Railroad maps. Who's got 'em?

[Adam_W1992]

Well awhile back I read a book involving a post-SHTF book where the dude got from A-B (his house in a major city to his bug out location) mostly by following a rail-line on an ATV. It wasn't too well written, but it was by the same guy who wrote 'Lights Out' - great read. Didn't think to much of it at the time but after buying a dirt bike and following the rail lines near my buddy's auto shop (it's in a fairly large city and cops tend to get less-than-friendly when you ride on the main roads with no lights), I realized it's fairly feasible. After following one rail line from downtown fayetteville to the cape fear river, I thought a map of the rails to navigate wouldn't be a half-bad thing to have. Anybody have detailed railroad maps, or better yet, know where to get them?

 

[Gazrok]

http://fragis.fra.dot.gov/GISFRASafety/default.aspx

 

[jimLE]

great idea and topic..i had walked one short section time to time.but only as a short cut to where i was going to at time.

 

[Gazrok]

There are some folks making pedal-powered vehicles to use on railroad tracks in a SHTF situation. Think about it, these things have lasted a long time, and connect cities, etc. and unlike highways, will be fairly clear.

 

[jimLE]

yeah.one thing i've often wanted..is one of the railroad work trucks..do away with the bed and tool boxes.and then build a camper on it,after making sure every thing else up to par.especially the wheels for riding the rails

 

[bubbadreier]

I have actually walked from my house to my BOL (about 50 miles) following the rail lines. I stopped and buried a few things along the way in areas I would not forget. Its not my main plan to get to my BOL but it will work if nothing else will.

 

[eireguy]

This says printable maps but I'm on my phone so I can't tell if you can blow them up or are worth downloading http://www.deskmap.com/rr_mapping/print_maps.html#National Wall Maps

 

[bubbadreier]

Pictures are not very clear even on my desktop, I enlarged them and it made them unreadable.

 

[eireguy]

Well thats no fun !

 

[Survival Maps]

I am a freelance cartographer and I use high powered gis programs to make all different kinds of highly accurate maps.

No need to rely on inadequate maps that are massed produced.

I have made quite a few railroad maps for people. Shoot me a private message if you are interested.

 

[Akingu]

Goto the library as they have all the railway systems and maps.
Notes: never ride on a BN -Burlington Northern or ANY train car that is hauling cars. BN is a fed-owned biz and it's a felony to ride them. When disembarking a boxcar, always throw your stuff out first, THEN jump out as far away as you can and roll. Always make sure you have extra water on you when riding. Always try to get off before you get into the train yard. There's yard security that will and can arrest you. Lastly, always try to have a sheet of plastic AND a good sleeping bag because it gets bloody COLD at night esp when you're whipping along at 50 mph with no cover.

 

[Maverick]

Goto the library as they have all the railway systems and maps.
Notes: never ride on a BN -Burlington Northern or ANY train car that is hauling cars. BN is a fed-owned biz and it's a felony to ride them. When disembarking a boxcar, always throw your stuff out first, THEN jump out as far away as you can and roll. Always make sure you have extra water on you when riding. Always try to get off before you get into the train yard. There's yard security that will and can arrest you. Lastly, always try to have a sheet of plastic AND a good sleeping bag because it gets bloody COLD at night esp when you're whipping along at 50 mph with no cover.

Warren Buffett owns over 70% of BNSF, like Union Pacific Railroad they have their own police force with the same powers of municipal law enforcement within railroads property they generally trained with the state police and have there own K-9 unit, S.W.A.T. teams, special operations response teams and anti-terrorism units, these guys are generally better trained, better equipped then local law enforcement and lot of them are ex federal marshals. It ain't like the days of the o'l watchmen

 

[Maverick]

There are some folks making pedal-powered vehicles to use on railroad tracks in a SHTF situation. Think about it, these things have lasted a long time, and connect cities, etc. and unlike highways, will be fairly clear.

