Railroad Engineering Department Maps

These maps, drawings, and blueprints were obtained from the assistant engineer's office in the Mobile, Alabama, depot with permission from CSX and later the owner of the building after purchasing the site to build condos on. Most maps were obtained shortly before Hurricane Katrina flooded the building. Some maps were unfortunately lost in the storm, and some water-damaged maps were retrieved several months after the hurricane. All of these maps would have been destroyed if we hadn't saved them. The depot was torn down in early 2007. 

There are literally thousands of maps in this collection.... far too many to list here. I have cataloged most of them, and have scanned many of them already. Many are original ink-on-linen drawings of various station maps, track changes, and property maps. Some date as far back as the 1890's, though most are dated from the 1940's through the early 1980's. Coverage is limited mostly to CSX predecessor lines in Tennessee and Alabama- mostly Louisville & Nashville, but also includes parts of other lines that later became part of CSX's Mobile Division. 

I am offering scans of these maps to anyone interested. Just e-mail me at the address below with your area of interest. I can send you a list of maps covering a particular town or division (in Word or Excel format), and give you a rough price estimate. Roughly, price is up to $15 per CD, depending on the number of maps and the amount of work involved in scanning the larger maps I haven't done yet. 

The maps include:

Station Maps- These maps show 1 mile of track on each page, and include contracts pertaining to that mile, and track changes made after the date the map was drawn up though the 1950's in most cases. Coverage includes most L&N trackage between Nashville and Montgomery, including branches to Florence, and around Birmingham. There is a large gap (maps missing) between Cullman and a point just south of Birmingham. I also have the station maps of the A&F branch (to Graceville) and Southern Alabama (to Selma and Myrtlewood). 

ICC Valuation Maps- These maps were first drawn in the late teens by the Interstate Commerce Commission and show all tracks and railroad-owned structures. Most of the copies in this collection are revised through the 1960's, and some as late as the 1970's. I have these for parts of the M&M and NO&M subdivisions, the Southern Alabama branch, and the PD-P&A subdivision. Also some parts of the NC&StL between Nashville and Bridgeport, with most of the branches off of this stretch, are covered.

ICC Valuation Profiles- These are similar to the more familiar condensed profiles, except these are not condensed- they usually show 3 miles per fold-out page. The trackage shown in schematic form appears to be as it was when the valuations were drawn in the teens. I have these maps for most of the L&N south of Nashville.

Condensed Profiles- There are only a handful of condensed profile booklets in the collection. These include the A&F Branch, the Foley Branch, NC&StL's Huntsville Branch, and the WRA-A&WP. 

Track Record Books- These books show all track changes made over a specific time period. They are arranged by location and track number, as initially set up during the ICC valuation. Most of the books show the name of the track, length, and contract to build sidings for specific industries. Most of the books obtained show changes between 1955 and the mid-1970's. 

Other railroads covered-

Seaboard Air Line- Maps cover SAL trackage in the city of Birmingham, as well as the Montgomery to Richland, GA line, and Columbus, GA to Richland and south to Bainbridge. 

Atlantic Coast Line- Maps cover ACL trackage in the city of Birmingham, as well as the Montgomery to Bainbridge segment, including the branches to Elba and Abbeville. 

Atlanta & West Point and Western Railway of Alabama- Maps cover the main line from Atlanta to Montgomery, and the branch to Selma. 

Payment:    Please send checks or money order to the address below. Please make checks payable to Tony Howe.  Mississippi residents please add 7% sales tax to purchase price.

Shipping & Handling:  The purchase price includes shipping & handling.  Shipments are via U.S.P.S. 1st class mail, unless buyer directs otherwise.

International Sales:   Contact howe6818@bellsouth.net for information on shipping and handling charges.

For more information or to order- Contact Tony Howe at howe6818@bellsouth.net

Tony Howe    6209 Moreton Place     Ocean Springs, MS 39564