I mentioned on the 18xx list that I would like to find some historical railway maps of the UK, and the good people there promptly recommended some. Here's a summary for future reference.
What would be even more useful would be a historical atlas approach, showing which lines were built first and how the network grew.
David Hecht: There's a book of (very detailed) maps from Ian Allan called "Pre-grouping Maps and Gazetteer", though it is currently out of print. However, there are 23 copies listed from UK booksellers on Abebooks, starting at GBP 4.00 plus shipping.. Recommended! :-) [I've just ordered a copy of this.]
Stuart Dagger: Some years ago the West Country firm of David & Charles reprinted some editions of Bradshaw's and they have maps in the back. I have a copy of the reprint of one of the 1922 ones, which must have been one of the last before the companies we all know from 1829 and 1825 were pushed into the larger groupings of the LMS etc.
It might also be worth checking out the Ordnance Survey publications, as they also do reprints of 19th century maps.
After sending the first reply I remembered another source. Try www.OldHouseBooks.co.uk. They have a London Railways map for 1897 and a Bradshaw's 1907 map for Great Britain and Ireland.
Nick Wedd: The maps at http://www.maproom.org/00/35/index.php show UK railways as they were in 1914, though not in detail, and not which companies owned them. It is a geological atlas, but the author was keen on railways: "Our lines of railway have largely aided the progress of Geology not only by opening up a ready means of communication with all parts of the country, but by furnishing many instructive sections of the strata."
The map at http://www.systemed.plus.com/New_Adlestrop_Railway_Atlas.pdf is also interesting. [This one I knew of. It's useful, but incomplete].
Roger Barnes: The Museum of London bookshop is good for old maps of London or Motor
Books in Covent Garden for railway books.
Sunday 14 June 2009
Wednesday 10 June 2009
London
London dominates the English railway network. The main lines lead to London, which is the centre of finance and government. They do not run through it; when a train reaches the capital, its journey is complete. So London is both the dominant city and a block to routes across it.
There are at least 9 main line stations in London, including Liverpool Street, St Pancras, Kings Cross, Euston, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Marylebone. Most of these were run by separate companies. It is not practical to represent all nine stations in a single hex, so for game purposes some of these routes will branch in the adjacent hexes.
If the London tile had six station spaces, as in 1829 or 1825, this could cause an anomaly. If a company were to place a marker in London, it could use this to trace a route out vai another company's track, as if (say) Euston and Marylebone were not distinct termini. So a company connecting to London could gain access to a whole new rail network, possibly in a different area of the country.
Therefore I intend to make London a terminus only. Companies will not put markers in London, only connect to it. The simplest way to display this will be to use the same markings as for off-board areas.
Note that companies will be able to share a route into London, as happened historically. This will be controlled by the usual play of station markers in the cities that connect to the capital.
There are at least 9 main line stations in London, including Liverpool Street, St Pancras, Kings Cross, Euston, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Marylebone. Most of these were run by separate companies. It is not practical to represent all nine stations in a single hex, so for game purposes some of these routes will branch in the adjacent hexes.
If the London tile had six station spaces, as in 1829 or 1825, this could cause an anomaly. If a company were to place a marker in London, it could use this to trace a route out vai another company's track, as if (say) Euston and Marylebone were not distinct termini. So a company connecting to London could gain access to a whole new rail network, possibly in a different area of the country.
Therefore I intend to make London a terminus only. Companies will not put markers in London, only connect to it. The simplest way to display this will be to use the same markings as for off-board areas.
Note that companies will be able to share a route into London, as happened historically. This will be controlled by the usual play of station markers in the cities that connect to the capital.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Update
I've had a couple of weeks hiatus, including a week away and another that was completely taken up with other commitments. I did manage to scribble some notes (while on a train, appropriately enough) that I will write up soon.
In the meantime, I'm continuing to play with maps and hex grids. I downloaded the UK rail map and imported it into Corel Draw so that it overlays the map I was working on. After printing the map and hex grid (just on A4 paper), I'm drwing on 18xx tiles in pencil to see what works.
There are several hexes in the Midlands and North that have connections to all their neighbours. For these, I'm toying with tiles such as the BGM tiles from 1829/1825, so that the routes through the tiles may be more restricted than a simple 6-way station. The intention is to give more strategy to the tile laying in these areas (and to represent the different historical routes more explicitly).
Further south, the routes into London tend to follow patterns that correspond to green plain track tiles. However, there are many small towns here that ought to be represented on the map. This needs more thought and experimentation.
In the meantime, I'm continuing to play with maps and hex grids. I downloaded the UK rail map and imported it into Corel Draw so that it overlays the map I was working on. After printing the map and hex grid (just on A4 paper), I'm drwing on 18xx tiles in pencil to see what works.
There are several hexes in the Midlands and North that have connections to all their neighbours. For these, I'm toying with tiles such as the BGM tiles from 1829/1825, so that the routes through the tiles may be more restricted than a simple 6-way station. The intention is to give more strategy to the tile laying in these areas (and to represent the different historical routes more explicitly).
Further south, the routes into London tend to follow patterns that correspond to green plain track tiles. However, there are many small towns here that ought to be represented on the map. This needs more thought and experimentation.
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