 

[firewallsrus]

Well awhile back I read a book involving a post-SHTF book where the dude got from A-B (his house in a major city to his bug out location) mostly by following a rail-line on an ATV. It wasn't too well written, but it was by the same guy who wrote 'Lights Out' - great read. Didn't think to much of it at the time but after buying a dirt bike and following the rail lines near my buddy's auto shop (it's in a fairly large city and cops tend to get less-than-friendly when you ride on the main roads with no lights), I realized it's fairly feasible. After following one rail line from downtown fayetteville to the cape fear river, I thought a map of the rails to navigate wouldn't be a half-bad thing to have. Anybody have detailed railroad maps, or better yet, know where to get them?

You just can't beat the USGS topographic maps in 7.5 minute series if you can find them for your area. In Texas and the surrounding states, you can get a book called "Roads of Texas". Besides the railroad lines, you can trace the high tension power lines and even pipelines (which may be partially or completely underground). You may have to cut some fences here and there, but a clear-cut was made when they were installed, they tend to go to and from places without passing through other populated places.
BTW: the rail-riding pedal pusher above just made my wish list.

 

[Gazrok]

Post SHTF, I could definitely see the railroads making a comeback....at least years after the event.

 

[Silent Earth]

Over here where rail was invented we have thousands of miles of current operating track but we also have thousands of miles of abandoned track much of which has been converted to cycle and footpaths, insome places our OS maps look like a drunk spider has stepped in an ink well and walked over the map. We have everything from old horse drawn wagonways from the 1600s to old freight lines closed as late as the 1960s many of us have highlighted these old tracks for use as Bug Out Routes.

 

[Maverick]

Over here where rail was invented we have thousands of miles of current operating track but we also have thousands of miles of abandoned track much of which has been converted to cycle and footpaths, insome places our OS maps look like a drunk spider has stepped in an ink well and walked over the map. We have everything from old horse drawn wagonways from the 1600s to old freight lines closed as late as the 1960s many of us have highlighted these old tracks for use as Bug Out Routes.

Figured you want to head out to Dartmoor and not follow tracks? The wife stayed at North Bovey in 2001 analyzing some ruins with a team from Durham University though she said the Royal Marines do a lot of training there, when she was there the Royal Marines and US Marines where doing a joint exercise in Dartmoor, she said it was one of the best places she ever been in the UK she didn't hardly see anyone out in the field when they were working. A good bug out location?

 

[Gazrok]

Nice thing about being a younger nation.....

 

[Silent Earth]

Dartmoor is 300 miles away from me I live right near Durham university at the other end of the country. We have the Yorkshire and Durham dales, Pennines, Lake District Nat Park, Northumberland Nat Park and Scotland much nearer. In my region there was a massive growth of railways because of the massive amounts of coal here so just about every village had a railway line serving a coal mine, the north east is literally riddled with old lines. But Devon and Cornwall tended only to have lines along their coastal paths. I spent 7 years looking around for the best possible and affordable place to be a prepper in England and this place came closest to the ideal and was affordable Devon is to dam close to London and Birmingham and that region faces millions of refugees if TSHTF

BTW I also have worked with the archaeologists from Durham uni on two occasions, one involving developing wind farms and the other excavating a Roman village about 2 miles from here

Marines, MARINES c,mon puleeeze I'm a Light Infantry veteran ( similar to your Rangers) , Marines are just infantry who cannot read maps so we stick them on boats so they can't get lost , just like Airborne, just infantrymen who cannot drive so we throw them out of choppers and planes rather than let them bugger up our vehicles : )

(Don't hold it against me but it was my regiments forefathers who captured and torched your Whitehouse )

Figured you want to head out to Dartmoor and not follow tracks? The wife stayed at North Bovey in 2001 analyzing some ruins with a team from Durham University though she said the Royal Marines do a lot of training there, when she was there the Royal Marines and US Marines where doing a joint exercise in Dartmoor, she said it was one of the best places she ever been in the UK she didn't hardly see anyone out in the field when they were working. A good bug out location?

 

[Silent Earth]

Nice thing about being a younger nation.....

You guys have the youth, we have the good looks, sexual appeal and cool

 

[Silent Earth]

I think this song be my local hero Chris Rea the tees valleys best musician could be about the roads from London to the South West

 

[Brent S]

View attachment 3461

That's really cool, at least until you see a train.