Useful OS rail maps from around 1900

[TMD]

I doubt if this is news to everyone, but it may be useful for some. (It is not called the Procrastination Superhighway for nothing. So here's to more time away from ....)

 

OSI have a useful map viewer at http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V2,706063,772600,1,10

 

This shows today's rail lines (and everything else of course) but ... (I'm pasting next bit from an email to a friend)

 

"to the right you will see 2 small panels - the lower one, Preview Map Series, has what you want.

 

Top of that list is "street map", that is what you see when you zoom in, more or less today.

 

Bottom of that list is "Historic 25"", that's about the year 1900, I estimate that from period of building the C&L Rly. around 1890, but the extension from Arigna station to the mines is not yet shown - it was built about 1919/1920".

 

Since I wrote that I looked at CB&PR on this map and I see the Crosshaven extension (and of course change to 3ft gauge) is missing, so that puts it pre-1900.

 

I wonder are these 25" close-ups all from the same time? They might be, but not necessarily. Others more knowledgeable on the matter will know more.

 

I hope this is of some interest, certainly useful for track layouts, station details etc.

 

Terry.

[Noel]

Hi Terry. Yes its a great resource. Especially looking at historical track layouts in stations, etc. Noel

[WRENNEIRE]

I worked in the OS back in the mid 70's

While waiting for the Cartography course to commence we spent about a week cleaning out old map stores of what was considered useless stock

I must have dumped thousands of 1:1000 sheets of every village and crossroads in the west of Ireland, and I am sure there were many railway stations and trackbeds covered

One thing I did manage to salvage were about 20 sheets that covered the main buildings and out houses of Hazelwood House where my grandparents worked for many years

No idea what ever happened to them.