is tough since many have been moved multiple times, been
split in half, converted to other uses, etc!
The map markers are color coded, and clicking on a marker
will show info and/or pictures.
The color code used on the maps is as follows:
Green
- A depot on (or near) its original site, with a photo available
Red
- A depot on (or near) its original site, without a photo
Blue
- A relocated depot, with a photo available
Yellow
- A relocated depot, without a photo
Purple
- The site where a relocated depot was originally sited
One
subtle point is that all markers are not visible from the
high-level view of a state's map. That is because depots in
close proximity have their markers so closely placed that they
appear as one. If a marker's shadow is darker than the others,
that is an indication that multiple markers are at that
location - zoom in for a better look. Zoom in on the map by double-clicking an area
near the depots you're interested in. Do this several times
until your low-level view allows you to discern the individual
markers.
If you're just interested in looking at pictures of depots, the
states with the most pictures are (in order) North Carolina,
Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, South Carolina, Ohio and Iowa. To see the complete list
click here.
Select a state from the list on the left side of this screen, then either click on a green
or blue map
marker, or click on the "View All Photos" icon at the upper left
corner of each state's page.
Note: I don't count a depot as relocated unless it has been
moved more than a few blocks - depots moved back from the tracks, or
moved across the street, don't count as relocated. I'm sure
there are a number of errors since it isn't always obvious from
the addresses / descriptions how far a depot has been moved. (It seems that every wooden depot has been moved, while few
brick/stone depots have been!)
Also note that I don't have all 50 states covered. In fact, I
don't have all 48 contiguous states covered. Three states
(Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Carolina) do not
have RRSHS-compliant data available, nor have I included Hawaii
or Alaska. Although not in the RRSHS database, I have included
markers and pictures for South Carolina thanks to the work of
John Jones.
Geotagging
In
order to plot the depots on the maps, I need to determine the
latitude/longitude of each depot. Unfortunately, over 10% of the depots listed in the RRSHS database
have no address specified, and another 20%-30% have vague
addresses. Therefore, in many instances the plots are
off-base, especially in large metro areas. If you find instances where
depot markers are misplaced
please send me a
note. To determine the latitude/longitude you can zoom
in on the map to locate the depot. Double-click on the depot
location to center the map on that spot. You will then see the
coordinates in text below the map - that is the info I need.
